How can I sleep with your voice in my head

a-ha took to the stage last night at the Dubai Opera on the first of their two-night stay here in the UAE. The first half of the show was a live performance of their 1985 debut album “Hunting High and Low” in its entirety, in its original playing order. I have been fortunate to see a-ha in my hometown of Leeds, England, New York City, Los Angeles (where I got to meet the band) and now Dubai. The show was very special, and the band seemed to be enjoying their first-ever gig in the UAE. Morten, Mags and Pal were supported by their usual musicians: Karl-Oluf Wennerberg on drums, Evan Ormestad on bass and Erik Ljunggren on keyboards and playing double duty as musical director for the tour.

The evening was a rare treat for life-long fans, and a reminder of what a great band a-ha are for those who may have only heard a smattering of the hits from their debut release. It is hard to believe that “Hunting High and Low” is 35 years old. Where do the years go? After a brief 20 minute intermission, a-ha were back and played a wide range of songs from their deep back catalogue. In total, the Norwegians played for over two hours playing hit after hit, that had the crowd on their feet and thoroughly entertained. My only criticism and It may have been a venue/touring logistics issue, was the missing of their digital backdrop and bespoke motion design and video elements. When used, they add an extra level of drama and artistry to the staging and can tighten the emotional quality of the music. Having seen many clips from the tour from last year, this was a missing element for me. The use of the inspiration for the almost cresting a billion views “Take on Me music video,” “commuter.”  was something I was hoping to see during their Dubai concerts. When used, it adds a great deal of excitement as the show unfolds.

When I saw a-ha in Leeds during their initial rise to fame, I was a teenager. It was my first ever concert, and it left a mark on my life, capturing a special moment in my teenage years. Tonight, night two of their stay here in the UAE, I will take my eight-year-old son to his first-ever concert. This will be a very special moment for this life-long a-ha fan.

Setlist

• Take On Me

• Train of Thought

• Hunting High and Low

• The Blue Sky

• Living a Boy's Adventure

• The Sun Always Shines on T.V.

• And You Tell

• Love Is Reason

• I Dream Myself Alive (Demo version)

• Here I Stand and Face the Rain

Intermission

• Analogue (All I Want)

• Foot of the Mountain

• The Swing of Things

• Crying in the Rain

• Sycamore Leaves

• Digital River

• I've Been Losing You

• Stay on These Roads

Encore

• Scoundrel Days

• The Living Daylights

That was January

For a number of reasons, I decided to take a break from much of social media at the start of the New Year. I will continue to spend less time on many social platforms as the year progresses as I feel they take more than they give: more time, more energy, more passion etc. I did, however, continue to take a number of images, and, as these images need a home, I posted from time to time to one of my Instagram accounts (@photograpingdubai) I will continue to spend less time on social over the course of the year, but will occasionally post images to Instagram. I hope you enjoy these recent images. Feel free to follow my @photograpingdubai IG account.

Pallavi Dean @ Creative Mornings

A continuation of my ongoing personal portrait series that focuses on the speakers at the monthly Creative Mornings gathering in Dubai. Kicking-off the new year with a splendid Creative Morning with Pallavi Dean of internationally renowned interior design agency, Roar. Pallavi spoke passionately with Kathryn Athreya on the global Creative Mornings topic of #CMROOTS.

creativemornings.com/cities/dxb

New Year, new focus!

“How many likes does it take to make one happy? ”

I am starting off the year by taking a much needed social media break. I feel as though I have been feeding content-hungry platforms for far too long. What makes things worse, is that at times, these platforms have a habit of sucking the joy of life right out of me and have left me feeling emptier inside. For these reasons, I will be off Facebook, Instagram & Twitter for the foreseeable future. I have removed these apps from my phone and will only use the usual, less invasive and time-consuming texting apps to keep in touch with friends and family. I can still be reached by email of course! I may post the occasional image to my old school Flickr account too!

So, with that said, be on the lookout for more regular posts to this blog, posts that showcase my creative work, and explore my wide-ranging interests and questions on life. Hey, it may even be interesting at times.