Almost 2 months...

Crazy that it's been 2 months tomorrow since I moved here! Time keeps ticking very quickly...

One thing I forgot to mention about the shoot with Mastodon... We went into the basement of the Natural History Museum. Went through a number of hallways and into a place called the "Tank room" where it looked like something out of a horror film! The smell of formaldehyde was quite overwhelming and there were hundreds of jars filled with dead specimens. But in the center of the room was a really long tank and it had a giant squid in it. Not as big as Captain Nemo's buddy but still the length of about three cars!

Going to Bath for the weekend...

The woolly mammoth story...

Did a shoot today at the Natural History Museum with the mighty Mastodon. Great bunch of guys and it was an easy quick shoot. Thanks to Emma from Warner for sorting this out, (and taking the photo here!)

A big thanks goes out to Jamie the filming coordinator at the Museum for making it all happen... And hopefully I didn't scare him too bad when I got Brent to "hang" from one of the tusks!

Wawawewa!

Another full day at the computer... But capped off the evening quite ah-nicely as my uncle and I headed out to see Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Which is hands down the best movie I've seen this year and I think it has the best title I've seen in a long time! Maybe Jackass 2 next and I'll be all caught up with the movies I missed before I left...

Why bother?

Another question... Why bother letting photographers into take pictures of your show for one song, not turning the lights on, holding your elbows up infront of your face like chicken wings, wearing a fleece neon orange jacket, and so on? Oh the list could carry on with the shit one goes through when shooting Tool live and really all I could do was laugh!?! Thank god Mastodon opened the show with some authority... Now there is a band that rawks! But shooting Tool wasn't all bad because as I was leaving there were two kids riding their bikes through the timed fountains infront of the arena that were way more entertaining!!

Before the show went early to meet up with Joby Sessions and Nick Cracknell who were down to do a feature with Mastodon for Total Guitar. (Got an email today that I'll be shooting the "Mammoth" Mastodon on Wednesday at the Natural History Museum!!) Great to see Joby and Nick and I'll be heading to Bath this weekend as Joby's band Moderate Scene Of Injury are playing a couple of shows...

speechless!

Racism... I'm sorry I don't get it! How can people be that way? Can't deal with it!! And it's really bad when it's someone you know or worse related to! That's why I will continue to post my favorite photos from the past year...

A nice more peaceful place? Where gentlemen play...

2006

I dare you...

Leave a comment... Go on let's see who leaves a comment first! (I have heard that people are actually reading this!)

Asked to send my fav shot of the year today for the mag... Well it ran a couple of weeks ago so I'd better pick another one!! What was my favorite?? You'll see... This one was definitely a favorite of Biffy Clyro in Vancouver but I don't think it will ever run in Kerrang! I wish all bands (and producers!) would put an effort in like this shoot everytime!! And after being in London and seeing the state of the sushi here (radioactive??) I would eat these california rolls no problem!!

Muse-ic

Why can't all bands rock out like this!! Even on the mellow songs they sound so heavy... Check out Muse whenever you get a chance! Saw them for the second time on this tour at the Wembley Arena tonight and again they were flawless...

Other than that it was another day of the P-shop. But all good as I tackled some new looks and ideas. Gotta keep it fresh and interesting!

Getting email from the Vancouver crowd which has been nice... It's good to hear that no one has drown in the recent storms. Also I hope no old ladies have taken you out over a bottle of water either!!

photoshop and bug eyes

Another news shot for Kerrang! The "fun" mini golf shoot from last week. Nothing much been happening apart from catching up in photoshop and getting things touched up.

Hooked up for lunch with the mighty pirate James Sharrock!
Went to the National Portrait gallery and there was definitely a stark look they were going for in the latest portrait series. It was weird and I agreed as James pointed out that it was really hard to connect with any of the subjects in the images! Interesting though...

Catch up...

Finally a day to catch up with all the things that are getting left behind. You know fun things like paperwork and shit pictures of dogs in capes! Time well spent I don't think so...

Managed to get loads done today and I think I have at least another couple of days like this coming up so I'll be all good again. Even did some web updates today so check out the portrait section which is almost all new...

