Ashley Maile Diary

2010-02-05T23:58:00.004Z

Sorted out all the pics from last night's fantastic Rammstein show. Then a complete joke of a train journey which no advance warning was given on. Took almost 2 hours to get into London from Brighton. That coupled with the Young Guns set being brought forward by 45 minutes missed the beginning.

Southern don't be so shit! It goes back to, fuck the ads you'd be better off spending it on the train line maintenance!

Had a few drinks with all the usual suspects and then Fish and I called it a night giving Southern a miss altogether and getting home in the time that was advertised!

More from last night's amazing show!

2010-02-04T23:58:00.002Z

Spent the morning sorting images and a few upcoming jobs. Caught a late train to London dropped in the office and then carried onto Wembley Arena with the Fish and Lucy. Met up with Paul who was taking Max out to his first gig. I can only imagine Rammstein being my first gig, you would basically be ruined for life for going to gigs.

Did the first 3 songs for the mag which I researched on you tube to familiarize myself with the pyro cues. Stayed for the rest of the show as Anna had sorted us with brilliant seats, I think Rammstein was probably one of the best shows I've ever seen. An absolute assault on the senses, would really like to see it again as I'm sure I missed loads of the little details! Sonisphere can't come soon enough...

2010-02-03T23:58:00.004Z

Had a shoot with the Futures today at the Gibson Office. Basically they are an old band minus two members with an added new guy so made sure to give Christian a load of stick which he took quite well! The ironic part was he photographed the best out of the whole band with his Orlando Bloom looks!

Stopped in at Direct to see the Briese Lighting and Red Cameras demo which seemed to consist of loads of beer and not much information. Heard some of the prices on the lights and really makes you wonder who can actually afford them? Gear it really doesn't excite me to be honest, you should be able to get the job done with whatever is to hand!

Met up with Paul, Tom, and Ian near London Bridge for a bit of food and a few drinks. Once Ian had left (ahem deadlines!) the real drinking began, finished the night off stumbling back to the tube dropping Paul at Waterloo while Tom and I went the Victoria, Heath, Brighton route home. Top night out!

Here's a shot of Andrew from Wolfmother doing the this week's K! quiz out today...

2010-02-02T23:04:00.006Z

A sporting clip sent my way for a laugh today, and the other side of the Olympics here.

Also saw this today too, looks like my "shot" of the year from 2008 of Slash is still relevant!

2010-02-01T23:44:00.004Z

Made for Oh! Studios think it's been almost a year since I was last here. Did a shoot today with the Straight Lines, who were well up for the crazy idea that the Fish had for this shoot. Pam did almost all of the set design once we figured out where to place everyone which will be revealed in Kerrang! soon. Also had a little help from the Kerrang! work experience Holly, who apparently really likes the Lostprophets.

Shoot turned out really well I think, and there will be very minimal p-shop which is really nice for a change!

Rocked it home on the usual late running service of Southern. Stop spending money on bug ads with some fake Mexican and put another line in! You don't have to advertise to the people of Brighton as it's not like we have a choice with which trains to take!

Here's a shot of All Forgotten which is in Wednesday's K!

2010-01-31T23:56:00.006Z

Spent most of the day at home while the Fish "endured" the tattoo convention with Matt.

Sorted a few things for the week to come and after a lovely roast we hit the Windmill Pub. For the quiz tonight we were down a player but I think it was the tough questions in the beginning as we bombed the first round and ended up 5th after a game of catch-up!

Another shot from the game last week...

2010-01-30T23:57:00.004Z

With an unwell Fish kept close to home today, after a little food and painkiller she felt much better.

Watched Blade Runner for the first time, very interesting film which I know I need to see again to completely catch all the the things I missed. With better feeling Fish we ended up going for some late night drinks with Matt Butler who was in town for the tattoo convention.

Great night out I think a trip to see Matt, Holly, and the twins will be on the cards soon!

Here's a shot of Zoltan and Ivan from Five Finger Death Punch, the smartest band in Kerrang! according to the quiz.

