Black Stone Cherry rock Birmingham

Last night I was at the Academy to shoot the mighty Black Stone Cherry - one of my favourite bands. I wasn't shooting the gig for anyone in particular, but I was reviewing it for both Birmingham Live and Powerplay Magazine. It was an awesome, and I go some really pleasing pics.

This was the second time I'd shot the band, and the third time I'd seen them live, and they just keep on getting better. They really should have a bright future.

A real fan favourite is the band's drummer - John Fred Young, who is a real larger-than-life type character. I've interviewed him twice and can honestly say he's the nicest bloke I've ever met. Because he's awesome, these next three pics are all John Fred, my hair idol!

If you ever get the chance to see BSC live then do it - you really won't regret it at all.

If you're wondering my support band pics are then you're gonna be disappointed - I arrived too late to shoot Sevendust, and the other band was Stone Gods who I've shot twice in the last couple of months so didn't bother with. Both bands went down really though. Here's some more of the Cherry.

Don't worry, there's plenty more yet!

I got some really great black and white shots from the gig - a style that really seems to suit BSC very well indeed. Here's an entirely mono section for you.

The band are very energetic on stage, really giving it their all, as this next shot shows.

Quite simply, BSC are a great band, and I can't wait until they tour again.

Just a few more left for you to enjoy, please leave me some comments and let me know what you think of my work!

And just a few more!

That's it for BSC, hope you liked them. My next gig is probably going to be Biffy Clyro, by which time I will have turned 23 - scary! Catch you soon.

G'day Bruce...it's Bladdy Airbourne mate!

Having already got my quota of fireworks photos for this month, Wednesday night I ditched the bonfire in favour of heading down to the Birmingham Academy to see Aussie rockers Airbourne. I was shooting the gig for Birmingham Live and you can see my review here. First up were Canadian punks Sound and Fury.

The band did fairly well, getting a good reception from the crowd, but they weren't exactly my sort of thing. Not bad, but not especially great either.

Next up were Stone Gods who I really enjoyed. They really seem to be turning into a great band, and they're British, which makes it all even better.

The Gods' set was excellent, though disappointingly short, and they further boosted their popularity in these parts following their show at the Barfly in September, which I also photographed.

A great set from Stone Gods, and I even managed to buy a copy of their debut album for only £7 - absolute bargain! I look forward to being able to see this band live again.

And then it was down to Airbourne to round the evening off. Airbourne have been amazingly successful given that they've only released one album so far, underlined by the fact that they're headlining a venue of this size on only their second UK tour. And while their music isn't especially original, it's bloody good!

If you like rock and get the chance to see Airbourne light, take it because they are truly awesome. Just take some earplugs because they are incredibly loud.

The only down side was that Airbourne could only really do an hour - not surprising given that they only have one album. Hopefully next time they're over here, they'll have another album to pick from.

Here's some more shots for you...

...and a few more...

There you go, please leave me some comments if you like my shots, and check back soon for my next blog from Music Live and Guitarfest.