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Archive for category Gigs

Bowling for Soup / Zebrahead / MC Lars

Oct 28

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It's been a long time since I've seen MC Lars, so I took the opportunity to head down to Leicester on Saturday. He was supporting Bowling for Soup, along with Zebrahead, so it seemed like a win-win-win situation. As a bonus, the gig was at the de Montfort Hall in Leicester, a theatre which provided the bizarre experience of a ten-minute warning before the first band, and plush seating in the circle. Weird, but cool.

Lars has always been a crowd favourite, and has always delivered too, but I got the impression something wasn't quite right last weekend. It may have been dodgy sound, or it may be the effects of a long tour, but he definitely wasn't as polished as I've seen in previous performances. It was disappointing, but I think his fan base is strong enough to forgive him the odd blip. I know I'll certainly still check him out next time he's over, anyway. He's got a great mix of intellectual and observational lyrics, with great tunes behind them – well worth a look if you're not familiar with him. Oh yeah, Failsafe did a great job as his backing band (which I didn't realise was happening until they all appeared on stage!).

MC Lars. Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

MC Lars. Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Zebrahead are one of those bands that I've noticed touring hundreds of times and never quite got around to seeing. It was a pleasant surprise to find them playing this date then, and they obliged with a fun set. Highlights included making the entire audience sit down for five minutes, and getting around 600 people to shout "Minge!" at regular intervals. The lighting improved from the sole red gels used to light Lars, and with plenty of room in the press pit it was easy enough to get some shots from a band obviously used to putting on a good show for photographers and proper people alike!

Zebrahead. Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Zebrahead. Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Bowling for Soup were incredible when I saw them almost exactly four years ago, with a show which started at midnight with them absolutely battered, and continued through fun and hi-jinks until the early hours. I left at 02:30 and they were still going strong. Saturday was a more restrained affair, in support of the new album Sorry for Partyin'. Nevertheless, there was a good mix of material in there. Experienced bands are always better to photograph, and the improved lighting meant another dual-guitar shot was in order. It's quite rare you get these because of the speed at which people normally move, and access to the stage, so I thought I'd make the best of it! It was all good, clean fun and it was great to see BFS still going strong.

Bowling for Soup. Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Bowling for Soup. Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

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Mike TV

Oct 21

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Johnny Foreigner may have had some fun banter between songs, but by God that pales in insignificance next to the 45-minute full-on comedy of Mike TV. I reckon they must have a few collective screws loose to have so much fun. The audience loved it, and it's the only time I've ever been in an crowd that's been asked to name as many animals as possible which have balls.

<strong>Mike TV.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Mike TV.Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

They've got a new EP coming out soon, so check them out on Myspace and then go and see them to stick a whopping big smile on your face.

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Tellison / Johnny Foreigner

Oct 17

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Bands always get a better review from me if they have good betwixt-song banter. I'm not after philosophical depth, just an acknowledgement of the audience and perhaps the odd bit of information about particular tracks. Tellison and Johnny Foreigner, however, went way beyond that.

<strong>Tellison.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Tellison.Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

I've only seen Tellison once before, a couple of years ago in Manchester, and don't own any of their records. I also arrived five minutes after their set actually started. Nevertheless, just like in Manchester, they drew me in immediately and put on a great show. Fun, catchy and great to watch.

<strong>Johnny Foreigner.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Johnny Foreigner.Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Johnny Foreigner were great last time I saw them, but they were also very quiet and left me with the distinct impression that they were all very grumpy. They proved me absolutely wrong with an exceedingly cheery gig. It was the first night of a UK tour, and despite being beset with more technical problems than I've ever known at one gig, they really stepped it up a level. The boy/girl vocals thing really floats my boat, and there was energy in spades.

<strong>Johnny Foreigner.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Johnny Foreigner.Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

My only regret is that the set didn't last longer, but that was a product of the curfew rather than the band I think. Johnny Foreigner really connected with the crowd at the Social, and that inevitably leads to a great night regardless of the artist; this was no exception.

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A Wilhelm Scream

Sep 4

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A Wilhelm Scream were a bloody nightmare to photograph. In a good way.

It's a long, long time since I've seen a band put as much energy into a gig as AWS did on Wednesday in Derby. Right from the word go, the entire band threw themselves into this gig at full pelt, and it was awesome to watch.

