festival | Lee Massey

It was Friday 13th, I’m expecting it to be a good day (for personal reasons). I’m meeting with the Director of Hanover Associates reference images for their website. All is going well when I receive a phone call from the Fire Brigades Union Regional Official Paul Embery. He asked if I could do a days work with the Union after the General Secretary Matt Wrack mentioned my name regarding photography (I was pleasantly surprised if I’m honest). I confirm that I am available and Paul informs me that I will receive a phone call from Matt later that day to confirm everything. So the day is getting better. I later get the call from Matt and he starts to tell me what the job will entail. He informs me that we will be meeting at the Cumberland Hotel in Marble Arch at 11:30 to meet with a musician by the name of Tom Morello. Now I’m thinking to myself, I know that name, but I couldn’t place it.

Matt then says that we will be meeting with a group of Essex Firefighters, as they are currently involved in an ongoing dispute with the management of the Essex County Fire & Rescue Service. Then we will be heading over to Hyde Park to appear on stage with Tom Morello during his set at the Hard Rock Calling Festival! I’m then told that Mr. Morello is a huge supporter of unions and writes and sings politically motivated songs, things are slowly falling in to place! I then realise that Tom Morello is the former guitarist for none other than American rock band, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE! A band I have always been a fan of ever since I was at school. I’m very pleased Matt mentioned my name now! We end the phone call and I look forward to the morning!

I meet Matt at 11:20 and we make our way to the hotel. After a short while we eventually meet with Tom! I couldn’t believe I was shanking the hand of, as far as I’m concerned, a legend! He is also rated as the 26th best guitarist in the world!

I grab a shot of the moment Matt Wrack and two Essex officials from the FBU present Tom with a mounted Firefighters axe.

FBUGeneral Secretary Matt Wrack and two Essex FBU Members present Tom Morello with a mounted Firefighters axe. Tom Morello is the former guitarist for the American rock band Rage Against The Machine. Hyde Park, London ©Lee Massey 2012 – All Rights Reserved

We eventually meet with the remaining Firefighters from Essex and we make our way to Hyde Park. We have a bit of time so we stop for a drink at a pub on Park Lane where we grab a group shot of the guys.

Essex FBU members and officials stand outside a pub near Hyde Park for a photo opportunity. FBU members in Essex are in dispute with their employer over cuts to the Service, the imposition of change without agreement and the failure to apply national procedures for dealing with disagreements. ©Lee Massey 2012 – All Rights Reserved

The time comes for us to head to the gate where we are due to meet someone to get us entry in to the back stage area. After a little bit of shuffling about going from gate to gate, we are eventually guided to the back of the main stage and then ushered on to the side of the stage where Tom is performing. After a few more songs Tom is finally at the last song of his set. He then mentions to the crowed that he has some guests and then introduces the firefighters on stage. We head out on stage and do something that I think I can safely say, will never do again!

Here are a few images from the time we were on stage with none other than Tom Morello!!!

For the full set of images click HERE

: Pictured: Tom Morello (center), Matt Wrack (left) and FBU members The Nightwatchman aka Tom Morello is flanked by Essex Firefighters during his last song on stage at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London’s Hyde Park. Morello is known to invite whole crowds on to the stage at concerts he has played but this time it was the FBU members opportunity. Hyde Park, London © 2012 Lee Massey

: Pictured: Tom Morello and Essex FBU members The Nightwatchman aka Tom Morello is flanked by 15 Essex Firefighters during his last song on stage at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London’s Hyde Park. Morello is known to invite whole crowds on to the stage at concerts he has played but this time it was the FBU members opportunity. Hyde Park, London © 2012 Lee Massey

: Pictured: Tom Morello and Essex FBU members The Nightwatchman aka Tom Morello is flanked by 15 Essex Firefighters during his last song on stage at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London’s Hyde Park. Morello is known to invite whole crowds on to the stage at concerts he has played but this time it was the FBU members opportunity. Hyde Park, London © 2012 Lee Massey

