Driven on by the thunderous kick drum of ‘the Charn’, and with Jonny Davy skowling the stage looking increasingly on the edge, Job For a Cowboy set upon the O2 Academy like an animal unleashed.

Live, JFAC are precise, brutal and unforgiving. Considering that their sound is completely upfront and relentness they do an amazing job in replicating the technical excellence from their studio albums on stage.

Unfortunately for the band, I think they went over a little bit ‘too’ brutal (which is bizzarre considering everyone in attendance is here to see Lamb of God), but on the otherhand I can’t see any of the band particularly caring (the fact that Jonny spent most of the set unloading verbal tirades on a spectator down the front being a prime example).

All in all, I’m not so sure that JFAC won over too many new fans tonight, but you couldn’t fault the intensity or precision of the songs that were showcased.

The setlist drew songs from both their Genesis, and Ruination albums, as well as the Doom EP, but the band nailed the shit out of ‘Constitutional Masturbation’ and that was the standout for me.

A fine warm up for the evening.

After unexpectedely postposting their last round of UK touring in December, the Counting Crows graced the boards of the Academy tonight instead of the planned Metro Radio Arena.

Never one to complain about photographing a band this large in a more intimate environment, I was quite the happy little bunny

Known for their melancholy and more ‘mature’ writing, the Crows have consistently delivered high quality output over their 18 years together. Adam Duritz is the main catalyst behind this, and with his much publicised recent mental issues, a lot of the die hard Crows fans in attendance were wondering exactly which side of their frontman they would get tonight (reviews for a couple of the earlier shows had been a bit mixed, with the Bournemouth and Nottingham gigs being cancelled).

When the band came out on stage and spent a good few minutes with the house lights up discussing which song to start with, it definitely wasn’t looking too rosy, but there were no worries to be had as the band settled into their groove and gave a masterclass in precision playing.

By the time my very own introduction to the Counting Crows came around, (Colorblind), Duritz was at the top of his game and he delievered quite possibly his strongest song of the evening - it was amazing to see him on the verge of tears as the sheer emotion he poured into it got the better of him. A true classic performance, for very obvious reasons.

Lighting for the gig was extremely bright and it helped in the story telling nature of the evening - really vivid washes of purple and green gave a very eerie vibe to the perfomance, and it just seemed to give things that little edge - almost capitalising on the contrast in unpredictability with the bands setlist and leader and purpose and precision of the band musicianship.

A very unusual gig for me to photograph and witness, but a vital one in my musical education - I’d highly recommend seeing the Counting Crows the next time you get the opportunity.

Set was shot entirely on the 10-22mm and 24-70mm.

Things are getting pretty exciting, and the world is going to change a lot on 1st November 2009 for the mrs and me

“Wind her up and watch her go, where she stops, nobody knows”

Quite appropriate lyrics for Pinks appearance at Newcastle Arena tonight - a sell out months in advance, theres little wonder why as Pink puts on probably the best stage show I’ve seen (bar ACDC), and covers every inch of the floor and catwalk in front of her!

There’s not really a lot to be said for reviewing the more ‘pop’ side of the music spectrum, but secretely I’ve always been a huge fan of Pink as I think shes a great songwriter in her own right, and to be honest - I just love her attitude!

Entering the arena tonight on a huge trapeze to a rendition of ACDC’s Highway to Hell, she makes quite an impression, and as you look around at the giant circus she has amassed on stage (complete with Clowns, Harlequins and giant Waltzers), the audience will have little complaint with the entrance fee.

If I look back at my time photographing gigs, I can hand on heart say this is the best looking and most consistent set of photos that I’ve put together - and most of all - it was great fun as always

For those that are interested, heres the first song from Pinks set that night, filmed by an audience member that I somehow managed to get in on.

As you can see - it was quite a crazy gig!

And as per usual, heres the photos:

“Mr Burrows - Its Sony Music here. We would like to invite you to be one of four photographers at the ACDC gig in Manchester tomorrow night. Would you be interested?”

Would I be interested? WOULD I BE INTERESTED?

Oh go on then

It was my complete privelege to even be considered to photograph the return to English shores of my all time heroes, ACDC.

As I walk down the steps of the (rather large) MEN Arena, the magnitutde of the event starts to dawn on me.

It was back in 1995 on the Ballbreaker tour when my dad dragged me along to me first ever large gig experience at Newcastle Arena. I distinctly remember there being a 50 foot high wrecking ball that demolished a wall to kick the evening off, and in the back of my mind I was wondering if we’d get similar treatment tonight.

I obediently take my position along the runway just as the lights go down and the video screen flickers to life. The next 5 minutes can only be described as pure ACDC as two large breasted ladies hijack a train by seducing Angus and accelerating to a scintilating climax courtesy of a phallically shaped acceleration lever. The train crashes straight through a wall at the end of the video and sure enough, that very train provides the backdrop for the DCs set tonight (in fact later on, during Whole Lotta Rosie, it will be straddled by a…….larger…..lady :D).

