Sat on a beach and did nothing... Beer, Sun, Uno!! (Larissa's favorite travelling game!) And a little Greek Coke!

Up early with no sleep AGAIN! Off to Greece with Larissa today which will be relaxing as we basically plan to do nothing for a week... Well she is going to get PADI certified and I'll probably sit at an internet cafe editing pics?!?!?

After landing, taking a cab to the bus station and then a 3 hour bus ride to Chania (TAXI back please!) we finally arrived around 1AM. Walked by a supermarket and couldn't resist getting a pic for Paul f his favorite shoes... And finally SLEEP!

Overslept the alarm but luckily Tegel Airport was really close to our hotel. Managed to sneak in breakfast before what was one of the smoothest flights in a very long time... Although we did have to circle London a few times before landing!

Dropped off all the gear and then hung out K! towers to edit the Korn pics. Off on holiday to Crete tomorrow with Larissa so this needs to be done NOW! Went out for a few drinks and then pulled another all-nighter with King Blues, and Korn pics guess the laptop going to get a tan too... Keep thinking beach, sun, beer!

Caught 2 hours sleep on the bus after falling asleep on the main sofa... Woke up in Berlin which was very clean. Chilled out at the hotel and went for a little wander with Daniel. We took a ride with a crazy cabbie who didn't know where he was going. Finally arrived at the venue which was a beautiful castle with a moat around it!

Did another quick shoot with the band before they went on stage (pic: Daniel) and then more shots of the show. Even got up on Joey's riser which was a great angle.

Chilled out at the end of the night with a few drinks in a bar by the hotel where the locals were drunk and an American asked where we were from in the States!! Don't know how he could mistake Daniel's fantastically hidden Wolverhampton accent for American! Mistaking Canadian no problem but Wolverhampton?!? Nice!

Didn't really have time to sleep... So the following happens between stupid o'clock and who knows when!! Jumped on a bus to Heathrow to catch a flight to Prague for a shoot with Korn. Met up with Daniel and Scott at the airport and landed in the Czech Republic (a very bumpy ride!) around noon.

Headed straight into town to the Four Seasons. After a great lunch did a very windy/rainy shoot with the band. Turned out not bad but less wind would have been nice. Prague is really beautiful, can't wait to come back here when I have time to see it properly. Headed over to the venue and did the show/portrait shots. Watched a bit of Ozzy with Scott (Korn were opening) and then jumped on the tour bus and made our way to Berlin. While Daniel did the interview with Jonathan had a few drinks with Kalen and Joey who are two of the amazing touring musicians with the band right now. I don't think I have ever seen anyone drink as much as those two! Well actually there are a few people I know who would keep up to them...

Headed up to the rental place early to pick-up some gear and then off to Holborn Studios. Did a press session with the King Blues today. Itch, Fruitbag, and Jamie were great guys and the shoot went very well apart from the rain. Even attracted a crowd of bored office workers when we climbed through a fenced off area in Hackney to get some shots. Between Anna, and Larissa the day sailed by quickly and we even finished the shoot early!!

After a few drinks and some food went up to the Barfly in Camden to do some live shots of Hell Is For Heroes. Crowd starting really going nuts for the band so did a few pics and left after a few songs. Because of deadlines and things that need to be finished by tonight (leaving early tomorrow for Prague) I will have to pull a Jack Bauer... At least I can still put on a brave face when an all-nighter is on the cards!

A fairly relaxing day between photoshop and sorting out details for the shoot on Monday... Ended up at the Komedia with Larissa but the comedians were pretty disappointing. Usually you may get one bad one but tonight there was only one good one... Perhaps missing host Stephen Grant would have brought it up a notch!

Since they are Larissa's favorites, a Gallows pic from Newcastle last week...

Up really early and over to the station for a 6am train up to Blackpool to do a shoot with Outl4w. Spent most of it sleeping until I woke up and chatted to Bill the Turkish man sitting across from me. Very nice guy who works in the hotel industry. Changed to the Blackpool train which was the most interesting people I've seen since Bingo. You could have called it the Deliverance Express!

