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Into Second Death

The less said about this debacle the better. In short, no photopit. No room to move. No fuckn lights (at least for the headliner who may as well have been lit by candlelight).

A total waste of time and effort.

Don’t laugh too hard at the ‘photos’.

Are You Ready For Some Darkness?

When Turbonegro are in town, you know from the outset it is going to be a big night. A big fuckn night! With the Hifi Bar long sold out for this gig, a classic night of bonafide hard and fast Punk Rock was set to be delivered to Melbourne’s branch of the Turbojugend.

The denim jackets and sailor hats were plentiful at the Hifi Bar long before Turbonegro hit the stage.

Up The Irons!

Back in my musical formative years, Iron Maiden (along with Judas Priest & Black Sabbath) were one of the first Metal acts I truly got into. And I’m talking 1980/81 here when Paul Di’Anno was at the helm and Maiden delivered a couple of their finest moments – the debut album and the classic ‘Killers’ a year later. Albums which to this day, get plenty of rotation and are probably, along with ‘Number of the Beast’, Iron Maiden’s definitive work.

So it was a little on the surreal side getting to see the frontman of those two albums, Paul Di’Anno, live for the very first time – even if he had been on these shores several times before.

Fire In The Head

The Tea Party have always been a phenomenally successful act here in Australia with a rabid and loyal following which crosses a variety of musical genres. I found out confirmation I was to be shooting them at the very last minute and that pleased me greatly.

My Name Is Frightful Among the Believers

After a brief respite from the live music photography over the past month or so, it was all systems go shooting New Orleans’ Black Metal finest in Goatwhore tonight at the Corner Hotel. By a long stretch, The Corner is not my favourite place to be shooting such an act as it becomes insurmountably impossible to do so without the safe confines of a barrier and/or photo pit.

One Way Ticket To Hell… and Back

There aren’t too many bands that one would drag themselves out of their deathbed to go and shoot! Feeling completely and totally under the weather with a head-cold that only Satan himself could have befallen upon me, I was dead to the world and considering my options on whether to go and shoot this gig or not.

But it was The Darkness for fucks sake! The original line-up of the Darkness!

If they can put aside their differences and reform then head cold or not, I was not gonna miss out on this opportunity.

Under Black Flags We March

One begins to lose track of all the international Metal acts that tour our shores. As a photographer, more often than not, one gig just leads into the next and a deep seeded feeling of complacency certainly has a nasty habit of creeping in. One band begins to look and sound exactly like the one before it.

Pursuit of Vikings

I’ve extolled the virtues of shooting gigs at Billboard many, many times over but lately, there have been some very poorly lit shows for us photogs. Tonight’s Amon Amarth gig was probably the worst I have seen Billboard lit for many a show. Which is a shame, because for the most part, Billboard is always a pleasure to shoot at.

Anguish Of Youth

After the plethora of gigs that hit these shores last month due to the Soundwave Festival and all the off-shoots, it was kinda cool to have some downtime between shows. So much so, I didn’t even feel in the mood to go and shoot tonight’s Iced Earth gig.

The Heretic Anthem

I started shooting live music in 2009. You start off small in dimly lit venues with bands no one has ever heard of – or is likely to ever hear of. But you need to learn and refine your skills and you need to push yourself and your camera to the extreme to get a hang of this beast. It isn’t easy but if there is a burning passion and drive, you’ll learn and you will continue to learn with each and every single shoot you do.

Ziltoidia Attaxx!!!

Half way through a crazy week of shooting the cream of the crop when it comes to the Metal genre! Seriously, the Soundwave series of gigs – both the festivals and the ‘Sidewave’ shows manage to bring out some of the finest bands from all over the world! Big Day Out? Forget about it! This is where it’s at and on a Wednesday night you could have taken your pick and seen a slew of gigs at nearly every major venue in Melbourne. You soon come to the realisation that the Metal genre is in an incredibly healthy state right now yet our radio airwaves are polluted with all sorts of mindless dribble and mastobatory schlock designed to sell soap suds!

Blasteroid

I always find shooting multiple acts on a bill to be quite a challenge as by the time the main headliner hits the stage, your energy levels are nearly non-existent and concentration levels begin to wane.

This probably explains why I haven’t dared shoot a festival yet. But soon… soon I will tackle that beast!

Tonight’s bill featured three superb acts as part of the Soundwave Sidewave gigs. Mastodon, Gojira and Kvelertak proved to be a veritable feast of the finest international Metal representing the USA, France and Norway.