KISS at Birmingham LG Arena
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…
The Ghost Of A Thousand & friends
As great as it is to photograph the huge stars on an arena stage, I have to confess that the place where I get the biggest buzz is when I’m shooting a sweaty little gig in some dive bar. The energy and intimacy of these gigs adds an extra element to the event and you get the feeling that anything could happen.
One such gig happened on Monday night at The Rainbow pub just a couple of minutes walk from our studio in Digbeth. Headlined by Brighton hardcore mob The Ghost Of A Thousand, this was such an amazing gig! The bands could hardly stay on the stage, seemingly preferring to mingle with the audience or climb the rafters. My 24-70 lens gave up on me just as I was about to start shooting (I’ve now bought a brand new one) so I shot the whole gig on my 50mm 1.4 lens but I love the results.
This is Sharks, one of the support bands, taken outside the venue just after their set.
And main support, The Computers, who were extremely entertaining.
And the main event… The Ghost Of A Thousand.
Tom Lacey hits the roof (almost)!
I feel that last image captures the essence of the gig. Energy, passion and interaction. Great gig. Great bands.
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band are probably the biggest band on the planet that most of the UK population have never heard of! Having sold close to 35 million albums they are listed in the Top 100 highest selling music acts of all time.
Last night I was lucky enough to be one of just 3 photographers to shoot their gig in Wolverhampton. I also reviewed the gig for Birmingham Live which you can see HERE
It was my first time seeing the band I I have to say I was exteremely impressed. Here are a few of my fave images from the gig…
AC/DC – Shoot To Thrill
I can hardly believe I’m actually getting to post this… Anyway, let’s start with a little history…
When I was 12 years old I used to go to school parties (usually at somebody’s house) and some kids would bring a few records so that the host had a variety of music to play. I remember plenty of Duran Duran, Adam & The Ants, Human League and quite a lot of The Smiths (who I hated at the time but now love). I would usually turn up with two albums – Highway To Hell and If You Want Blood… both by AC/DC.
Two years later when I was 14 I went to my first ever concert – AC/DC at Manchester Apollo. I counted the days up to the concert and it blew my mind! Since then I have been to hundreds of gigs but I still have that ticket in my bedroom as a souvenir.
Roll forward almost 3 decades (!) and last Thursday I was one of just seven photographers invited to photograph AC/DC on their current Black Ice Tour as they hit the LG Arena in Birmingham. To say it was an honour is such an understatement. This was a dream come true! You can see my friend Toni’s review on the Birmingham Live! site but here are just a few shots from the gig. A million thanks to Marina from Sony Music…
Mon The Biffy!
I’m a big fan of Biffy Clyro, especially their latest album “Puzzle”, so I was pleased to get a call from Rock Sound magazine asking if I could shoot their Birmingham gig on Thursday night at the Academy.
My friend Dave Musson was covering it for Birmingham Live… or so we thought. His pass had been arranged through the support band and, on the night, he was informed he couldn’t shoot the headliners. I felt awful for him but it was lucky that I was there too as it meant we still had some images of Biffy for the review.
The band were spectacularly good and came on all guns blazin’ with some of my favourite tracks played while I was down the front photographing them.
This is almost certainly my last live gig of 2008 and was a great finale. I’ll be posting about my highlights of 2008 here soon but for now here are just some of my pictures of Biffy Clyro…
Oasis in Birmingham
Being a music photographer in Birmingham means that I get to shoot bands on a regular basis and it’s a part of my job which I absolutely love (actually I love most parts of my job). Occasionally I do get to photograph bands which could be seen as iconic and, when I do, it’s an honour to add them to my portfolio.
Oasis are undoubtedly one of the most influential British bands of recent times so I was pleased to be one of only four photographers who got to shoot their gig at Birmingham NIA last night.
The atmosphere inside the venue was intense! Oasis fans are passionate about their heroes and many had indulged in a few light ales before the show and were in high spirits as Liam, Noel and the boys hit the stage. I got to shoot songs 2, 3 and 4 and came home with some great images, including one of Liam giving me his trademark snarl. Mad fer it!
Liza Minelli – Live!
Who would have thought it, but this week I was honoured to shoot the living legend that is Liza Minelli!
Liza was performing at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and I not only photographed her for Birmingham Live but also got to stay for the whole show, which I have to say was pretty spectacular. Not my kind of music at all really but nobody can deny the talent and star quality that Liza has, and she knows how to put on a real show.
You can see my review on Birmingham Live but here are just a few of my favourite photos… They were taken with a long lens as I wasn’t allowed close to the stage on the night due to there being a seated audience.
As if shooting Liza wasn’t unusual enough, while I was there Adam Woodyatt who plays Ian Beale in Eastenders came over to me asking where he could buy my photos. Random!
Exile on Sesame Street
Here’s a YouTube video that just HAS to be shared with the world..
Speaking of extreme music, my wednesday evening was spent in the company of the immense Dillinger Escape Plan down at birmingham’s Academy 2. You can see my review on BIRMINGHAM LIVE! but I can honestly say it was one of the best gigs I’ve ever witnessed. And after seeing several hundred gigs over the years, that’s quite a statement. Here’s a few photos from the night…
Last night Evelyne and I enjoyed a rare night off and plonked ourselves down on the couch with a glass of wine and some Mistresses. Not quite as sordid as it sounds but it was a treat to have some down-time after being out every night.
Jimmy Eat World
It’s great being out every night photographing bands but I do miss having a night in front of the telly occasionally. This week I only have Thursday night free and Terrorizer wanted me to go down to London to shoot Mayhem despite the fact they’re playing Birmingham next week! I declined and will be photographing them in Birmingham instead! 
Last night I went to the Academy where Jimmy Eat World were playing a sold out show before 3000 people. Surprisingly I was the only photographer there. Also surprisingly I enjoyed the gig far more than I expected to after listening to their new album. I’ve reviewed it for Birmingham Live! HERE
I’ve done a few pre-wed shoots recently and it’s good fun getting pictures of couples as they normally are before photographing them all dressed up on their wedding day. Many couples have never had a professional photograph taken and it’s a great way to show them that it’s not the awkward, scary thing they may have imagined. All couples enjoy the shoot and we get some great images from it. Here are a few of my recent favourites..
Also this week I made the effort to meet up with a group of fellow bloggers from the Midlands. I know how nerdy that sounds and that’s exactly why I nearly never went. I’m happy to report however that it wasn’t nerdy or geeky at all and I got to meet some genuinely nice and interesting people who are all out there making things happen rather than hiding in their bedrooms behind their monitors. A few people were genuinely interested in the Birmingham Live! idea which was great and others had their own forward-thinking projects in the pipeline. Watch this… and their… space!
Shooting The Chiefs
Friday night Evelyne and I managed to blag our way into an invite-only gig at the Barfly where Kaiser Chiefs were playing to around 500 people. It’s always good to see huge bands play in intimate venues and, although I’m not a big fan, the Kaisers put on a great performance, with Ricky Wilson obviously loving playing to such a small crowd. I’ve reviewed the gig for BIRMINGHAM LIVE! and here’s some of my fave photos from the gig..
On Saturday it was off to Somerford Hall near Stafford to shoot the wedding of Susan & Neil, a lovely couple who had a very relaxed, fun day with a great group of friends and family. My good friend Lisa Gault helped me out on photographic duties as Evelyne was looking after Elliott, and between us we got a fantastic selection of images for the couple. I had so many nice comments from people about how we worked at the wedding too which is always good. No weddings now til March 8th but plenty of gigs to shoot, including Jimmy Eat World, Megadeth and one of my favourite bands, the Dillinger Escape Plan all coming up this week.