80s Fest - Simple Minds + Deacon Blue

Last Friday I was sent to the LG Arena (the NEC to me and you) to photograph Scottish band Simple Minds, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary. I was shooting the gig for Birmingham Live and hopefully the review will go up asap. Support came from fellow Scots Deacon Blue.

Now, if you've read any of my other posts on this blog, you'll probably know that Friday's lineup wasn't exactly my musical cup of tea, and I'd be lying if I said that I enjoyed Deacon Blue's set. It didn't help that their singer kept chucking water over all of us photographers - very annoying. The crowd seemed to like it though.

Then it was down to the headliners to send the room crazy. Again, not my style of music, but they were much more enjoyable to watch than the support act, and the quality of their lvie sound was impressive.

Another plus point for Simple Minds - no water being launched in the direction of the photographer's pit!

30 years together is a mighty achievement, and unsurprisingly the band got a great reception from their fans. Singer Jim Kerr hardly stopped waving to the crowd for the whole three songs that I shot them for.

Of course, their big hit was "Don't You Forget About Me", but I didn't stay long enough to hear it - partly because I was only given a photo pass and not a ticket, but mainly because I had a train home to catch.

Here's a few more for you, don't forget to leave me some comments!

That's it for Simple Minds, and indeed for November. I have no gigs no until 10th December, which is an absolute age compared to the last couple of months! However, there is due to be an article about Bimringham Live appearing in Practical Photography next week, which I actually arranged, so I'll probably post on here when that comes out. Here's a final shot from Simple Minds for you, catch you all again soon!

Thunder - You Can't Keep a Good Band Down

Last Thursday I was off to Wolverhampton Civic Hall, to photograph one of my all-time favourite bands - the British legends that are Thunder. I was shooting and reviewing the gig for Birmingham Live, and you can find my piece online right here. This was the ninth time I've seen Thunder, and the fourth time I've photographed them, and as ever, they put on a superb show.

Once more, the band showed everyone how to put on a rock and roll concert, playing a great set that covered their entire history together. They also have great lights, which makes my job shooting them a lot easier.

I love this next shot - it sums up vocalist Danny Bowes perfectly!

It's always great fun shooting Thunder, and this time was no different. It was great being able to add plenty more decent shots to my live portfolio.

Here's some more shots from the night for you.

Harry James was back behind the kit having missed the earlier part of the tour due to problems with kidney stones. He's a real crowd favourite, and he still hits those skins as hard as he ever has.

I was really pleased with my shots from the night, and here's a few more of my favourites.

If you like my shots please leave me some comments, and maybe even have a browse of the rest of this blog to see if I've shot any other bands that you like.

That's it for my Thunder pics. I've also got a few pics in the newest issue of Powerplay Magazine, so why not see if you can find a copy to flick through? I'll be back on here soon with pics from Simple Minds in Birmingham.