15 October 2011 – Tonight I photographed The Revival Tour which was, without doubt, my favourite show that I have been to in all the years I have worked in the music scene.

I had been looking forward to this show since it was announced earlier this year because it included some of my favourite artists, that I have followed for years, so I had a feeling that it was going to be special.

The Revival Tour is basically an acoustic collaboration between a few musicians and the line up included Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem and The Horrible Crowes), Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio) and Dave Hause (The Loved Ones). Not only did it feature these guys but it also included Ian Perkins (The Horrible Crowes), Joe Ginsberg, Jon Gaunt and a few other friends.

The show felt extremely intimate and I am pretty sure I speak for everyone there by saying that I felt a part of something truly special. The show was well thought of and every one of the artists on stage seemed excited to be a part of the 3 hour show.

I shot a lot of photos … way more than normal so I definitely cannot post all of them but I thought that I would post a good amount non-the-less (more than normal) to try and give a feel of the show.

If any of the guys perform near you then do make sure to get down to their shows. All amazing musicians.

Enjoy.

23 March 2011 – I’ve been a big fan of Interpol since I got my hands on Turn on the Bright Lights the year it came out (2002) so getting asked to shoot them was something I never thought would happen especially back then.

I watched the guys play an intimate show towards the end of last year and it was an epic show so with that in mind I was looking forward to this show at Shepherds Bush Empire even more.

The setlist tonight was spot on with all my favourites and the show as a whole was perfect with great sound, crowd and stage setup. The lighting was weird to work with because of the colour and plenty smoke but I didn’t care because it looked beautiful and I had a lot of fun shooting.

Tonight was one of my favourites shows of this year.

These are a few of the photos I shot.

25 November 2010 – Tonight I photographed The Parlotones playing at Shepherds Bush Empire as part of their UK tour.

The guys are from South Africa (same as me) so it was rad to see a band from back home out here playing at a venue as prestigious as this and I was looking forward to seeing how they would compare to the amazing bands that I had already photographed at this venue. In saying this the guys really pulled off a super show and the packed venue loved every part of it.

The lighting was great, the setlist was classic, the crowd in a perfect party mood and the band were spot on. I really enjoyed shooting this show and it really has got me motivated to shoot which is always great.

Check these guys out, their touring for 2010 is basically over but they will be out again next year.

These are a few photos from the show, I posted quite a few so excuse that the page takes a while to load.

28 October 2010 – Tonight I photographed Feeder playing at the Shepherds Bush Empire and it was a cracker.

The guys sounds was huge and the audio mix was one of the best I have heard in a while (at least from where I was standing). The set was really cool and the lighting (as a guest) was really beautiful but for me it was super hard to work with just because it was all coloured and because the background was lit up so much more than the band and at Shepherds Bush the background is never that good looking.

Anyway, it was a great show and I got some really cool shots of Grant. I can’t post too many so am just getting these up for now.

Check these guys out, they are super nice. Even better, they are on tour, make a plan to see them live.

25 August 2010 – Tonight I photographed the guys from Lostprophets playing a super full show at Shepherds Bush Empire.

It’s been a while since I shot them last and I forgot how “die-hard” some of the fans are and it slapped me right in the face from the second the set started, but in a good way. The crowd definitely take in everything that the guys give off and the feeling is always a good one.

Lighting was really hard to work with and the security guys were extremely stubborn on negotiating the use of flash but everyone working in the pit made a plan to just take over and work together. It worked but it took me about a song and a half before I gave in to the stand. Flippen stupid rules that no one understands. Haha.

These are a few of my shots that I was able to take in the chaos.

16 May 2010 – I photographed Pennywise tonight at Shepherds Bush Empire which felt surreal because I feel as though I had been waiting around 18 years to see them live let alone shoot their show.

The venue was super full and the downstairs was probably the most packed I have ever seen it which was exciting but scary at the same time. Waiting for the guys to arrive on stage felt long but only because everyone was excited … possibly a little too excited. As they hit the stage, some idiots threw a few beers at the stage which completely drenched the floor as well as my precious camera resulting in front man Zoli slipping onto his back and me spending the first song drying my camera and cleaning the lens. “Dick licker!”. The lighting was also really toned down compared to the opening bands which I had more fun shooting but it’s just one of those things.

Anyway, the pit was really full and so many people were crowd surfing so I didn’t manage to get around much so I shot these and then made my way upstairs to watch from the perfect space and enjoy a show long waited upon. The guys made their way through a perfect set mixing up their years of material but definitely sticking to the favourites and new front man Zoli (replacing Jim) seemed perfectly comfortable which was a great relief to see.

The show was super and besides for the few tits there to make trouble, it went down amazing. Pennywise has been around for about 20 years now and after tonight it’s clear that they will easily be able to survive and grow at least another 20 years.

Setlist: Every Single Day, My Own Country, Can’t Believe It, What If I, Peaceful Day, Same Old Story, Living For Today, Greed, Society, Waiting, Fuck Authority, Straight Ahead, Nowhere Fast, Searching, Something To Live For, Stand By Me, Home Sick, Alien, Bro Hymn.

16 May 2010 – Tonight was the first time that I had ever seen and photographed Strike Anywhere and from the first second they were amazing.

I was a little caught off guard because they actually sound checked themselves just before their set and the lights never dimmed or anything. Their sound check took a few minutes and then kicked in like a huge face slap. It was a super surprise and I got excited right away.

The lighting was pretty cool and I really enjoyed shooting this set. The only thing is that the pit was really full and it was quite hard to move around but other than that I loved it. Great band with a lot of energy that supports a bunch of amazing causes so make sure to check them out and support them.

These are a few of the shots I really like.

16 May 2010 – Tonight the first support came from the guys of A Wilhelm Scream and till now I had only heard good things so wasn’t sure what to expect.

It’s always hard for the opening band to be taken seriously but these guys didn’t come across as an opener at all and I really enjoyed their set and so did everyone else. I arrived slightly late with the guys already playing so I had very little time (less than I thought) and I ended up mostly getting a few photos of bassist Brian before getting sent off. Haha.

These are a few of them.

19 February 2010 – Tonight I photographed Imogen Heap who is someone that I had been looking forward to seeing live for ages so it was really exciting for me.

I was at the Alice in Wonderland Premier in Leicester Square which finished up about 30 minutes before the show was meant to start so I ran my ass off to get to Shepherds Bush Empire which actually finally worked out without any complications for once.

Imogen is an amazing artist and it was incredible to be able to watch her do what she does. Unfortunately as is normally the case, the set / show (lighting and visually) didn’t start until the 4th / 5th song so it was really difficult to work with the lighting that was available. It’s actually not really that it was hard but more that it wasn’t really existent or even boring to shoot photos that could show off the scene. These are a few of the photographs that I like.

Anyway, the show was incredible and right now Imogen has taken the hot seat on my favourite show round up for 2010 and I feel like she will be there for a while. Make sure to check her out if you haven’t because she is great.

NOTE: I wrote a review for Clink Music Magazine which is live so give it a read if you have the time. I am not the best writer but thought it was worth posting.

10 February 2010 – Tonight at Shepherds Bush Empire I shot photos of Cobra Starship and it was a super fun show that I was looking forward to for quite a while.

These guys (and girl) remind me a lot of the guys from 3OH!3 with their catchy tracks and their retro followers. The live show was a lot of fun and the crowd really made an effort to join in with the party which is always a plus.

Lighting was really bad on front man Gabe as he spent a lot of time right at the front of the stage which falls in front of the venue’s lighting curtain but I really like the shots of bassist Alex. These are a few of the ones I shot.