06 November 2011 – The Blackout headlined the show tonight at Roundhouse and they did it properly.

I’ve photographed the guys here twice before actually but both as support slots so I was excited to see if they could make it any better than those times and they completely did by going huge.

They’ve just been voted as best British live band and there have been a bunch of people speaking crap about them but tonight they showed that no matter what you think and no matter if the statement is true or not … they give their live shows EVERYTHING and there were a bunch of people there who loved it more than any other show they’ve ever been to.

Politics is too much for me and I don’t really care if they are the best or not but I do love to see them live … every time.

Stage setup was amazing and definitely worth the bands efforts. Another great night.

Look them up if you don’t know them yet. It’ll be worth it.

12 April 2011 – Tonight The Blackout sold out and played Koko as part of their UK tour.

As always the guys went nuts and put on an amazing show. I keep saying it but only because it is true but they just seem to sound bigger and bigger each time I see them play and tonight they rocked the venue so hard that I thought the giant mirror ball was going to fall from the ceiling.

The guys have just released their album Hope and it’s definitely worth getting your hands on. They have also just announced a few UK shows towards the end of the year so get your tickets now because they will sell out.

Lighting was good and the pit was crazy full which made it interesting. Here are a few photos that I shot during the set.

29 May 2010 – So personally my most memorable part of Slam Dunk Festival in Hatfield had to be the really cool acoustic stage put together by the guys from Macbeth because it showcased some of my favourite artists in a new light by having them strip down their music (and some new material) and play it to a few people basically allowing us into their personal space and it was really intimate and quite a shock at how good they turned out.

The stage was just a little platform placed next to a large window so the lighting was pretty boring but I used it as a big soft box and just tried to get a few shots that I would be worth passing on to the guys. These photos include James Veck-Gilodi (Deaf Havana), Liam Cromby (We Are The Ocean), Hit The Lights, Gavin Butler and Sean Smith (both of The Blackout). Not sure who I preferred but if you ever get the chance to see any of these live, make sure not to miss that opportunity.

Good times.

02 May 2010 – I shot The Blackout today at the Roundhouse as part of the Camden Crawl and after shooting them last time I have been really waiting to see them again.

The show was great and the guys were spot on as they were the last 4 times I’ve shot them and it’s an absolute pleasure to see and be a part of. Lyrically they are all about fun and this translates on the stage with their live show too but they are actually really good at what they do and they are one of my favourite bands to watch live purely because they involve the crowd and get the party going from the start.

These are a few images that I shot during the show. Make sure to check the guys online, get your hands on their current release The Best In Town and definitely make a plan to see them live next time.

06 February 2010 – I have photographed The Blackout live twice before this weekend and they have stepped it up a huge notch. They were without doubt my headliner for this weekend of Kerrang Tour.

Previously I have always enjoyed their shows but I’ve never been convinced to buy any of their recorded stuff before but this weekend was totally different and the first thing I did when I got home last night was spend some money on iTunes and get their album “The Best in Town” which has played for the whole day today to prepare me for tonight’s show. Again they guys took over tonight and their show was filled with energy that completely dominated. As a six piece they fill up the stage and use up every last bit of free space running around and jumping and doing flips over each other. It’s great to witness and I was foot tapping through the entire set.

I did focus more on enjoying their shows than shooting but these are some of the shots that I took during this weekend. Lately I have also been really enjoying You Me At Six and it was really cool that Josh joined the boys on stage to sing one of their songs.

Make sure to check The Blackout out, the album came out last year and is definitely worth giving a listen and once you have done that, keep a lookout for when they play live in your town and get down to a show for a party of your life. I feel that they proved tonight that they are ready to headline stadiums.

03 November 2009 – Tonight the party was properly kicked off by Sean Smith of The Blackout which seemed really weird at first but he did an super job.

I didn’t expect to see him playing tonight and didn’t even know that he was a DJ but I am a fan of the work he does with the band so I gave it a good listen. It wasn’t hard to like as he went through an amazing collection of songs from an even more amazing collection of bands. The crowd loved it from the start and it got my wife dancing which is always a good thing for me.

I spoke with him briefly after the show and it was nice to meet a really down to earth guy who seemed ready to make time for any of the fans there willing to chat.

Laughed the second I got home as I logged into my MySpace account and there was a banner on the front page with Sean’s face on saying that he needs friends. TOO funny. Anyway, I would definitely be down to see him play a set again.

He started playing pretty much as soon as I entered the venue so I made my way to the front for a very short stint in the photo pit. It was quite hard to get something that I would be happy with purely because he was standing behind a table with just the two lights on him and the stage is quite high. I like these ones and think they worked well.

Currently listening to : Belle & Sebastian – Sleep the Clock Around.