<strong>A Wilhelm Scream.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

A Wilhelm Scream.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

Everyone was moving around the stage at a ridiculous speed, which made it very hard to get any decent images. I got there in the end though, and saw a very enjoyable set along the way. Over the past few months I've seen a few bands that I've wanted to see for a long time, and each time I've been worried that they might not live up to expectations. While bigger bands like the Offspring certainly weren't disappointing, there's something extra special about a great band giving their all and obviously enjoying themselves in a small, sweaty venue, up-close-and-personal.

<strong>A Wilhelm Scream.</strong<br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

A Wilhelm Scream.Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

So, while it seems any gig is enough to keep me happy at the moment, this one really was pretty damn good.

<strong>A Wilhelm Scream.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

A Wilhelm Scream.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

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The Offspring

Aug 27

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A nine-hour round trip, just to see one band? On a school night? Well, it was The Offspring.

The evening started with a battle through rush-hour traffic to the Academy 1 in Manchester, and was swiftly followed by an hour sitting outside the venue whilst waiting for confirmation of my press pass to be 'phoned through from the US. I missed Broadway Calls entirely, and was getting pretty pessimistic by the time I could hear Rival Schools' set drifting out of the venue to where I was sat.

<strong>Dexter Holland.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

Dexter Holland.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

However, shortly after that my pass was confirmed and I caught the tail end of the set. I was gutted I didn't see Rival Schools prior to them splitting up, and had high hopes for last night's performance, given the energy and emotion evident in their two albums. I was therefore a bit disappointed when they turned out to be a bit dull. That said, it was certainly a competent performance, so I can't really complain too much.

<strong>Noodles.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

Noodles.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

The Offspring's set was pretty much a "Greatest Hits". I'm normally so absorbed in shooting the first three songs that I can't actually tell you what tracks were played, but Bad Habit was blasted out with enough vigour to force it's way into my brain with very little effort. There was a good mix of stuff from right across their spread of albums, presumably in preparation for the forthcoming festival season. They carried on delivering standout tracks right through to the end, with Want You Bad in the encore being the highlight of the evening for me. I've wanted to see The Offspring for a long time now, and thankfully last night's performance was totally worth the trip.

<strong>Dexter Holland.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

Dexter Holland.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

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Atoms / Zatopeks

May 14

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Last night I had the good fortune not only to get away from my thesis for an evening, but to spend it watching the Atoms and the Zatopeks too!

They played the Old Bell Hotel in Derby, a venue I'd not been to before – turns out it's very nice, with excellent sound and generally a good setup. Definitely a notch above the usual pub standard I was expecting. I'd forgotten that I'd ever actually seen the Atoms before, but a light bulb did click on in my brain when they appeared on stage. I recalled they were very entertaining last time, and the same was true again last night. Entertaining chat between songs, and a great transition from doo-wop and sugary bubblegum pop through to a more dirty but honest three-chord punk vibe in the latter half of the set.

<strong>The Zatopeks.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

The Zatopeks.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Last time I saw the Zatopeks was at the Vic Inn in Derby, and my overriding memory is of one of the most feel-good gigs I've ever been to. Last night was just the same, with the band putting 100% into the performance, and evidently having a lot of fun at the same time. I often wonder whether bands must get bored of touring, but these guys made it abundantly clear how much fun it can be. Of course, such blatant enthusiasm is infectious, and the result was a room full of smiles. Excellent work, and I heartily recommend checking them out next time they're in town.

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HR / Johnny Foreigner

Apr 4

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Tuesday night was a trip to Derby to see Johnny Foreigner and Hundred Reasons. Tom, TomTom and I managed to drive around Derby for 20 minutes before we realised that Derby Rock House is actually the same place as First Floor Club. Once we'd got used to the change of name / decor, we settled down to watch the bands.

<strong>Johnny Foreigner.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Johnny Foreigner.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Johnny Foreigner is a name I've heard floating around for a while now, and it was good to finally catch them live. In fact, it was very good. I love the combination of male and female vocals (one of the main reasons I've always loved Zolof and early Two Day Rule), lots of tracks had a nice fast pace, and there's something musical going on in there that reminds me of a grittier version of Zolof. Check out my mastery of musical terminology, there. :) Anyway, very entertaining, and definitely one to keep your eye on.

