First gig at the Academy in Manchester, that is all 4 Manchester Academies under my belt now.

Thought it would be much bigger than Academy 2, the stage and lighting is leagues apart though as you can probably tell from the pictures featured here.

Passion Pit were fantastic playing to a sold out Academy.

Ellie Goulding

Support came from Ellie Goulding and pleasantly surprising having not known Little Death were playing. All three acts were a joy to shoot, maybe because I was the only photographer there, perhaps due to other gigs that night including Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen, Frightened Rabbit among others, busy night.

Promotional Pictures.

Editors

FESTIVALS! Hop Farm and Truck to be precise. Hop Farm was a lovely festival but the security problems (being the security) really puts me off going again.

Aside from that it was great to meet so many ace photographers and the PR team. Highlights being the 3rd stage tent with bands like Fight Like Apes, JoFo, Dananananaykroyd, British Sea Power and Joy Formidable among others.

Ash and Editors on the main stage were amazing, also seeing Neville Southall play again was an honour.

Many more Hop Farm pictures on Flickr here.

The Ghost Of A Thousand

My second Truck festival was even better than last years, headliners were certainly better being Ash and Supergrass. lots of meeting of awesome people new and old, well not old but already known.

It was an honour to shoot Damo Suzuki on the Truck stage and A Place To Bury Strangers did their bit to move deafness forward.

Shot the XX in a tiny bumblebee tent, squashy, Sky Larkin were great and Thomas Truax brought Truck to an end for myself, no words to describe him, well eccentric springs to mind.

Lovely 12 hour journey home through night and morning.

Complete Truck set on Flickr here.

August

Jarvis Cocker

August was all about the Greenman, third time for myself. Always a bit more special with a massive bunch of friends in attendance on stage and off.

Flitting between stages missing half a set of bands I love to shoot other bands I love, yeah its clash tastic at Greenman.

Highlights include Grizzly Bear, Jarvis Cocker who I never expected to be so funny, British Sea Power who should have headlined.

Also ace were James Yuill, Meilir, Beach House, Emmy The Great, Bright Light Bright Light and She Keeps Bees.

The Comedians who had kids in the front row past midnight did an amazing job in not letting them affect their performance, think they made them even more vulgar, ace.

Heap of Greenman photoage on Flickr here.

Also travelled down to the Cardiff Barfly to shoot and see the Northwestern, who were born out of Hope Of The States, sound was woeful but they were cracking.

September

Imelda May

Quiet month September was, recovery I guess, I did head down the road to Central Station in town for Imelda May.

Same place for Theoretical Girl who was very good but lighting was very poor.

October

Gallops

October was venue hopping festival month. But before that I shot the Big Pink before heading up to Manchester for In The City.

Did’nt meet as many people as last years but still had a great time, shot the first of Gallops two gigs in one night before legging it to the Warehouse Project for Groove Armada, way better lighting than my first time there.

Missed Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster as it seemed to be full delegates only, shame but legged it back to continue shooting the DiS night, Frightened Rabbit were incredible.

Other highlights being the Northwestern, Esben and the Witch, Kong, Minnaars and Bright Light Bright Light.

Lowlights missing out on the Drums, Night and Day was full up, fights ensued outside(not including myself). Did’nt help that they were playing on Wednesday night in the Deaf Institute with No Age!!!

Which I could not feasibly make due to Swn Festival being in the same damn week as In The City, awesome but pocket shredding.

In The City photoage here.

Tubelord

So Swn festival in Cardiff, loved shooting in a pub called the Model inn, just run of the mill pub lights but it worked so well see above Tubelord and below.

Strange News From Another Star

Apart from the train breaking down halfway to Cardiff and the distance between The Gate and Chapter venues, Swn was ace. Oh hang on, upgrade hyped bands to bigger venues! Ridiculous having Girls in a tiny wine bar, also missed out on the Drums again, though I had braced myself for such event and did’nt even bother, just about managed to get in for Slow Club who followed Drums.

Slow Club

Slow Club was possibly my favourite gig of the year, great band, magical atmosphere, switch band and atmosphere around if you want.

Though, that opinion may have been different if I would have stayed for Los Campesinos, but I had to leg it (ok, taxi it, mega pocket burns!) back to Clwb Ifor Bach for Beth Jeans Houghton, who I’d also been asked to shoot. In hindsight, of course the reviewer would’nt have left after 3 songs like I did, balls.

Jees Pulled Apart By Horses, whole front row downstairs at Clwb Ifor Bach were photographers, felt a bit guilty so did’nt stay long, must be annoying for band and fans, well they should’nt be so bloody good to see and shoot then.

Jofo and Dananananaykroyd were typically awesome as ever, love the new Chapter Arts Centre, amazing refurb, the theatre room/stage looks great, bit challenging for shooting but in a good way, got some good shots of Marina and the Diamonds and Bright Light Bright Light.

More Swn shots here.

November

Good Shoes

Mainly stayed on home turf, apart from a trip to Telfords Warehouse in Chester to shoot Mitchell Museum who came highly recommended by Adam Walton. I missed them at Swn, Adam liked them so much, he booked them, wise man.

Shot the Automatic, I quite enjoy the heavier material live, and Monster is worth it for the all too brief All Roads Lead To Fault riff.

Good Shoes were really good but suffered from sound problems, Copy Haho stole the show for me.