Had a chat with the old home land today and I think I left at the right time as there is a boil water advisory and some brutal storms...

Drunken Slayer!

Actually this post should be entitled "Howie the Teacher!" Went to Slayer in Brixton tonight. Caught the end of Children Of Bodom who sounded pretty good. The kind of music you'd hear in a metal video game! Up next was Lamb Of God who's new album is fantastic but their sound was terrible. The mix was off and it looked like they called this one in...

Thanks for putting In Flames on this bill as it made it all worth showing up for! An amazing band as always. And this was when I discovered what I called "Howie the Teacher!" Howie was singing every word to all the In Flames songs but it was his two friends that looked like they belonged at a Razorlight show that made me laugh. He would turn around and sing to them except when he posed for this great shot pointing out the best mullet in Brixton! Not a bad night at all. Thanks to a teacher who brought his indie buddies over to the darkside...

Crystal Palace 2 Barnsley 0

The title is more of a little reminder for Ian!! Went down and saw my first soccer (Whoops don't I mean football?) game at Selhurst Park with Ian Winwood and his very nice friends Emily and Aaron.

Ian is a Barnsley supporter so what better game to go to than one where we can have a drink (only in the designated area!) and watch a game with a bit of rivalry. (My father is a long time supporter of the Palace)

Can't say I really follow it at all but I found the crowd fascinating! It really is a life and death thing for many of these people. We sat in the away section which is well away from the Palace fans and surrounded by police. One thing I thought was crazy was that you can't take a drink to your seat so you see everyone sculling back as fast as they can and being absolutely shit-faced in their seat! Something the local law makers should take note from American Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey and allow drinking in the seats and you might have a few less problems!!! Archaic drinking laws but what can you do!

After the game and a visit to the team merch shop went and had a fantastic dinner at Emily and Aaron's flat. Emily made a great risotto with chorizo and asparagus. Took off fairly early and went to Deptford at the Bird's Nest pub where my uncle's band The Ronnies played. Caught the last three songs which were pretty good and they ended off with my favorite Faces song... "Stay With Me" Tomorrow I'll be Slaying on in Brixton with Slayer and all the other Unholy bands...

sleepy!

My last day in the office... Only a few people in. After sorting everything for Scarlet's return, edited through the Rancid shots, and then rocked a little bit of Guitar Hero 2!

After going back to drop things off, swam (by train) to get over to Waterloo station. (Local station was flooded!!) Friday night and what better way to spend it then at the Greyhound Races in Wimbledon! Went with Carly, Fishy, Simon, and a load of his friends. We managed to keep a winning streak by betting on names and then the dog who took the last dump as they paraded by the grandstand!

Took a train back to Victoria station where somebody had to wake me up to get me off. (That should have been a sign!) Made it over to Charing Cross to catch the next train where I again fell asleep again and missed my station. Woke up in Bexley and thank god it was only a 10 pound cab ride back to where I should have got off!!

guitar hero 2!

So the big lesson after "Organization" for the office job is become a guitar hero!! The game was strategically set-up right by the desk I was at so how could I not be tempted all day! Alex was the guitar hero to beat and I think he beat me playing "The New Black" by Every Time I Die on this one!!

Rocked out till about 7:30pm and then it was off to Brixton Academy again to shoot Rancid. They are a great band, too bad the light was pretty lame as I think my favorite shots were of the nutty looking people in the front row! And first three songs for a punk band is always tough as you get maybe 6 minutes to shoot...

Made it all the way back on a train which is unbelievable! But it all goes back to the replacement bus this weekend. Nice!

It "IS" a small world!

Another deadline day at the photo desk of Kerrang! So loads of hard work finding images and getting all the Taste Of Chaos golf shots sorted...

After work went down to the Brixton Academy to shoot Wolfmother. Got there way too early and got pics of the opening bands which were all a bit mediocre. I really don't get the appeal of these bands that sound twangy and poppy. Wolfmother themselves are not bad but I don't think I would go out of my way to see them.