Dont believe me? Watch it for yourself:

Stage setup aside, it was action from the get go as the band launched into Rock ‘N’ Roll Train. Angus and Brian frequently came out to play down the catwalk, whilst Malcolm and Cliff remained pretty much stationary towards the back with Phil. It was the usual three song treatment for this gig and after the next two songs, Hell Aint a Bad Place To Be and Back in Black, I was duely escorted out of the pit to examine my photographic evidence of the night.

The 10-22 was rarely used in this shoot as with a stage setup this big, the 24-70 switches to giving wide angle shots whilst the 70-200mm assumes the main role of short/medium and long portraits.

Every moment at this gig was a nostalgious photo opportunity and as stated above, it was my privelege to be invited to photograph it.

An immensely huge thanks to Marina Hentl and James Hopkins at Sony Music for making it happen.

I could give the old story about waiting for one bus and two turning up together, but that’d be a little bit too cliched wouldnt it

Its Gravity Switch time once again!

Although they didn’t manage to progress past tonights round of Battle of the Bands, GS gave it their all, exhausting themselves in the process (you can see the evidence in the photos below).

The competition was fierce, but it was Middlesbroughs A Fable for the Curious that went through, although in my opinion it was neck and neck and GS were very unlucky not to be the chosen winners.

Thanks again for the memories guys, lets hope its not too long before we see you again

A quick run up the A1 tonight to see my good buddy and fellow photographer Brian James in one of his many bands, The Grace.

Although a relatively short 20 minute set, the gig itself was a lot of fun. As you can probably guess, I love anything loud and fast as a general rule, but The Grace were the complete opposite and it made a welcome break.

Laid back grooves and downtempo beats mixed with melancholoy melodies to create a lush ethereal soundscape, much in the same realm as one of my favourite bands of the moment, A Silent Film.

Another welcome break was the really dramatic and moody lighting, which made a change for the Academy 2, as its usually sparse at best.

All shot on the 10-22mm and 24-70mm.

Wow Wow Wow! After starting the set playing to a near empty room at Red Festival, Misled Icons leave the stage at the end to a heros reception in a room now rammed full of believers.

One of the best punk bands in the North-East at the minute? You bet your arse they are!

Its always exciting to discover a band that you feel might just break out and make something of themselves. Somebody that you can follow from the bottom on their journey onwards and upwards. For me, Misled Icons are that band.

Not yet at the level of bands such as Heavens Basement, its no offence to say that these lads are a little bit lower in the pecking order for now - they acknowledge that and they embrace it - being the underdog is without doubt their favoured position.

This afternoon, they owned the stage - Johny is one of the most energetic and cheeky frontmen in the region. Flanked by the twin guitar attack of Milo and Mike and the unbridalled enthusiasm of Dave on drums, they are a quartet that clearly ‘click’ when they are together - theres just something ‘there’ in the live arena that every crowd member will testify to.

Make sure you see them, and make sure its soon. With a full European tour coming up and several large support gigs to be soon revealed, they wont be as accessible as they are now for long!

All shot on the 10-22mm.

Given the mystery and general randomness/erratic behaviour of Peter Dohertys last couple of years, I was wondering on the way to Newcastle whether or not we would even get a gig out of this evening. Considering that Mr Dohertys music floats on a completely different plane to my musical tastes, I was also unsure about the level of his following and how busy it might be.

I guess the queue around the block to get in soon put me in my place.

Well, unfortunately, although the place was full, I’m afraid I just couldn’t quite get into this gig.

I’ve photographed the heaviest of metal bands and even when the going gets tough, people butt heads, get back up and shake hands again. I’ve seen crowd surfers fly over the top of my head, get a little slap on the wrists from security and be sent back on their merry little way.

What I’m not used to is seeing what were to be fair, morons, in identical pork pie hats and skinny leg jeans, fighting with each other and thinking that they generally owned the place. For the first time in the Academy, security were actually having an ongoing battle with these idiots and the atmosphere was very uneasy.

When Peter Dohertys took the stage flanked by a band including Graham Coxon, there was nothing ‘wrong’ with it. The crowd were really into it (and I could tell because the fighting stopped) however as previously stated I just don’t really ‘get’ the fuss and hype behind music such as this.

Anyway, as far as photos were concerned, there was plenty of scope for play. The lighting was generally good, lots of purple washes, but Peters hat was throwing up lots of shadows in shot and I obviousy had to work around that.

Shot on the 10-22mm and 24-70mm.

After several years of absence, a birthday party for a mutual friend finally brought the members of Gravity Switch back together for a highly anticipated re-union.

Tonight was the first time I’ve shot in Trillians (a staple of the local music scene - many bands have cut their teeth in the famous basement bar), and it was quite an experience.

As a standard bar/pub layout there was obviously no photo pit, but it really gave me a chance to get back to basics and back amongst the punters. And I have to be honest - the crowd loved these guys. In a room drenched with sweat, they really showed why they were one of the heaviest and most respected bands in the area.

Lets hope its not the last we see of Gravity Switch

All shot on the 50mm and 10-22mm.