A stupendously heavy “Bird and The Worm” quickly followed by “Listening” only helped to raise the temperature even more. I don’t know what bass amps and speakers they were using but whatever they were, the fact that it was vibrating through people from the front to the back meant that they were good ones!

Frontman Bert McCracken certainly dressed for the hot, Birmingham night. Good job really considering the high energy performance he gave throughout. A tight, tight show by a rocking band which showed that they should really be playing bigger venues. Rarely was there a moment where there weren’t a sea of hands, devil horns, peace signs, fists and various other hand gestures pumping up from the crowd.

The Used played a varied set, mixing in tracks from their latest offering with old classics, with new track “I Come Alive” standing well next to “I Caught Fire” mid-set. At the end of the show, I don’t think one person left without realising that The Used are in no way overhyped but in every way are a damn hard-working, hard-rocking and entertaining band to see live again and again. Oh, and a sweaty band, too.

Photography: A real pleasure to shoot because we were allowed to shoot with flash, the first time I’ve EVER been allowed to do so. The lights were typically poor so it was great to experiment with a few different flash settings and capture the images in a different style to what I normally do. Most photos still used an ISO of 800 or 1600 to keep the backgrounds bright and really freeze the moment. The band are energetic and Bert, in particular, has a great look which was a great to shoot.

A much shortened set focused gave new meaning to the age-old adage “quality vs. quantity” as the band lasted for a mere 35 minutes before having to gallantly call it quits. Although this set was much shorter than normal, the band still managed to whip the crowd up into a frenzy and gave them a show worthy of coming along to on a wet, windy Wednesday night.

“Rumour Mill” quickly followed by an energetic “Exits and Entrances” kicked things off and had the crowd singing in full force. I’m sure if Tay had really felt like it she could have picked any one of the teenage girls in the crowd to jump on stage and cover the vocal duties for her. A missed opportunity for rockstar karaoke indeed!

Although the gig didn’t live up to the expectations of the crowd or the band, much respect has to go to Tay for going for it and giving it the best she could. No doubt Birmingham will welcome her and the band back as soon as possible.

Photography: A tricky shoot due to the lack of any front lighting with everything coming from either behind, on top or from the side.  I was able to grab a few shots at ISO 1600 which caught the lighting well with some good moments coming in between songs when the standard, almost “house” lighting was on.  Overall, there’s some good shots in the main gallery but these could have been improved if I had been allowed to use flash to brighten the images up.

Andrew W.K.’s current tour features him, his band and his wife playing all of the “I Get Wet” album to celebrate it’s tenth anniversary as well as a few other tunes at the end to round off the night. It’s a common trend for bands nowadays to do this and this album works a treat when played live, loud and in full. Hard to ignore is the common theme surrounding the album, that of partying and having fun. Simple concepts, yes, but hard to explain is the impact that this live show has on people. People throughout the venue came dressed as Andrew W.K. and there were a few people on the barrier who I never actually saw their faces as they head-banged the entire night.

Andrew W.K. has an energy and a passion that is unrivalled. Complemented by his equally fun-loving wife and his band the force of this was immense. Every song sounded great and was delivered with an enthusiasm like this would be the last show any of them ever played. The songs sounded fresh, new and powerful. Hearing personal favourites “Ready To Die” “You Will Remember Tonight” whilst standing in the photo pit will be something I remember for the rest of my life. The latter half of the show continued the party mayhem and what better way to finish the show than with a massive stage invasion during “We Want Fun”. If every artist took the time to allow this and then spend time singing, hugging and high-fiving his fans then the music world would be a better place.

Photography: I was very fortunate to be able to shoot the whole show. This was, in all honesty, a dream come true as I’m a massive Andrew W.K. fan. This also meant I could relax during the first three songs knowing I could get the shots I wanted later on. It also meant I could move through the venue and shoot from anywhere although trying to shoot from a manic moshpit was quite a challenge! The lighting was superb and due to the energy of the performers it was easy to get good shots at all manner of camera settings. Knowing the artist well also helped and I was able to plan my shots to capture the moments to represent the performers at their best. It’s no exaggeration to say that this was one of the best photographic experiences of my life and I hope you enjoy the photos in our main galleries as much as I do.

McFly are professionals. They put on a damn good show. No matter what people say about them it’s easy to see that not only are they good at what they do, they also have a great time doing it. Many of the fans I spoke to expressed how they had been fans since they were 8 years old and haven’t quite grown out of them yet. Judging by the crowd reaction it’s hard to see how McFly won’t be around for quite a while yet as they seem to have a whole bunch of new fans who will, undoubtedly, grow up with them too.

It seems that for each song, a different set of fans had a banner for it. “Star Girl” in particular seemed to whip the teenagers (and the pre- and post-teenagers) into a frenzy. Although it didn’t have the epic feel to it that some concerts do, every fan enjoyed it and I’m sure every fan will be going back for more.

Photography: As I’d already shot McFly once before, I knew what to expect in terms of stage energy, typical poses and what shots the fans like to see after the gig. The lighting was good and allowed me to shoot at f2.8 and 1/200 at most times which was a necessity due to the fact that most of the band don’t stand still for very long! With only 4 people in the photo pit too it was a strangely relaxed affair whilst 3,000 people behind us went absolutely crazy!

Regardless of my old band, it’s easy to see momentum building for Taking Hayley. This was actually the second time I’d shot Taking Hayley in a fortnight (and the fifth in a year) and their last show was supporting McFly at the 3,000 capacity O2 Academy in Birmingham. They took full advantage of that opportunity, even though they only had a measly 15 minutes it was still enough to show the crowd who the next big name could very well be.

