OK, let’s not kid ourselves here… These aren’t the best live shots I’ve ever taken!

Unfortunately, despite having a photo pass for the Eric Clapton gig, we were only allowed to shoot from half way back in the LG Arena, and only for the first 2 songs! That’s a good few hundred feet from the stage. Not great!

Still, this is Clapton we’re talking about here. I was still honoured to be there. And he had his mate Steve Winwood along for the ride.

Most of my shots were, predictably, very similar, so here are just a few from the gig.

Chances are most people reading this blog have never heard of Parkway Drive or Despised Icon.

More than likely, most of you won’t like them either! They’re both very, very heavy bands. They’re also, in my opinion at least, both amazing!

They’re also great to photograph.

Here are a few from their Manchester show a couple of weeks ago…

See my photos with a gig review on the Birmingham Live site.

Some bands are a bit dull to photograph in concert. They stand there in subdued lighting, staring at their instruments and hardly communicate with the crowd.

KISS are not one of those bands!

Earlier tonight I was at the LG Arena in Birmingham to photograph KISS for the second time and the self-proclaimed “hottest band in the world” are possibly the most fun band you could ever want to have in front of you when you have a camera in hand.

Here are just a few of my fave photos from the gig…

Occasionally in my job I get to photograph true musical legends.

Glen Campbell is one such artist. I was the only photographer accredited to shoot Glen at his Symphony Hall gig and it was an honour to be there to do so.

Since then, I’ve been a little concerned to speak to several people who have never heard of him!

This is the man that made Wichita Lineman & Rhinestone Cowboy the classics they are.

This is the man who has played on records for such artists as Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Merle Haggard, Elvis Presley, Jan & Dean and the Righteous Brothers.

He’s now 74 years old and still performing like a true star.

Here are a few photos from Friday night.

Yesterday was Mother’s Day in the UK and the weather was glorious so we took the family down to the Cotswolds where we had dinner and enjoyed the spring sunshine. We were also down there to shoot an engagement session which I’ll be posting on the blog soon. It was a great day.

By complete contrast, the evening was spent with 3000 metal fans at Birmingham Academy where Florida’s A Day To Remember were playing. I was much more interested in the two support bands, Your Demise and Architects.

Unfortunately, I got there just too late to shoot Your Demise but they put on a great show. Architects were on great form and, although the lighting was tricky, I was pleased with the images I captured.

We only got to shoot the first two songs for each band so the pressure was on! Here are a few pictures from last night…

Firstly, Architects

A packed house at the Academy

and headliners, A Day To Remember

Ok, so let’s get one thing straight…

My music taste is extremely varied. I love my punk & metal. I love mellow singer-songwriters. I used to be a house DJ and I listen to some pop music too. I’ve seen Michael Jackson, Madonna, Kylie & Prince live but my musical tastes do not reach as far as Peter Andre! Sorry Pete.

I do think he’s a genuinely nice guy though and he’s obviously a major celebrity, at least in the UK. So when I got the chance to photograph his Birmingham gig this week, I was happy to do so. I only got 2 songs to do my thing but managed to get a few good shots…

This is Pete’s brother, Michael Andre who acted as warm-up DJ and did a good job too.

And then the screams were deafening as Pete appeared… The audience was predictably 98% female!

Last night one of Birmingham’s most popular bands, Ocean Colour Scene, played an intimate gig in the back room of The Rainbow pub, around the corner from our studio. It’s always great to see big bands in small venues and I was surprised to find out I was the only photographer to be issued a pass for the gig.

Here are a few photos from the gig. You can see a full review on the Birmingham Live website.

It’s been a week of photographing musical legends this week. Not just a Sex Pistol and Depeche Mode but also a super group featuring Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens Of The Sone Age) and John Paul Jones from LED ZEPPELIN!

For those that don’t know, the band is Them Crooked Vultures. They played Birmingham on Monday night and here are a few photos from the gig…

This man played on “Stairway To Heaven“! Nuff said.

This man played on “Smells Like Teen Spirit“. Nuff said.

If you asked me to list my life-changing albums, one would be “Violator” by Depeche Mode. Never before had I heard electronic music that had the same impact on me as all the rock bands I loved. I’ve been a huge fan ever since.

I’ve seen Depeche Mode live a couple of times before but this week I was down in the photographers’ pit to shoot the gig. Such an honour and a privilege. Here are a few faves from the gig…

You can see my review of the gig on the Birmingham Live site.

This week has been a busy week for shooting bands. Placebo, Sunn O))), Your Demise and the amazing Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And on Sunday I’m photographing one of my favourite bands of all time, Depeche Mode.

I always knew Yeah Yeah Yeahs would be a great band to shoot and Karen O and the boys didn’t disappoint. Here’s a few from Wednesday’s gig…

FAVOURITE!!!

See a review of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs Birmingham gig on the Birmingham Live website.