Luis Kramer

Name, where are you from?

Luis Kramer. Finchley born, Hitchin raised.

Describe your style in three words?

Pirate space cowboy.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to or photographed?

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Primavera in 2017, at like 2 am was pretty epic. It was just as they really started hitting the festivals. Crows downstairs at The Old Blue Last for their album launch was incredible to shoot, even though I had to leave halfway through for another job.

If you could tour with any two bands in history?

Touring with The Clash would for sure make for some interesting documentation. Especially in the early days. And probably Talking Heads, for the pure fact I’d get to watch them every night. Guess I’ll just have to settle for YouTube live performances.

Which subcultures have influenced you?

I’ve always had a fascination with the Dandies & Flappers and the whole 1920’s era of bright young things. The music was fast, outfits outrageous & attitudes fierce. To go back in time and dance the night away at one of the many glamorous shin-digs would be amazing.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?

That’s a hard one. I’d quite like to track down the enigmatic and reclusive William Onyeabor to ask him some questions and also try and persuade him to make some more music. Unfortunately, I’m a couple of years too late. As a photographer, picking Bruce Gildan’s brain would be great. A night out with Salvador Dali would also be interesting.

Of all the venues you’ve been to or photographed in, which is your favourite?

I love shooting at The Shacklewell Arms. The shows in there always get pretty raucous and sweaty, the colours in there look great when you use a flash as well, all the weird old painted walls. The Lexington is also great to see a show, as even when it’s rammed you can almost always see the stage, due to the step up section.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?

Anyone that does what they do not for the money but purely for the love of it. Help each other.

To see more of Luis' work visit www.luiskramerphoto.com and stay up to date by following him on Instagram at @kramerdoingbits.