Archive for category Gigs

November update…

Dec 5

Posted by Haydn in Gigs, Outdoors | No Comments

Apologies, dear blog readers, for I have been lax in posting updates. Here's the last few weeks in a mostly-pictorial nutshell…

After watching Wales Rally GB on a Thursday, I visited Llandegla the next day to ride the new black and red trails. They're amazing.

I know it's blurry, but the bike is called a Santa Cruz Blur, so that makes it OK. © Haydn Williams 2011

That evening I went up to Snowdonia to meet MPS and spent the weekend running over mountains.

Looking across at Y Garn from Elidir Fawr. I'm running somewhere just below the cloud base. Image © Robby Pineda 2011

The following weekend I managed to catch Against Me! at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham. I swapped the press pit for the mosh pit, and it was great. I've never known a band with such relentless energy and amazing, thoughtful tunes to match.

Against Me! at the Rescue Rooms. © Haydn Williams 2011

On the Sunday I met Greg for a morning run around a very foggy Bradgate Park. A nice stretch of the legs, and he promised to visit again when the views across Leicestershire are actually visible rather than obscured by grey fuzziness.

Greg approaching the tower at Bradgate Park. © Haydn Williams 2011

Last weekend we were dog-sitting at my parents' house, so a return to Llandegla was in order. Becs and I ran the 'long walk' route which proved to be 85% fire road and a bit dull, and then I took my bike around the red loop again. It was still brilliant.

Becs enjoying some decent weather at Llandegla. © Haydn Williams 2011

And that's that; I promise I'll be more timely in the future.

Tags: Against Me!, Fell Running, Llandegla, MPS, Riding, Snowdonia

The Subways

Sep 24

Posted by Haydn in Gigs, Photography | No Comments

I had a ticket to see the Subways in Leicester years ago and didn't go for some reason. It's been a niggling regret at the back of my mind ever since, so on Wednesday I went to the Rescue Rooms to see whether they were as much fun live as they are on record. I was not disappointed. They delivered their brand of punchy no-nonsense rock with style, but beyond that they really involved the crowd and looked to be having more fun on stage than any band I've seen in a long time. The shots below are just a few from a great night; the rest will be on Punk Rock Portraits when it's re-launched later in the year.

From a photographic perspective, I really got back into the swing of things on Wednesday, probably for the first time since getting a proper camera again. The lighting was generally OK, although the new LED spots which are replacing the old style cans everywhere are nowhere near as atmospheric in photos. The band moved around an awful lot, which was helpful as it mixed up the backgrounds and the lighting behind them. Most of the shots were taken with the Sigma f2.8 24-70mm, but I was wielding a cheap 100-300mm for a bit when we got kicked out of the pit. Enjoy.

The Subways - Nottingham Rescue Rooms, 21st September 2011. © Haydn Williams 2011

20110924iThe Subways - Nottingham Rescue Rooms, 21st September 2011. © Haydn Williams 2011

Tags: Rescue Rooms, The Subways

Bouncing Souls

Aug 4

Posted by Haydn in Gigs | No Comments

Tonight the Bouncing Souls finish a run of four nights at the O2 Academy in Islington, playing all of their studio albums in order. I went along last night to shoot them performing How I Spent My Summer Vacation and Anchors Aweigh.

I was stoked to get a pass for this one, as the Bouncing Souls are pretty much legendary, and the venue turned out to have reasonable lighting and an accommodating press pit (the usual three-song limit didn't apply for this one either). Both albums were played through, and I'm really not sure I could choose a favourite. Not that the evening was about picking a favourite, necessarily; it was just a room full of very happy people listening to some classic tracks. Anyway, I can't write reviews, which is why I take photos, so here they are. Consider these a teaser for the forthcoming re-release of punkrockportraits.com later in the year – you'll be able to see the full set, plus a host of other new sets, and archive albums going back as far as 2004.