2010-01-29T23:57:00.002Z

Very grateful for Craig and Matt's idea of driving back close to the airport so we didn't have to get up too early this morning. Once checked in bumped into James and Neil of Biffy fame who were off to Stockholm. A little bit of snow delayed our plane a bit but still managed to get back to Gatwick for noon.

Tom came down for dinner and a few drinks which was a good laugh. Was quite hard to find a restaurant that would take us as it was really busy. After settling on Pizza Express ended up in the William the Fourth pub as there are always seats on the weekend!

Here's a shot from this week's K! of Blackstorm which was basically shot it that a few weeks ago.

2010-01-28T23:58:00.002Z

Another very early rise to get to Gatwick this morning. Surprisingly not hung over after Simon Sarin and I had depleted the Stamford Bridge hospitality bar of their whiskey last night. Speaking of which when I woke up around 5am was greeted with some hilarious texts from him, about the Rolling Stones numbing the journey and waking up on a night bus on the other side of London!

Met up with Matt at Gatwick and we flew onto Glasgow where we had to wait around for a car rental as the one given to us had a flat tire. Once Craig joined us and a new car was sorted we drove to the Ardrhu Holiday Cottages about 2 hours north of Glasgow in a village called Onich.

Bring Me The Horizon were writing their new record there so once we arrived with the fading light rushed an outdoor shoot before then finishing inside. Shoot went very well as the guys were their usual up for anything attitude, such a stunning location and would have been good to do more outside. (pic by Matt Ash) Also got to meet Oskar who I'm sure at some point will make an appearance in Kerrang! Once finished while the band had a meeting and played some new songs to Craig and Matt I edited, and sent the photos right away as there was a very tight deadline on it. Look for it next Wednesday!

After finishing up went for a curry in Fort William and then drove back to Glasgow which was decided would be easier for Matt than having to get up silly early to do the drive in the morning. Had a great chat on the way back and then crashed out at the Holiday Inn right beside the airport. Bit of deja vu as it was a BMTH job last October where we stayed at the exact same hotel...

2010-01-27T23:58:00.005Z

Got up to Fulham Broadway for 530 to meet Simon. Hit a pub and then we carried onto Stamford Bridge. Simon was gracious enough to offer me a hospitality ticket to the Chelsea/Birmingham game tonight.

Had a great laugh, loads of booze and food, saw a few goals, and then managed to lose each other on the walk to the tube. Met up with David though and we caught the train all the way back to Brighton.

2010-01-26T23:54:00.005Z

Went up to town with the 845ers who for today had morphed into the 919's. Carried onto Birmingham to meet up with 2/5's of ispystrangers for a shoot where the rest of the band were waiting in the beautiful Sutton Park. Had a cold quick "muddy" shoot and then headed back to the train station. Made it back to London for 530 as we couldn't be late for the show we had tickets for.

Jerry Sadowitz at the Leicester Square Theatre, not a show where you would dare turn up late! I must say it was very entertaining, and a very enjoyable evening. He even answered a question I put on here a few weeks ago with some very definitive descriptions! Not sure why but I must be a magnet to idiots sitting near me in the crowd, many times would I have loved to tell the woman behind to shut up, I think had Jerry done 5 more minutes he would have turned on her and her rather loud arguing.

When people ask who would you most like to photograph I would definitely have him at the top of my list. Wouldn't dare take one during the show for fear of ridicule so here's one from the earlier trip to Sutton Park.

2010-01-25T23:38:00.003Z

A day of retouch catch up, snooze! They announced a load of bands for this year's Download festival today, ACDC will be good but hopefully Stone Temple Pilots have kept the old magic alive.

Here's an old pic of Scott Weiland in STP from mid 2000.

2010-01-24T23:22:00.003Z

Took the day off after 5 days of straight shoots. Now the p-shop and retouch begin and pretty much end tomorrow for the week.

