There’s always been debate about how to capture live performance on screen, on whether to focus on the performer and/or the audience. Many think that it’s more important to focus on the performer, which I think is valid if you’re thinking of a demi-god rock star in the St James. But I saw the Ladybirds a while ago at the small, dark Wine Cellar and got thinking about how to capture that performance. Focusing on only the band would seem to express half the atmosphere. Members of the audience were singing along, friends of the band went up to perform with tiny instruments, even tapping balloons (amusing). People were interacting with other people, singing along and mingling. Would it feel right to just show images of the band members? It seems to simplify the ambience into a two-dimensional ‘performance for a camera’ rather than trying to capture the life of ‘live performance’.