Although they’ve only been around for just over a year, they’ve developed a very, very loyal following throughout the UK and, as of this writing, are already planning their next UK headlining tour. This show in The Other Room at the Birmingham Ballroom, like their others, featured another high energy performance from the band. Catchy songs, new and old, had the crowd screaming along, jumping in unison wherever possible and waving hands like they were the most important band in the world. This was the case from the first note of opener “Up All Night” through to set-closer, and recent single, “Circles”.

Photography: A real difficult shoot due to the lack of a photo pit or any front lighting.  The venue is ok to shoot in but for some reason they don’t like to use any front lighting. I, admittedly, cheated and used flash for most of the shots due to needing some kind of light and to prevent every shot from being an arty silhouette.  Quite a bizarre experience considering two weeks earlier I’d shot them supporting McFly at the much larger, and much better lit, O2 Academy.

My impression of him was that he was a very genuine, humble man. He seemed to really enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories. I was happy with a handshake from him and the opportunity to say “thank you” directly to him.

I grew up going to concerts with my Mom and Dad telling me to “look at that wall of Marshalls!!” It’s still true today that if a band has got a wall of Marshalls behind them, you know it’s going to be a good show. There’s few names that are rightfully synonymous with music. Marshall is one of them and it will be for a long, long time.

Going back through some of our photos here on ConcertsCaptured, we’ve picked out a few of our favourites that feature the Marshall amp/cab/speaker/legend.

Now, who will be the next show we shoot with a wall of Marshalls behind them…

I feel like I’d waited about 12 years to see 3 Doors Down until they played Birmingham last year. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to shoot and review that show so it was great to be able to do so this time around. A 9:30pm start on a Monday night isn’t normally conducive to a good rock show but 3 Doors Down took the stage with a storming version of the title track/tour name/album name “Time Of My Life” involving lead singer Brad Arnold hurling the mic stand across the sparse stage to smash up against the drum riser. I don’t remember seeing the mic stand again.

Diving into the crowd during “Duck and Run” is also an effective way of getting the crowd on your side and proved that Brad was having way too much fun as lead singer of a rockin’ band. A sparse, empty stage made it easy for all band members to roam freely and strike rock star poses wherever possible. Brad’s voice never faltered and he played the role of frontman well, oozing charisma and demanding attention at all times.  Although the set lost momentum at times (including an ill-fated attempt at crowd interaction during a solo version of Phil Collins’ Another Day In Paradise), 3 Doors Down more than satisfied the Birmingham crowd. Hard to fault an encore which features two of the band’s most popular songs, “Kryptonite” and “Believer”, which, after a stirring rendition of “When I’m Gone”, ensured the crowd would definitely come back for more.

This used to be my view on techno/house/trance/dance and all the other genres that I can’t remember the names of. Heck, I can’t even remember the names of the genres featuring bands and artists I normally like nowadays.

Three years ago, I had the idea for ConcertsCaptured. I shot a few small bands and noticed that “Atomic Jam”, a clubnight I had grew up hearing my friends talk about to which I had dismissed as “people pressing a button and standing there”. Wanting to practice and get the ConcertsCaptured name out there, I got in touch with the promoters and asked if I could pop along and take some photos. I was surprised that they allowed me to just go along and shoot some shots. I now realise how friendly and hospitable everyone involved in Atomic Jam are but at the time, I couldn’t believe my luck that I would get to shoot this mysterious “Atomic Jam” at the Q Club.

The event blew me away. I do not class myself as a techno/house music fan but ConcertsCaptured has provided me so many opportunities to widen my views on music and entertainment that I will always be grateful for. I remember seeing an amazing party and being surrounded by happy, friendly, enthusiastic people. My previous experience of “clubbing” had consisted of watching drunks either try to impress the opposite sex or fight with members of the same sex. It took me a while to get my head round the fact that people were there for the music.

Just like I lost (and still do lose) myself at rock and metal concerts and become completely one with the moment and the music, I witnessed thousands of people doing exactly the same only to a musical genre that I was oblivious to. There was nothing but a great atmosphere. I felt safe surrounded by complete strangers. I felt out of place yet totally accepted at the same time.

I remember being completely overwhelmed and feeling completely out of my depth. I also only came away with 36 photos (my usual club night shoots now result in at least 150 photos) but some of them are still my favourite photos (View Gallery).  I was just trying to capture the spirit and emotion of the night and looking back I feel that I was well equipped to do so as it was all so new to me and I had no idea what to expect. A lot of the shots from the night were spontaneous. That includes what I consider to be one of the best photos I have ever taken. It’s still one of my favourites today. It’s currently being used as the main promotional photo for the last Atomic Jam event and I’m flattered beyond belief by this.

You can check it out in the gallery above (image “aj15″) and at www.atomicjam.net.

I’ve shot another Atomic Jam event since and was once again blown away by the ridiculous sound, amazing crowd, super-friendly organisers and DJs and the most spectacular venue I’ve ever been fortunate enough to shoot in.

The first time I shot The Jam, I turned up in my long, black Primark winter coat. I can’t even imagine how out of place I must have looked! I have a lot to thank Atomic Jam for, both for one of my first opportunities and for letting me prove to myself that I could actually “do” photography.

I was a complete amateur who had very little idea what to do and was just hoping I got a few good shots. The next time I go to The Jam, ConcertsCaptured will be an established and respected media outlet and I’ll have shot some of the biggest bands in the world in some of the most famous places in the UK. Still, there’s few things better than shooting Atomic Jam at The Q Club… see you at the madness