: Pictured: Fire Brigades Union flags Members of the Fire Brigades Union hold their flags while standing on stage with Tom Morello. Morello is the former guitarist of American rock band Rage Against The Machine and now solo uses the alter-ego The Nightwatchman. Hyde Park, London © 2012 Lee Massey

: Pictured: Tom Morello and Essex FBU members The Nightwatchman aka Tom Morello is flanked by 15 Essex Firefighters during his last song on stage at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London’s Hyde Park. Morello is known to invite whole crowds on to the stage at concerts he has played but this time it was the FBU members opportunity. Hyde Park, London © 2012 Lee Massey

: Pictured: Tom Morello (left middle) and FBU Members The FBU Members have a group photograph with Tom Morello. Tom Morello is ranked 26th in the worlds best guitarists, he is also the former guitarist from American rock band Rage Against The Machine © 2012 Lee Massey

: FBUGeneral Secretary Matt Wrack and two Essex FBU Members present Tom Morello with a mounted Firefighters axe. Tom Morello is the former guitarist for the American rock band Rage Against The Machine. Hyde Park, London ©Lee Massey 2012 – All Rights Reserved

: Essex FBU members and officials stand outside a pub near Hyde Park for a photo opportunity. FBU members in Essex are in dispute with their employer over cuts to the Service, the imposition of change without agreement and the failure to apply national procedures for dealing with disagreements. ©Lee Massey 2012 – All Rights Reserved

January 13th, day 1, and Canary Wharf was the setting for the 4th London Ice Sculpting Festival. 8 teams took part from all over Europe and Africa. The sculptures were, for the person that knows nothing about ice sculpting, very intricate and looked extremely difficult to do.

At the start, the teams thought about how they were going to carve the designs in to the huge blocks of ice that stood in front of them, scoring lines and taking little bits of ice away at a time, then slowly but surely the designs took shape. The sculpting started at 09:00hrs and finished at 19:00hrs. The sculptures were then wrapped up in big silver blankets and tucked away for the night.

Day 2 saw another early start and the teams carried on from where they left off. The African team were going well with their sculpture, when a supporting piece gave way and the whole thing collapsed and smashed in to pieces! Game over for them.

The day wore on and the weather got colder, and at 14:00hrs the clock stopped and the sculptures were finished. All of them extremely impressive.

Later on in the evening after the crowds had had a good look at the carvings, the winners were announced… “And the winners are…..Portugal”. They received £1000 prize money. Their sculpture of a snowboarder on one hand with quater-pipe behind him, was in my personal opinion, fantastic.

The UK team won the singles competition, receiving £500, and they also won the people’s choice, receiving £200. A nice little earner for them!

The teams that took part were:

Team UK – Piers Griffin & Jonathan Lloyd (Singles Competition Winners)
Sweden – Patrick Sorwing & Peter Sorwing
Portugal – Pedro Mira & Patrick Magee (Doubles Competition Winners)
Hungary – Akos Toth & Zsolt M. Toth
France – Julien Baron & Charles Filsjean
Bulgaria – Irina Korovkov & Ruslan Korovkov
Belgium – Frank De Conynck & Dries De Belie
Africa – Steve Armance & Mario Amegee

: Blocks of ice stand ready to be sculpted into an array of different designs. Photograph By Lee Massey

: One of the Swedish pair carves in to the block of ice with an electric chainsaw as the festival begins. Photograph By Lee Massey

: The Hungarian team add detail to their snowboarding sculpture using the electric chainsaw. Photograph By Lee Massey

: Hundreds of people came to Canary Wharf to view the amazing sculptures created over two days. Photograph By Lee Massey

: The podium is filled with the sculptors after the final awards have been handed out. The Portuguese winners, Pedro Mira and Niall Magee, are seen here in the middle of the picture. Photograph By Lee Massey

: Portuguese winners Pedro Mira, Left, and Niall Magee, Right, stand either side of their winning ice sculpture at the end of the London Ice Sculpting Festival 2012. Photograph By Lee Massey