But the "small world" part happened at the show where I bumped into Erin from Vancouver. I knew her from the music industry in Vancouver. Erin, her friend Himani, and I had a good chat and moan about all things music and London. Grabbed a train back to find that it was a replacement bus again!!

And sometimes I do have to do a little photoshop trickery to make a photo that little bit more funny...

and to think yesterday was a long one...

Once the train finally arrived at Victoria at 6am another long day was about to start... Dropped off all the rental gear at the office and then took a couple trains back and forth to get changed and grab the laptop. Got back in the office to go out and return all the gear and make it back in time for 10am. Now if you know the British train system I had pretty much spent the last 4 hours either on a train or waiting for one!

Rocked a tired day at the office. But went to dinner after with the band Saosin, their PR the hilarious William Luff, and many others. It was at Kettners where we did the Paramore shoot. After that made it back on the last train to find out there was a replacement bus service... So it took even longer to get home... And in the pic above I thought this street in Brighton would have been much cleaner!

The Taste of Chaos

Today I learned what Chaos tastes like in a Jack Bauer sort of way... The following happened between 6am and 6am the following day!

Got up early to go pick up some hired lights for a shoot in Brighton with all the singers from the Taste Of Chaos tour. The idea was mini golf which I thought would bring out the fun side of them all... Rental place gave me everything but no cases on wheels!! (Next time I will be going else where!) Caught a train down to Brighton and brought everything over to Fishy's lovely place in the middle of town. Waited for Simon to show up and then we ventured down to Peter Pan's adventure golf. All the singers were on time but only 50% were into it. The shot turned out ok and a big thanks goes out to Fishy and Simon who ensured the lighting didn't blow away in Brighton's gale force winds!

We stayed behind to do some solo shots of Adam from Taking Back Sunday for an upcoming feature which made it all worth it. Very easy to shoot and was more than happy to do everything. After that went for Fish and Chips with the all the record reps where the restaurant was selling some of the most beautiful artwork at a very affordable price!

Carly turned up after work to come to the show. We had a few drinks and then went to the Brighton Centre. I think the last time I was at this venue I was a kid and when there was a lego exhibition on!! Checked out most of the show and left a few songs into Taking Back Sunday as the acoustic was too tiring. Headed up to the train station for 11:00 to figure out I would be stranded in London so stayed in Brighton until 4am for the next train...

Remember...

Rememberance Day... Took an unforgettable three and half hour stop in every town Virgin train back to London from Manchester. (Actually stopped in a place called Rugby!) Then back to the South East...

Went through all the Muse shots from last night which made the travel go quick. Another bonus were middle eastern people across from me making comments at everyone who walked by in a different language. Wonder what quips were thrown my way?!?!?!?

Now everyone here says I complain too much about how bad the food is! Well there is a good reason for it. Check out the pic above as it shows off what a £20 room service steak looks like! Still on the search for good affordable sushi. (No Nobu for me yet!) I'm convinced it doesn't exist in London.

The time never ran out!

Since there was no one in the office but me today it was party time! Thank god for Carling beer, Page 3, and cranking the new Deftones CD!!

Everyone from the office was out on a conference and because I wasn't regular staff I didn't get the invite or "memo" (office lingo I've read about!). Fine by me as I prepared a million things for next week. Yeah that organization thing came into play again.

Had to leave early to catch the train to Manchester. (No seats until I complained!!) Went up to take live pics of Muse at the MEN Arena. Was put up at the lovely Malmaison and went out to meet up with a very old friend Clive. We then wandered over to the show. Got the ok to shoot the whole show which was fantastic. Only had ever seen Muse at an intimate 1000 seater before.(Another lame Vancouver venue!) They put on an arena rock show better than anyone I have seen!! Had a few drinks and then called it a night...

Boredom...

After another long day at the office it was off to see Opeth at the Roundhouse in Camden. Most of the office were there and it was another great venue for a show. (more notes for Vancouver!) Now I've seen Opeth quite a few times and they are always great. But I have to admit this time they came across as very boring. (And you thought the title was to do with the desk job!!)

