Quite terrifying that these guys were playing Glastonbury a few years ago in their summer holiday between GCSEs and A-levels. As it was, they’ve come a long way and despite the fact that they’re still pretty young, their sound has matured incredibly and filled Ally Pally with real energy. One of the best gigs I’d been to in a while, and even if there were a few random scenesters talking over the interlude of tracks from ‘Flaws’ on the whole a really top show.

Pretty remarkable that last August I saw these guys playing the 3rd stage at Leeds Festival (it may have been the 4th technically but nobody counts the metal/dance stage…) and nine months later they’ve got three nights at Brixton Academy. Largely off the back of ‘Pumped up Kicks’ I think – who said the single was dead?!

As it turned out it wasn’t a bad show – they’re a bit short on material, but they played ‘Miss You’ early on – my favourite FTP song by a mile. Always a bonus when that happens. The heavy percussion that was the hallmark of their early shows hasn’t been lost, with three of the band at times all hitting things. Sadly when not hitting things the singer tried to dance – a warning to anyone who forms a band and plays a keyboard that even when you’re singing and not playing, it’s probably an idea to stay sat down.

So, it’s a Saturday afternoon, you have a few drinks, you come home to grab some tea before heading out to a gig. Nothing too new for me. Only when the headliner isn’t on until 1am, you might be tempted to have a quick disco nap on the sofa before heading out. Everything went to plan – apart from the time I got to the venue. Fine for Leftfield, but no hope of seeing any of the supports. Error.

As it turned out, I’m not sure I’ll be rushing to shoot Leftfield again – decent tunes but basically a big screen with a drummer and two blokes tinkering with keyboards infront of it.

If there’s one think you can’t say about Frank Turner, it’s that he doesn’t graft. I’ve lost count of the number of gigs/festivals/support slots I’ve seen his name on, but he never seemed quite able to convert that into his own success. This Wembley show seemed to put a flag in the ground that declared he was as big as the work warranted, with a packed arena of fans – a pretty remarkable range of people too – going nuts from the word go.

The lighting was minging and we only got 2 songs, but it was a decent show to be a part of.

Bestival? I think you’ve got me.

Andrew Bird is one of those rare people who managed to combine utterly indulgent arrangements with brilliant songs – and this was the first time i’d been able to see him. The Barbican isn’t the easiest venue to shoot at – you’re essentially crouched on the floor behind the first block of seating, and are largely restricted from moving during songs. It’s pretty dark at the best of times and you’re shooting not only over people’s heads but Andrew’s arrangements of mics and instruments made it quite an obstacle course! Support act Dosh was sat at a drum kit the whole time, so trying to get a creative shot largely relied on the transient lighting of the backdrop.

Always a pleasure to be at Brixton Academy, but when it’s for the NME awards it was a particularly special night. A bit of a nightmare to shoot as there wasn’t a pit, so I was forced to rely on a 200mm with a 1.4 converter to get some frames but it also gave me an excuse to take a step back and enjoy sets from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Pulp, Kasabian, The Maccabees and a special Horrors/Florence Welch duet.

Seems a long time since the days of ‘The Wombats present The Wombats’ when you’ve got this kind of laser show at one of the country’s biggest gig venues. I first came across these guys back in 2007 when they supported the Holloways at Leeds Met, and ‘Kill the director’ got stuck in my head. This time round it’s been ‘Techno Fan’ that’s been on the stereo and they’re still one of the nicest bunch of guys in the music  industry. Was great to properly shoot a gig from every angle at Brixton, something I’m really excited about doing on a regular basis!

A canny songsmith this bloke, hadn’t come across him before but well worth checking out. although if you’re a photographer, take some very fast glass.

Always weird when an arena gig is seated, although on the upside I didn’t have to queue to get into the gents. And another reminder that even when the PA might not appear too loud, the screaming girls have the capability to do equal damage to your hearing.