Adrian Dutt of Spectres Doubles Up With The Lomo'Instant Automat

We talked to Adrian Dutt of UK-based band Spectres who has a penchant for the Diana Mini. We thought we would put his analogue skills to the test and sent him a Lomo'Instant Automat to play around with during his band's tour and studio sessions.

Tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm one quarter of the noise-pop quartet 'Spectres' and a total Lomography addict. Currently based in Bristol and running the venue we have built within our record store at Rough Trade, I spend 95% of my waking time either immersed in music and the people that inhabit that world or illustrating various aspects of my own existentialism. As 'Spectres' we've been making our fanzine 'Dark Habits' for the past 7 years, we just hit issue 10, each issue is full of horror stories, illustrations and more importantly, photos. I've had a Diana Mini which I've taken all over the world with me to every tour we've been on, I don't know how it survives, it is a medical miracle. I document all the mundane but beautiful (in my opinion) moments of being in a band, the tired faces, the tension, the amazing places we visit, and the friends we make along the way.

How did you get on shooting with the Lomo'Instant Automat?

The Lomo'Instant Automat was a joy to use, I'm used to the square format now, so it was interesting going back to a traditional viewfinder. The multiple exposure function is so great, sometimes it creates layers that are full of narrative and help to tell more of a story, adding a certain weight to the moments captured. I started to think differently in terms of what I was shooting and how the images would work together. It's small enough to fit in a jacket pocket, and super lightweight, it now comes with me on every journey I make which is starting to get expensive.

What did you choose to shoot and why?

All the shots come from recent studio sessions, both at home in Dom's 'Malthouse' studio, up in Leeds at 'Nave' studios', recent shows in the UK and France and also a few from Rough Trade where 50% of us reside in a professional role. The photos are just a continuation of my ongoing documenting really, to capture every moment of being in a band and all the stuff that surrounds it, a permanent record of what is definitely the best years of our lives.

It's so easy to take for granted that we get to travel to new places, meet new people, and force our art on others, so having those memories in a physical format is something very close to my heart. I have a huge album of square 35 mm photos, and now adding to that with these instant memories.

What do you think the appeal of film and instant photography is?

It's easy to get distracted by the ease of digital photography, as amazing as it is, it is all very disposable. How often do you look through photos you take with a phone? Having a physical memory that was considered and anticipated is so exciting. Nothing beats the feeling of picking up a film from Photographique, my local developers, opening the envelope and examining the mistakes, miracles, and surprises. It's a similar sensation with the Automat, I make a conscious decision to put the photos straight into a notebook and not look through them until the end of the day, so I can really appreciate them and be excited. There is something very beautiful about the analogue images that provide a visual soundtrack to our lives, so we should cherish them.

What’s coming up in the future?

We have just had a new single out, and are heading out for a few dates at the end of April with one of our favourite bands 'A Place To Bury Strangers'. After that, we'll be putting together the next issue of Dark Habits and going in to the studio to finish album number 3. Yikes.

Check out Spectres new release by visiting their website.

2019-05-01 #news #band #music #bristol #spectres #rough-trade #on-tour