Thousands of people see them on stage. But backstage, a whole different world is waiting.
GET TO KNOW: BLACKSTAGE
Selected portraits also make their way from the backstage area to festival visitors every year. You can find them, for example, on the fences at the festival entrance, at Ostrava City Hall or in Patriot magazine.
Blackstage is not just about photography. Every year, it also comes with stories that would normally never make it out of the backstage area.
Backstage is just as full of life as the festival grounds.
How Pete Doherty tried to take a piece of Colours home
Some photographs from previous editions decorate the walls of the corridors in the artists’ dressing rooms and dining areas. And every now and then, someone likes one so much that they decide they want to take it home. This year, that someone was Pete Doherty.
When Pete Doherty arrived with The Libertines, he spotted Roman’s portrait of John Lydon on the wall. Lydon, the punk icon and former Sex Pistols frontman, performed at Colours in 2011. Pete decided he simply wanted to take the portrait with him. He tried to take it off the wall, but eventually a deal was made: the Lydon portrait in exchange for a photo session with The Libertines. The band stepped in front of Roman’s camera, with Lydon’s portrait joining them. Roman also signed the back of the portrait.
In the end, they chose a slightly more classic shot of The Libertines for publication.
Traditions must be followed.
Aurora performed at Colours for the third time this year and volunteered for the photo session herself. And because she believes traditions must be followed, she convinced Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers to join her this time. Tom generally doesn’t like being photographed and is very protective of his privacy. But Aurora was determined. So in the end, he stepped in front of Roman’s camera too.
LP already knows Black’s Stage well
Roman has photographed LP at Colours twice before, and this year she even arranged the photo session herself. And that was after her performance. No makeup artists, no elaborate preparations, she simply came in and got photographed. It’s clear that she really trusts Roman’s work and knows what to expect from him.
Moby’s unexpected cameo
Moby tends to be quite private, but during the shoot this year, he noticed someone who caught his attention. He spotted Roman’s daughter helping out in the studio, wearing a T-shirt with one of Moby’s old logos on it. Moby smiled at her and immediately invited her to join him for a photo. So the planned shoot ended up producing one more unexpected portrait.
Teddy Swims: half a minute, dozens of expressions
Teddy Swims was one of the biggest names at Colours this year and arrived for the shoot surrounded by an impressive wall of managers. But as soon as he stepped in front of Roman’s camera, everything suddenly felt completely different. In less than half a minute, he went through a whole range of poses and expressions, from serious to completely self-deprecating. And it was that most unexpected shot that he and Roman chose on the spot as the final one.
Artists come and go at Colours every year. New stars arrive, familiar faces return, and some step in front of Roman “Black” Černý’s camera time and time again. But he stays. Thank you for the backstage portraits that show our artists in a slightly different way than we know them from the stage.