<strong>Hundred Reasons.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Hundred Reasons.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

I've lost count of the number of times I've seen Hundred Reasons live now, and they've never failed to deliver. Having just re-released Quick the Word, Sharp the Action on their own label, they're touring to promote it and themselves in general after a couple of years out of the limelight. They started off slowly, figuratively if not in terms of the setlist, and seemingly without a huge amount of enthusiasm. The jumping around level seems generally rather diminished too. From about halfway through the set the band seemed to start enjoying it a little more, but the spark of old has gone, I think. They weren't helped by appaling sound, but combined with the not-astounding number of people in the crowd, it does make you question whether they'll ever regain past glories. I've not seen any reviews of other dates, and Tom enjoyed it, so maybe I'm just wrong, or this was just an "off" night – I do hope so.

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Gaslight Frank Club

Mar 4

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I was in attendance for all three acts at Rock City last night – Polar Bear Club, Frank Turner and Gaslight Anthem. The main reason for going was to catch Frank, but both other bands were good fun to photograph too.

<strong>Polar Bear Club, Rock City.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Polar Bear Club, Rock City.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

I've heard good things about Polar Bear Club, and lo and behold, I enjoyed them immensely. They gave the impression they were very comfortable as a band on stage, and had an impressive following in the crowd, especially for an opening act from the States.

<strong>Frank Turner, Rock City.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Frank Turner, Rock City.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Frank Turner was up next, and I was keen to see him on form after his unfortunate exit due to illness halfway through his Rescue Rooms set a few months ago. As it turns out, it was awesome. The lyrics are exceptional, the between-song banter is great, and the integrity and feeling come across loud and clear. Stunning.

<strong>Gaslight Anthem, Rock City.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Gaslight Anthem, Rock City.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Gaslight Anthem were the main act, and I didn't know any of their stuff either. They seemed pretty polished, and the crowd were loving it. Pretty good to photograph, but not really too exciting musically, for my taste. As I say, everyone else seemed pretty stoked, so I left Rock City full of happy people – excellent.

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Rise Against

Mar 2

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Last night I ventured to Sheffield to check out Rise Against. It was my first time at the O2 Academy – despite smelling worse than Rock City when I arrived, it was pretty good in terms of photography. It's quite well lit and security were pretty good, although there is a policy of throwing out crowd surfers the second their feet hit the ground, which seems a little harsh.

<strong>Rise Against.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Rise Against.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Flobots and Anti-flag were the supports – I was a bit disappointed that everyone was a bit preachy in-between songs. On the other hand, these bands have always claimed to have a message, so I might just be getting old and cynical! Either way, all the messages were pretty positive, so it's hard to be too critical. Both bands were very active, making them both difficult to photograph. For those of you who are interested, I'm considering swapping my Sigma 24mm f1.8 for a Canon 35mm f2.0 – the Sigma is a cracking lense, but just too wide on the 5D.

<strong>Rise Against.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Rise Against.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Rise Against were very good, and the inclusion of an acoustic version of Swing Life Away in the encore was a real highlight. They also did a version of Hero of War, a song I can't stand on the album, but I thought it worked quite well live (if you ignore the cringeworthy lyrics). Disappointingly, they didn't play Paper Wings – I thought it was being saved for the last song of the encore, but forgot about The Sufferer and the Witness. To be fair, it was a good final track, even if it did automatically cause the superimposition of a Guitar Hero 3 fret onto my vision…

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Kris Roe acoustic

Feb 1

Posted by Haydn in Gigs, Photography | No Comments

I'd been dreading this gig, on the basis that I love Blue Skies, Broken Hearts Next 12 Exits, and wasn't convinced that seeing it acoustic and live would live up to my expectations, and might ruin the record. Man, how wrong was I?

<strong>Kris Roe - acoustic set.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

Kris Roe - acoustic set.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

The set was a mixture of BSBH, So Long, Astoria and End if Forever. Kris was chatty throughout, he spoke with the crowd rather than just to us, and most of all he was faithful to the original songs without ever being boring. It's obvious from the lyrics that the songs mean a lot to him, and that passion was really what made the live performance so good. It takes a lot for a solo acoustic gig to be a total success, but this undoubtedly was.

<strong>The entirety of Kris' kit.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

The entirety of Kris' kit.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

Photography-wise, Kris asked for the front gels to be turned off, and so was playing in almost complete darkness. This didn't make life very easy! Despite f1.8 and ISO3200, there was still plenty of motion blur and focussing problems. The sheer number of people didn't help, so it wasn't a terribly successful night in terms of image-making. I also found it quite ridiculous how many people thought it totally fine to spend an entire set firing flashes at an artist. To my mind, it's rude and distracting, and I really do think people should have some consideration both for the artist and the rest of the crowd before photographing (or worse, videoing with a constant light). But that's just one of my little bug-bears!

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