RUSH @ Manchester Arena
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So last night I got to cross another one off my bucket list. That always makes me happy, but more so that it was Rush, an amazing band that make amazing music. I love all the Jules Verne-esque stuff they have on stage like the washing machine with a brain in it and an oversized pop corn machine as well as the styling of Geddy’s keyboard.
The only thing is it is almost impossible (from the spot I had and was not allowed to move from) to see Neil Peart behind his impressive drum kit. At all! Still an absolutely fantastic gig to shoot.
The Skints @ Manchester Academy 3
CURRENT SWELL
GECKO
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I’d not shot a gig for over two months so it was an absolute pleasure to return to the fold with one of my favourite bands The Skints on their first headline tour. These guys really are fantastic and you should all check them out immediately. Their music feeds the soul.
They turned the Academy 3 into a sweatbox and their music just makes you so happy it’s untrue. It’s also pretty apt that I discovered a new great band Current Swell who supported them, as I discovered The Skints as a support act.
Skunk Anansie @ Manchester Academy
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Skunk Anansie are frikkin amazing! Skin’s voice is huge and the band sound massive behind her. She’s a complete ball of energy and whether she’s bounding around the stage, crowd surfing or standing on the crowd delivering Weak As I Am you cannot take your eyes of her.
You probably know more Skunk songs than you think you do, and that makes for an hit packed set. A truly great show, that no amount of snow was going to stop me from getting to.
Bullet For My Valentine @ Manchester Apollo
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Personally I’ve never been a massive BFMV fan but I’ve got to say I was mightily impressed by them.
Massive riffs and a hell of a show they were an absolute pleasure to photograph. The audience were going fuckin mental for them too.
Halestorm @ Manchester Apollo
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Halestorm never ever disappoint. They are one of my favourite bands to watch live and this is the third time photographing them.
Lzzy Hale’s voice is absolutely mindblowing. This show was in support of BFMV and they were only given 30 minutes (scandalous) but giving a band like Halestorm only 30 minutes makes them a tighter, more impactful animal and what they can do in 30 minutes will put most bands to shame.
They will most certainly be headlining venues this size the next time they come around.
The Darkness @ Manchester Apollo
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It was great to get a last minute email confirmation for this show while I was sunning myself in Blackpool ;O)
I’ve shot The Darkness before and new it would be pretty mental and probably quite dark, but to my surprise we had a spotlight. Yay! The only problem was it was on Justin for the whole of the three songs, and the rest of the band were stood a way back on the stage in darkness and smoke so proved really hard to shoot.
Hence the Justin Hawkins show above :O)
However, Justin Hawkins is a fuckin lunatic and brilliant to shoot. A real showman who play it up big time. Great to shoot, had Ginger, the support act not been in pretty much total darkness this could have been one of my favourites but unfortunately it might as well have been anyone up on stage.
Slash @ Blackpool Empress Ballroom
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Photographing Slash for the third time (in two years) was an absolute honour. The venue, Empress Ballroom in Blackpool is an absolutely beautiful building and I was excited to shoot there for the first time, having only been before to see Radiohead and Them Crooked Vultures as a fan.
It could have gone all wrong though as when I got there I was told flash was allowed (and to be honest probably required) and checking mine my batteries were all dead. Amateur mistake I know, but lo and behold Slash’s runner kindly offered to nip out and buy me some and hey presto I shot Slash with flash 
I can’t wait to do it again next time he’s around. Hopefully.
The Bronx @ Club Academy
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Absolute utter carnage. That’s what a Bronx show is, and it is absolutely amazing for it. Great band, great music and a genuinely great (and chaotic) front man in Matt Caughtran, a guy who spends as much time in the crowd as on the stage.
Already contenders for album of the year they staked a claim for gig of the year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they bagged ‘em both. Truly fantastic.
Deftones @ Manchester Academy
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I’d been looking forward to shooting letlive. since they played the Kerrang! tour last year which I missed out on due to illness. They were amazing, everything you want in a loonbag frontman but I can’t help but think how much better it would have been had we been allowed to use flash for this one.
Deftones sounded immense. Chino Moreno was on fine form spitting visceral lyrics out and bent double most of the night. I’ve gotta say the drummer was blimming amazing, even when I retreated to the back of the room for a drink I could feel every beat in my ribcage. A truly phenomenal show and a pleasure to photograph.
Brad @ Club Academy
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All that and bagging my first official Pearl Jammer in the form of Stone Gossard too! Not bad, not bad at all. A great start to what is hopefully going to be a cracking year.