Hit the quiz and with a storming last round which featured way more teams than normal we came a competitive 4th... A couple of album covers got the better of us in the picture round, they were classics but still almost as forgettable as the current releases you see. More inspired artwork please, check out Gama Bomb's current release for instance.

Here's the pic taken by Talita that I mentioned yesterday!

2010-01-23T23:25:00.006Z

Up at dawn, well still dark and on a train to Gatwick. Met up with Talita to have the usual excess baggage argument this time with Ryanair and their disgustingly low amount of 15kg per bag. After paying boarded our flight to Dublin which actually left on time. Still with all the extras you'd be better off on another airline.

Made it into the center of Dublin just before noon to meet up with Philly and Paul of Gama Bomb for a little lunch. We then moved across town to the very accommodating pub Mulligans who let us loose in their closed bar for some photo shenanigans!

After a few setups and a little wander we drank (pictured) right up until we needed to catch our flight back to Gatwick. Had a weird one at the airport where they called me down to screening, umm most airports just open the bag themselves! Caught the flight again on time but this time they didn't charge extra, consistency of charges another reason not to bother with Ryanair. Although they did leave the safety demo items sitting next to me before we took off. Don't leave those unattended and not expect me to try them on! (pics to follow) Arrived home in the dark that I left in early this morning.

2010-01-22T23:27:00.005Z

Started the day with a quick rescheduled shoot from yesterday of Aled from Kids In Glass Houses.

Afterward went with Alex to Islington for a shoot with Turbowolf. One thing I must remember is to check out every location inside and out before going to a shoot if possible. Turned up at Mr.All Sorts today which was booked by someone else who I don't think really thought about fitting 4 band members in a one page feature and showing much of any kind of location. After moving a couple of chairs made the best of it then dragged the band outside. Luckily they looked the part which helped with the cramped conditions. Dropped everything back at K! towers then made for home to enjoy a relaxing evening before tomorrow's early rise.

A pic of Alex helping out yesterday while being taught about a wide angle lens!

2010-01-21T23:27:00.003Z

Was supposed to do two shoots today but due to scheduling one was canceled. Hoping it will be rescheduled for tomorrow but waiting to hear as there are potential clashes. So just ended up doing a quick shoot with Andrew of Wolfmother who seemed up for it. Headed home afterward and made sure all the cards were clear for the next few days as computer time will be minimal...

More from Marwell as a Tiger seemed to be interested with being able to see it's own breath in the cold.

2010-01-20T23:40:00.002Z

Directly to K! towers this morning and then in a long winded cab to the location. Luckily Paul Harries was on site doing a shoot with another band as the room we were in with Bullet For My Valentine and he was good enough to lend an extra extension lead. Band were on great form today and once Tristan had sorted the beers they rocked it even more, and of course a happy birthday to Mr.Tuck!

Once finished had a quick pint with Mr.Hughes before heading home to deal with the mounting deadlines. Would have preferred to hit the town for the birthday celebrations, but sometimes responsibility of work calls!

Thought this was an interesting story. A great shot but I guess if you don't follow the rules then... Competitions can be a waste of time, Paul Harries put it best about winning pics in contests. Too bad I can't repeat it here!

Here's a pic of the lovely Paul X who always makes a great stand in!

2010-01-19T23:41:00.002Z

Started the morning with an interesting call from an old friend. Possible things in the pipeline for next year which is always good! Spent the rest of the day sorting things also had a little help from the Head of the School.

Dropped off some gear at K! towers for tomorrow's big shoot and then carried onto Wembley for an evening with Nickelback. Had a quick chat with the guys and crew after the show but ducked out earlier than usual to make the trains home. This pic is for all you Arsenal fans, Chelsea's logo was flashed up before this one though!

2010-01-18T23:59:00.002Z

The Fish had the day off so we decided to go to Marwell. Well there looked to be some very cold animal most of which were stuck in the warm. Did see the Anteater (pictured) who was sleeping last time we went! Odd looking creatures that have a very distinct walk.