Fortunately the band and the drummer's dad George were at the station to take me around the B'pool for the shoot. Nice kids who seemed to be up for anything. Their attention span was better than most bands considering their age! Got the typical shots on the beach and a few others... Caught a ride to Preston (avoiding the Deliverance Express) and after 3 hours in Blackpool made my way back down to the south coast.

Couldn't pick up Larissa at the airport today (thanks for going Fish!) but did manage to get back 3 hours earlier than expected, so we were able to do a little catching up...

Selling the back of outfits??

Loads of organizing today as Larissa comes to town tomorrow. Being the "bad" friend that I am I won't be able to pick her up tomorrow, thankfully Fishy will come to her rescue from the evils of Heathrow...

How it should have looked!!

A day of organizing, and everything is pretty much sorted. Doing a shoot in Blackpool with Outl4w on Saturday which I am looking forward to. Never been there and I think the band's average age is 16!!

Ran a few pending errands for this weekend and next week. Then hooked up with the Beez and Jo, Nichola and Alex, and the late arriving Paul and Fishy at the usual watering hole.

Carried on from there to the Borderline where the Answer played an absolute blinder of a gig. Amazing sound for such a small place!

Here's a shot from Download of Korn that ran in this week's K!

Had a good sleep in today as it was a late night getting the PJ shots out. Went in for a meeting at Universal Music about a press session next week, which is shaping up very well. Once it's all shot and done I'll post some pics.

Took a car over to the K! towers, had a fantastic driver Dean and we had a great conversation. I learned why Brits drive on the left side of the road... Goes back to old times on horse back because most people were right handed. They would need their right hand free to hold a sword in battle and it was adopted when cars were invented!

Back up to Wembley again for Ozzy... At PJ last night there were 2 photographers, well for the Ozz man it was 22! Pretty crowded but managed some ok shots. The one above is not bad as you can hardly tell it's him...

Stand behind the line...

Made our way back to London and got down to work on the TGOAT pics. Then went over to the Wembley Arena for Pearl Jam. Arrived a bit early and watched people run through the unpredictable fountain which is hilarious. (Gotta come back tomorrow for Ozzy so I will come early again for that!) If I didn't have all the camera gear I would have given it a go too!

Tonight was the fifth or sixth time I've shot PJ live and it is the same every time. 3 songs too shoot 1 with no light and don't go over the line or else?!? Look for the same old shots next week in Kerrang! Here's one from last time to make comparisons...

TGOAT.

A very early start and made my way up to Newcastle with Raz (who was branded the nickname "Tipper" after confessing a K! blunder) Our job was to do an "on the road" feature with The Ghost Of A Thousand. A great bunch of guys from Brighton who were up for anything. Went for a little wander around and got a few funny pics then did the hangout waiting 'til showtime thing.

The GOAT were opening for the Cancer Bats and Gallows and it was great to see everyone again. Rocked out at the show, had a few beers, hung out in the Molson corner with the Bats, and then called it in an early night... Although I did win he coin toss for the bed or the sofa in our sole hotel room!! Tails baby!! On a roll with the winnings must have been due to that bird shitting on my head...

Well the Fish and I racked our brains with what we should do on a Saturday night... Since it's nothing but Rock N' Roll the next few nights we made the perfect plan by going to Bingo for the first time ever. Even made the weird cabbie laugh on the way over. He also warned us to look out for getting mugged by grannies stealing any winnings!

Got to the Gala Bingo hall which was the most tacky place with slot machines and what looked like a bad version of an IKEA cafeteria. Some guy sold us books of numbers and and gave us a half assed explaination on what to do. (It's Bingo how hard can it be!) Armed with dabbers we then went out to the middle of the hall and couldn't resist selecting a seat by the weirdest looking people you've ever seen. Jeremy Kyle (British Jerry Springer) eat your heart out! I could write an entire blog on the sights that were to behold there. You would never tire of people watching as it was a goldmine!