I found myself watching the crowd more than the band. Great dancing, hilarious looking people, and a saw a fantastic jacket from 1980 sometime that was a total keeper! Upon leaving the venue walked by this wall. I guess the label is "Keeping Camden Clean!" Or maybe "We Sweep It Under the Rug too!" Caught a train at two minutes till midnight. If only the band could have been a bit more rocking!!

Organization

Is really the key! The things I learn doing a desk job is that it is all down to being organized. Preparation of everything and you can nail it. Oh and how to make a great cup of tea as it will always keep your superiors happy!

How early does Christmas start here?!?!? The decorations are everywhere! I guess it's time to get the fearing public out there to spend, spend, spend! It's crazy the way Christmas is thrown down the throats of the general public as this time that you need to go into debt and spend the new year paying it back!! Not interested I'll go for a drink instead!

families

Stayed in Brentford for the night which is a nice area of London. Hung out with Carly and Simon all day. Did what I would call a british Sunday and thought I had needed an early start but didn't in the end. Had countless cups of tea, read the paper, failed to do the sudoku, and watched my first game of Rugby.

Still have no idea what is going on in that sport but I did "try" to learn it. Feel free to fill me in if you know!! Simon was right into it and explained as best he could. I was more interested in the phenomena of what happens to their ears than the game!! How do you hear out of that?!? It is absolutely disgusting! You couldn't pay me enough to get in a scrum!!

Was supposed to meet up with the rest of the family but it got too late so I headed back to the South East. And I have no idea what horlicks are supposed to be!! First day at the desk job tomorrow...

Enter UV...

Busy day today!! Did a shoot with Enter Shikari who I shot live a few weeks ago. Nice guys went well and got three set-ups which all turned out great. Weren't sure if they were up for all the ideas in the beginning but they couldn't have been better. (Hence the title of the post!) Check them out in Kerrang! in a few weeks...

After that went to a fancy dress party in a very nice part of London where I went as a bloody butcher. Best costume had to go the stingray and Steve Irwin! Took off pretty early as I needed to get back to my sister's house for an early start...

Not sure but is this no japanese jaywalking?

What are the chances...

of running into one of the 7 people I know in London at a train station!!! Well it happened again tonight when I ran into K! writer Ian Winwood who accused me of staggering towards him while he quietly waited for a train... We chatted about it the on the way back to Victoria station where we went our separate ways but I'll see him on the 18th as it is some big soccer (I mean football) game that we are going to!

Being the first day at the new desk job was interesting. Should get the hang of it by the time I have finished the subbing duties!

After work met up with my Dad and his friend Roger who knows how to drink very well. He also had a knack for chatting up women 30 years younger too... Went to a place called the Commercial in Herne Hill (where I found out later Ian was drinking too) and watched the fireworks from the back patio. Then off for a fantastic curry next door... Can't go wrong with Palek Paneer, Bhindi Masala, and Prawn Vindaloo!!

Forgot about this shot... Didn't hear too many annoying ringtones in Japan!!

Is it wrong to laugh?

When some drunk looking dude is soundly sleeping across from me on the train and a newspaper falls from the shelf above and lands on his head? I could keep it in! I couldn't stop laughing for the 20 minute train ride. Way too funny...

Visited with a great photographer James Sharrock who also works for Kerrang! Went for a walk through a park on Muswell Hill and toward the spectacular Alexandra Palace. On the way back even got our own firework display which was nothing compared to the Celebration of Light!

Good evening but it ended early as it was time to prepare for an office job the next day! Have a shoot lined up for the weekend with Enter Shikari which should be good. Hopefully they go for the UV ideas...

One Month In...

And way more has happened than I could have expected! Had a few things I really wanted to do for the mag and got to do a couple of them already which has been fantastic. Shooting the Deftones and heading off to Japan were definitely highlights!

Didn't think I would buy a copy of Bizarre magazine but there were some images I shot from the film Live Feed published in there!

And who can picture me doing a desk job? It starts Friday and should be fun for the two weeks it lasts for. Saving the details until it starts! Have to keep some surprises...

And I never thought I would find a pub with a name associated to Beavis and Butthead!!