December

Battles

Unintentionally ended up shooting three big gigs over the course of December that I only intended to shoot one of them.

First up were Battles at the Academy 2, my heart sank when I was told there was no barrier, but thankfully the people at the front were sound and shockingly there were only two photographers(including me).

Battles were ace, drums where literally on the edge of the stage, extremely close, ace new Warp band Nice Nice were amazing, also quite enjoyed Flying Lotus, not really my thing usually.

Placebo

To be honest I only shot Placebo for the supports at the old G-Mex(now called Manchester Central), being Silversun Pickups and the Horrors.

But Placebo were a joy to shoot to be fair, massive stage once the curtains went up, big screens, ace lighting, Horrors were crap to shoot, lighting probably the most dire I’ve had to shoot under, considering it was no flash.

Lovely staff though and met a few nice photographers.

The Ritz was not what I expected, from previous pictures it seemed like a theatre type venue, still its a ace venue all the same, lighting was not great but made the best of it.

Both bands were sublime, support Frightened Rabbit won new fans, Modest Mouse were like mega pop stars to the crowd.

Also shot Rose Elinor Dougall at Telfords Warehouse in Chester, amazing pop songs, rounded off my year with a rammed Gallops gig in Central Station.

Not shot anything in 2010 yet, gigwise anyway. having a bit of a break, gots lots of gig and non gig related stuffs in the pipeline though.

Pulled Apart By Horses

Not many gigs in January but it did involve myself heading down to Cardiff for two nights to shoot Pulled Apart by Horses performing at the Barfly in Cardiff on tour with Sky Larkin and a headline gig at Clwb Ifor Bach for Gallops.

February

Late Of The Pier

Even quieter month with one big gig at the Academy 2 in Manchester to shoot Late Of Pier. Which was amazing but lighting was overwhelmingly bad, made all the worse, of all times to be given the chance to shoot on stage, still a great experience.

March

Chew Lips

Things picked up in March , with myself heading back up to Manchester to shoot three ace bands being Chew Lips, Joy Formidable and Howling Bells at the Club Academy. An aftershow hosted by Joy Formidable at Kro bar was missed due to myself going to the wrong one. But the hour wait for the last train sure was pleasant.

Also shot gigs back home at Central Station including Dananananaykroyd, Grammatics and Rolo Tomassi.

April

The Deathstars

Very little activity in April, not the type of music I listen to but they make for good pictures do The Deathstars playing Central Station in Wrexham.

Also shot at Central were Brakes with support from Voluntary Butler Scheme.

May

Johnny Foreigner

Summertime, the point where it really kicks into gear, many trips up north to Manchester. First of two trips to the Deaf Institute in two days, possibly the coolest and my favourite venue to shoot Johnny Foreigner and Deerhunter respectively.

Deerhunter

This was a rescheduled gig, either due to demand or due to their kindness or both Deerhunter played two shows in one day, as much as I wanted to see their majestic sets twice(which a few different songs were played) I chose the matinee performance so I could get home early.

This month also kicked of Festival season in Salford for Sounds from the Other City festival, all in one street in pubs, cafes and churches, unique venues would be one way to put it. I shot Mercury nominated and should have been winners The Invisible and the rising Lost Knives in a tiny traditional pub. Also second place in the BBC 2010 ‘hotlist’ Marina and the Diamonds in a church with Gallops headlining.

More bands shot in May of note include the La Roux headlined NME Radar tour and my Latest Novel,

June

Doves

A lovely night out in Delamere saw Doves take to the woods for a amazing gig which I only got to see about fives songs of, due to that bloody transport situation which meant I had to leave early.

Still, had  a lovely chicken burger there with some JD sauce on it.

Delphic

Doves were supported in the woods by highly tipped for this year Delphic, I was a bit pleased with this shot.

Pulled Apart By Horses

Somehow, I don’t believe a career beckons in the cleaning trade for James. A typically raucous gig for Pulled Apart By Horses at the Frog and Nightingale in Chester. So the story goes, Tom whilst playing in the crowd, spews up on the floor, carries on playing. Cleaner mops up mid song, puts out the cleaner caution sign. Tom proceeds to kicks it away at some point, James retrieves said sign, where it ends up on his head. Oh yeah the supports included someone in a army helmet with attached mic and an in your face scary punk band, you know, the usual gig.

I also shot Enter Shikari.

So here are my songs of the decade in cliche format.

1. Christmas TV - Slow Club

2. Blue Orchid - White Stripes

3. Enemies/Friends - Hope of the States

4. Salt, Pepper And Spinderella - Johnny Foreigner

5. Modern Leper - Frightened Rabbit

6. Never Stops - Deerhunter

7. New York City Cops - The Strokes

8. My Recovery Injection - Biffy Clyro

9. This is the Dream of Win & Regine - Final Fantasy

10. Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues - Mclusky

11. Tij - Battles

12. Rebellion (lies) - Arcade Fire (not on Spotify)

Spotify link if it peruses your fancy Lense Eyes Songs of the Decade

Brakes headline gig at Central Station with supports Voluntary Butler Scheme and Camera

26th april 2009

For more shots from this gig do click here

Deathstars with support from Marionette playing central station.

Two Drumkits!

Not my thing but good for image capturing. Quite pleased with the black and white Deathstars image above

17th April 2009

Head over here for more shots.