Once the games began a silent hush would go across the place until someone screamed out that they had won and then it was the pissed off murmur! A very funny interesting evening but the irony of all that was when I filled out a whole square and had to scream out myself... Yeah 100 pounds for marking ink on some paper! We basically got paid to sit around and watch people over a few drinks... BINGO!

Another day at the computer working on a few of the images from last weekend's Download festival. Had the best Indian food since I moved to England!! "Indian Summer" was the name and it even rivaled Vij's in Vancouver which is a bit overrated isn't it?!?! (Wait two hours to get a nice meal but be too pissed to eat it?!?) Yeah so I was introduced to the new time waster Facebook... Once I finally ditched the crack it was back to work!!

How about an additional favorite from last weekend...

Had a quick drink with Terry Bezer to talk about all things metal! (He had seen Lamb Of God play in a church of all places!) Picked up a few things from the office I needed to sort out for a job on Sunday with the Ghost Of A Thousand. An on the road feature which should be fun as I bumped into a few of them at Download last weekend...

So Lyle wanted an email when I finally shot Iron Maiden... How about a pic as well!!

Sent out a few things and did some general catch-up. Figured I would have been quite hung over after the amount of alcohol consumed last night but didn't even flinch this morning. Too much drinking Hinder style!

One of my favorite shots from the past weekend after the shoe tying...

Tired! What better way to rest than head out for dinner with Hinder! Did a quick shoot beforehand in front of St.Paul's Cathedral and managed to beat the police back to the car... Far too much tequila, and Corona made for a bit of blurry evening that ended with an expensive train/cab ride! Hopefully didn't lose too many brain cells or lamp shades?!?

Back to the smoke...

Scarlet took the M1 back into London and it felt like we were on speeder bikes! Fell asleep for most of the ride. Went out for lunch with the Pirate as it was his birthday today. Happy Ripper Birthday mate!?! You Budgewong or something like that...

Download Day 3

Big thanks goes out to James Cumpsty for this pic! Check out his site for some great work.

Got down to the site early today to sort out pics from last night. Bumped into a few of the Mastodon guys who hadn't gone to sleep yet from the night before! Went up on stage for their set to get a few different angles. Half way through their set had to put the camera down as Troy came around the back of the amp because he needed his shoelace tied!!

Spent the rest of the day shooting a few bands, Lamb Of God, Dimmu Borgir, (who had the best sound of the weekend!) Dream Theater, and Iron Maiden. Got all the pics in and then filled up on more beer as the review was laid out in the work cabin. But one of the best comedic moments of the weekend happened when I went for a wander in the press area and bumped into "Slo Mo" from Mirimar Disater! We hung out for a bit, had a few drinks and he then proceeded to piss in a cup that had a hole in the bottom right beside a bright floor lamp! Luckily for him the security asked him to go finish in the toilet rather than kicking him out... Oh the joyous going-ons of Download. 'Til next year I guess!!

Download Day 2

No hangover, so rocked it down to breakfast with Paul, Scarlet, and Fishy where we commandeered a regular table for the weekend by the looks of it! Got to site, did the usual set-up and then hung out till Silverstein showed up for a quick shoot. Some fellow Canadians that got more into it once I told them to pick up their singer Shane!

Did some live shots of Manson, and Linkin Park then it was off to the Jager/Kerrang! bar for a few drinks. Bumped into loads of people which made for an interesting evening. Even little Angel got a similar picture with the gigantic Jager bottle!

Download Day 1

Rolled up on site and did the usual run around of you can't walk through here or that pass doesn't get you there until I scored the right wristband! Only had a few bands to shoot today which was nice. Went up on stage with Hinder for their set and then stuck around for a little Megadeth.

