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.

3 Stone Gods and a Happy Welshman

So, it was back to the Barfly last Saturday for another great night of rock. This time it was a gig organised by Emma Scott of Kerrang! Radio fame featuring four awesome bands, which I was reviewing for Birmingham Live. You can read my review here. First up it was Telford-based NewBreed, who put on a good show despite being a very late addition to the bill. They're making a name for themselves in the USA at the moment so keep an eye out for the name in the future.

Second on the bill were local boys The First Seven, who were probably the find of the night. They combined pop-rock stylings with some heavy grooves and experimental jammed parts that, all mixed together, worked really well. A great vocalist as well. Another name to keep an eye out for.

Next up were the excellent Them Is Me, featuring two former members of Reef. This was the second time this summer that I'd been able to catch the group live, and they've already improved so much in between shows. Well worth checking out.

I was also lucky enough to bump into Gary and Jack (the two who were in Reef) before the show, and they kindly agreed to have their pic taken - cheers guys!

Just in case you're curious, no they don't do any Reef numbers - and with good reason too. Their self-titled, debut album is more than strong enough to provide them with enough songs, and by the sounds of the new number aired here - the future is just as bright for Them Is Me.

And so onto the headliners - the

Stone Gods, featuring Dan Hawkins and Richie Edwards who were both part of The Darkness until its unfortunate demise a couple of years ago. This was the first time I'd even heard a Stone Gods song, and I have to say that I was very impressed. Their AC/DC-esque sound will certainly go down well when they support Airbourne this November.

The Stone Gods performance was already going to be something of a special show given that the gig was a one-off, but it was made even more special at the last minute. Due to the departure of original Gods drummer Ed Graham, the vacant drum stool was filled, for one night only, by former

Stereophonics stickman, and general top bloke, Stuart Cable. As you can see here, he had a blast.

The only down point of the gig was that, due to the curfew imposed by the Barfly, we were limited to just 45 minutes from our headliners. Hopefully they'll be able to come back soon and play for much longer.

So there you have it, another night of top notch music for me to shoot. This music photography business is rather good fun!