Mayhem
3rd March 2015
Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand
Photography by Doug Peters.
I’m not ashamed to admit I was more than a little frightened to be shooting the absolute legends of Norwegian Black Metal, Mayhem, that night at the annual “Westfest” music festival. Their reputation preceded them – from extremely violent stage performances to church burning’s, through to using a graphic image of one of the band members who had committed suicide as an album cover. Oh, and of course that infamous brutal murder of original guitarist ‘Euronymous’ by ex member Varg Vikernes.
The stage was tiny, the photopit even smaller and we were packed in tightly. I remember standing there thinking “If something goes down, the only option is to jump the barrier into the audience”. I am extremely happy to say that not only did nothing too violent go down that night, but I was able to stand face to face (the stage was very low, and I’m kinda tall) with one of the most infamous bands in the world to take some of my most favourite images I’ve ever taken.
Sure, the lead singer ‘Attila Csihar’ may have frightened a lot of the audience with his blood soaked toothless scowl and use of stage props (including a real human skull), but from where I was standing I was witnessing one of the best showmen in black metal. I really look forward to their return!
Did you catch this legendary performance at Westfest 2015? Or have you seen Mayhem at another one of their own shows? Tell me about it in the comments below!
For more information on Mayhem you can check out their website, or follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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