Met up with Joby Sessions (pictured) briefly before we both had to run off to do different shoots. Did a quick shoot with Korn in the late evening which went well and then checked out their set which had great sound. Big thanks goes out to Pete for sorting out the second stage no light situation. Then drinks, drinks, and more drinks but props have to go out to Terry Bezer for saving me from a cornering that might have taken away most of the evening!

Hopped in a van with the Pirate Sharrock, Fishy, and Scarlet (who did all the driving!) up to Donington. Put a swear count on Scarlet which she didn't come close to topping from the year before. Probably because she chose a different traffic-less route. Apart from the usual banter we put the Pirate on the spot about a new bird he found at the "Crow's Nest" The way he is getting treated hits a little too close to home... Run Forest Run is all I can say!

Dropped everything off at the hotel and went for the fantastic curry dinner with everyone. Back to the hotel bar had a few too many drinks and then disappeared to the room to get a little nap before Download began. Do all people drive with their mouths open?

Mellow day apart from heading up to Islington to see Hinder play the Academy. Hung out with Anna and Fishy. Tom from the New York office was out and it was nice to see him as last time was at a strip club in Memphis! Managed to blag our way up to the empty top level and watch the show from there. Had a few drinks and called it an early night as Download will take it's toll this weekend. Although the train ride home was a bit of a marathon...

Finally have a new phone but no contacts so fill me in when you get the chance!

Quite a few deadlines this morning but still managed to rock through it. Had a chat to a very old friend on the phone Sarah this afternoon. Included her telling me that she and her husband are expecting a baby boy! Congrats!!

Now a person who totally rocks is Larissa!! Got home this evening to find a massive Canadian birthday/care package... I think both t-shirts are hilarious for the tackiness of one and the message of another!! Thanks Larissa, what is it 19 more sleeps till party time?!? Before coming back to a nice surprise I was in the centre for the Gallows re-release party on a boat along the Thames. Couldn't get near enough to watch them play as the room they were in could have fit about five smurfs. Had a good chat with Caren about all manner of things! Although there was a great surprise awaiting me I realized my phone was taken from my pocket last night... SHIT!!

Forgot to mention in Egypt they taught us the real way pyramids and temples were built! I always knew it...

I think one of the weirdest things is coming home late and hearing the neighbours TV at top volume playing the Canadian national anthem! Eh? I guess that means hockey is still happening...

It was the release day of the new Biffy Clyro album Puzzle which meant it was time for an in store performance and signing at the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street. Wasn't used to the whole paparazzi stand in a row to get a pic of the band so I put my hand up and made them laugh instead during photo-op time!! I couldn't believe how hot it was in there, but at least they had installed an Air Conditioner Richard Branson style. (pic Psyoung!) Went for a few drinks after and then had a nightcap with Mr.Hughes which was very ah-nice!

Hopefully the weather stays this way for Donnington this weekend. And fingers crossed burnout doesn't happen before as this will be a busy week. A night with Hinder is on the cards and I have yet to see a quiet, take it easy night with them around!

Went for a very nice lunch in Soho today with Laurence, Carly, and the Fish at Kettners the place I did a shoot with Paramore last October. Watched a mad old man have a snooze outside and then when we retreated around the corner for a coffee at Bar Italia he was having a chat to what looked like an old friend (pictured). And I thought all the crazies were in Vancouver!!

Good food,

Really terrible service but I guess proof is in the picture as you enter the diner! Caught up on the computer most of the day and started to plan a "Greecey" little vacation with Larissa at the end of the month which should be fun... Time to get a tan as it seems impossible in England!

Felt a bit rough this morning realizing that Scoot and I had drank way more than I thought!

Did a little work then it was off to Revolution Karting with Laurence, Max, and Harry. Now I haven't been go-karting in probably close to a year so it was great to hop back on the track. The karts were all electric powered and not too bad. A little bit slower but at least we didn't leave reeking of gas!!

Max ended up having the most spectacular crash of the day and is convinced he won't go again but I am sure we can drag him out! After an afternoon of karting, it makes you want to take a racing course... Well this time I think it could be on the cards!