Even though it was a day off still sorted a load of scheduling and locations for shoots in the next few days. Went to Chich briefly and after a quick stop at Sainsbury's (AGAIN!) carried on home.

2010-01-17T23:48:00.003Z

After a shop at the Sainsbury's that never has the products you want got stuck in with all the p-shop. Finished most of it just in time to not get the call back from BT. Thanks for that you useless company!

Made for the Windmill to try our luck at the quiz. Tonight's team included, Garrett, Courtney, Carly, Mark, Myself, and the Fish. Branded as the "Sore Losers" we ironically came in Second, we will win that quiz... One day?!?

In Kerrang's! current issue there is a story about Blink 182's first shows over here. Thought I would post a shot of them from the first time I took pics of them. A tiny coffee shop early in 1997!

2010-01-16T23:55:00.007Z

A rainy, cold, last minute shoot with Blackstorm early this morning... Not ideal and a bit of a wasted opportunity as we should have done so much more.

Spent the afternoon relaxing, have decided to tackle all the p-shop tomorrow so I don't have to spend Monday doing it.

Had the second to last appointment at the Apple store for the wireless issues. The guy took about 2 minutes to say it's BT's fault, just curious why the idiot before hadn't pointed that out? Got on the tech support to BT who didn't really know what the problem was so said they would call back tomorrow with an answer. Who wants to bet money they don't call back?

Here's the introducing K! clip of the band Delain which is currently out.

2010-01-15T23:59:00.004Z

Finally had a delay free journey up to London. Stopped in at the office before continuing to the Garage in Islington for a shoot with All Forgotten. Nice enough guys who were up for having the piss constantly taken out of them, in a piss smelling stairwell! Once the shot was done dropped everything back at the office before heading back on a slow moving, late running train. Something about a delay free journey on the way up?

Ended the evening with a little Fish & Chip from close to the station always with the "Salt and Vinegar" option!

Saw this ad at Euston station the other night. Nice to see a band with an advertising budget, that might actually help them sell some records!

2010-01-14T23:59:00.000Z

Before I start moaning again, Facebook another good use today with the tragic earthquake in Haiti it was nice to have updates from the person I know there is OK. Now back to the regular scheduled program.

I get emails going can you X band up or can you send me pics of X band, what so you can have freebies for your websites? Sorry I'm not interested and please do not steal them from my blog, or website.

On that note would have put up some of the latest Bullet For My Valentine shots but due to people stealing them for their fan sites they won't appear on here anymore. Another band added to the list that won't appear here... Check out this fantastic shot of Simon Young which I think would be much better content on your fan sites!

Tomorrow's moan? Haven't mentioned Syndication in a while which seems to be an ongoing mess!

2010-01-13T23:40:00.005Z

Dear Snow, could you kindly melt and DISAPPEAR! Carrying on with writing complaints today. Dear Apple, are your products so unreliable that you have to wait a minimum of 5 days in order to get an appointment with your joke of a genius bar? Same shit different day as I write this on my Blackberry because the wireless is completely unreliable on the Mac Book Pro. PC/Windows shall I make a return?

Was a bit touch and go today whether or not to get on a train to London, in the end decided to brave it up to Camden for the Hope Conspiracy gig at the Underworld. Made it up with relatively minor delays, and bumped into loads of people at the gig. Possible first outing of the year maybe? Had a good chat to Lags from Gallows who was nice enough to swap the size of my current fav t-shirt (which is another whole blog post on it's own!) Shot the gig which was full of the usual mental cases at the Underworld who hurl themselves off the stage when no one has any interest in catching them! Did manage to rescue part of the singers jewelry which didn't make it through the first song. Left before the end to catch a delayed train but hey at least it made it back to Brighton.

2010-01-12T23:43:00.004Z

Day 2 of more research, again enjoying the learning experience.

Ali Dino of Architects fame posted an excited Facebook status about the Only Human The Strangest Village in Britain documentary making an appearance on you tube again here. Definitely one of the best doc's I've ever seen!

A shot of Dave Grohl that runs as a poster in the current K!