Photographer shares “emotional” story of surprise portrait shoot after meeting “hero” Alex Turner on a train
A photographer has recalled the “emotional” story behind how he managed to take some portrait images of Alex Turner on a train.
The anecdote was shared by photographer Chris Blood, who took to social media last night (April 29) to recall the time he bumped into his “hero” – Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner – and managed to get some portrait shots of him on a train journey.
Taking to Instagram, the photographer shared four images of the Sheffield singer, and used the caption to recall both how the moment arose, and what it meant for him to meet the singer.
“Met my hero on a train,” he began.
“It’s 2005, a band explodes on MySpace. They’re dressed like you and their lyrics are a mirror to your life. Bleeding heck, who the fuck are the Arctic Monkeys? After 19 years on repeat it’s now 2024. Myself and @conor_bloodfilms are travelling back from Paris.
“We arrive at Gare Du Nord and Duffy stops in his tracks. He whispers to me ‘I think that’s Alex Turner.’ ‘F**k off!’ I immediately reply. I gaze over at a guy wearing a leather jacket with long brown hair, his face adorned with aviators. We should probably stop staring as it’s getting weird, sexually and aggressively weird. Turns out it is bloody Alex Turner, the man who’s provided the soundtrack to my life! He strolls past and disappears into the Parisian platform crowd. A missed opportunity.”
He continued, going on to explain that the two coincidentally ended up on the same train journey back to London, where he finally built up the courage to talk to the singer-songwriter.
“We look to our left and there’s Alex. Sitting in his seat accompanied by a notepad. He’s probably writing the next Arctic Monkeys hit ‘Two gawping pricks on a train’. We really need to stop staring,” he explained.
“I tell Duffers I’m going in, he stops me. Reminds me that I’m a fully functioning adult and not to create a scene. Christ, he’s right! I feel like I’m 15 years old again, someone get me a Strongbow and whack Dancing Shoes on, kin hell lad!
“Eventually myself and Con engage, it’s a surreal experience. Alex is polite and returns conversation in a soft friendly manner. The whole situation is just bloody lovely. I awkwardly ask if I can take his portrait, fully aware that it could result in an awkward exchange and destroy this wonderful moment. He smiles and obliges, he’s effortlessly cool, asks for direction and I take a few snaps,” Blood added.
“We disembark the train, I felt quite emotional and that’s embarrassing to admit. Maybe it was the jet lag, the caffeine and croissant overload? Or maybe it was just the rekindling of my youth.
“This all might sound trivial, however, for me these portraits are deeply personal serving a reminder that life is a series of fortunate events and when fully appreciated can conjure up some pretty awesome memories.”
Check out the shots of Alex Turner in the post above.
In other Arctic Monkeys news, the Sheffield band wrapped up the final night of their world tour last October by bringing out James Ford and Miles Kane as special guests.
The moment took place at their show at the 3Arena in Dublin, as they played the final night of their global tour, celebrating the release of their latest studio album, ‘The Car’.
Their last album dropped at the end of 2022, and was given a glowing five-star review by NME, who described it as “a swashbuckling, strings-fuelled epic”.
“‘The Car’ goes some way to addressing some of the last record’s flaws. While growing in stature once the initial shock wore off and proving to be wildly entertaining live, there were still some nit-picks to be had with ‘Tranquility…’: perhaps it was too slow and one-note, perhaps the full band were under-utilised as performers, perhaps it felt more like a Turner solo record,” it read.
“On ‘The Car’, though, Jamie Cook, Nick O’Malley and Helders are present and powerful; guided by Turner’s songwriting and delicate vocal performance, but never ceding to it: ‘Body Paint’, a swaggering ‘70s-inspired epic, features the full band at their most ferocious-sounding in years. If ‘Tranquility…’s monochrome palette boxed Arctic Monkeys in, here they’re flourishing in full colour.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
