28/12/05

Spent today shopping with my dad. Brought some party poppers for new years eve, (another excuse to have a party). Went shopping yesterday and brought a bit in the sales, can't believe how crowded it was though. Spoke to my friend Brendan from the band "Black Balloon" who will be supporting Ricky Warwick next month. He was busy working but it was an opportunity to drool over an Ibanez Jem 555 which he had in his shop. To add to my fascination with this guitar, there was 20% off!!! AAAGGHHH!!! What's a girl to do???

Had a call to say that the Vaughn gallery has just gone up. The shoot was done on the last date of their UK tour. Will be emailing the band later to let them know. Take a look and email me your comments.

26/12/05

Hope you all had a good christmas, mine was busy, busy, busy! Spent christmas morning getting dinner ready and helping my dad get things sorted. After dinner we opened all the presents and generally recovered from one of my amazing christmas dinners, (I make an amazing christmas dinner). Went over to my boyfriends house in the evening and after visiting his parents we went back to his and exchanged even more gifts! Had some really cool stuff this year including some photography books, perfume, DVD's, CD's,,,etc.

Had an email to say that the new Al Atkins site has gone up and a link from his site to mine has been added too,,, thanks Al.

Going to spend the rest of my day helping my mum.

23/12/05

Haven't updated my diary for a while as I've been really busy. Moved back home for christmas (didn't realize I had so much stuff to move) and been doing some live shoots.
The main news is that of a recent shoot I did,,, THUNDER at Nottingham Rock City on Wednesday night. I had been to one of Thunder's acoustic christmas shows before so I knew that I was in for a good night but tonight I was down the front doing shots of them too.

Arrived at Rock City just before door's opened and quickly got my 'spot'. Rock City was packed to the rafters with fans who had come for a good night out,,, and they were not disappointed. I wont go into a huge review of the show as I'm sure there will be many sites offering in-depth reviews of the night but I will say that all the big Thunder hits were played including one of my favourite's, "Love Worth Dyeing For". Covers of Rod Stewart's "Maggie May" and Joe Cockers, "I'll Get By With A Little Help From My Friends" were amazing. The finale was a cover of Roy Wood's, "I Wish It Could Be Christmas", complete with snow!!!
Danny, Luke, Ben, Chris and Harry sounded in fine form with the addition of two female backing singers, Peter Shoulder on guitar and Jamie Oliver on keyboards.
I got some great shots of the band and the lights were looking amazing on them too. I dropped the shots off at the lab this morning and hope to have a copy of them to the band by next week. Will aim to have them up in the gallery the following week as I still have the Vaughn shots to sort out.
I would like to say thank you to the band for a great show and especially to Thinny and his girlfriend for sorting me out a photo pass and ticket to the show. Thinny is the man behind the Thunder web site and I am proud to say a good friend too. Hope to see you both again soon.

Went so see my friends in Live Thru A Lens last night. They were playing at the Robin Hood in Bilston and they asked if I could shoot a few shots for their new web site. Got there just before the support band came on so had a drink with them in the dressing room. The gig sounded great but the lights let it down a little (not as good as Rock City's - lol ). A lot of red was used and very little white light so most of the shots will probably be magenta? Ah well,,, thank god for photoshop.

Spent today shopping in Birmingham getting a few last minute gifts.

14/12/05

Just had an email to say that the Brides Of Destruction gallery is now on-line!!! Its been a while since my last gallery update but I still have Midge Ure and Danny Vaughn shots to go up so keep an eye on the updates. Had some of my Vaughn shots back from the lab and they look really good and i'm very pleased with them.

Been watching the comedy awards tonight, very funny!

12/12/05

Got in just after 12 this morning after getting back from the Vaughn gig. Last nights show was great and it was a real treat to see Danny Vaughn again. When I arrived, the 2nd support band were just finishing off their set with a Warrant cover but I unfortunately missed my friend Brendan's band, Black Balloon who had been the first band of the night.
Vaughn's entrance onto stage was met with a huge applause and the band were soon working their way through a set which covered most of Danny's history including his Waysted and Tyketto days. The middle part of "Can I Be Fearless" was hilarious as Danny sings a repeated part which always sounds like "ba-na-na" and this was exaggerated when Tony Marshall held up a banana above Danny, at that point. The night finished with an encore that ended with "Fearless" and "Forever Young" and after the band took their bows, the show was over.

Danny came out after the show and before I could introduce myself Danny came over and said, "and you must be Miss Patel?" which made me feel famous! ha ha! Anyway, I promised Danny that I would send him a copy of the shots on CD when I get them back from the lab and scanned.
Got in to find a delayed email to say that the band would let me get in before the show if I wanted to so some pre-show shots! Dam computers!!!! Never mind, next time Vaughn tour (which shouldn't be too long away) I will defiantly have to arrange a pre-show shoot of them.

I'd like to thank Danny, Tony, Steve, Pat and Greg for all their help and a great show and especially to Kieran Dargan.

Dropped the shots off at the lab this morning but managed to get a few done straight away, check them out below and click on them to enlarge. Picked up the Brides Of Destruction shots as well and they look really good. Will try to get them up on the gallery later today? Still need to get my Midge Ure shots up as well, will try to do that later as well.

Watched my new Bret Hart dvd on Sunday, really good! Still got 2 dvd's of matches to watch so I think i'll save them for the weekend.

8/11/05

Had an email from my lab with some proof scans of some images from the Brides Of Destruction show. Here are a few of them, click on them to enlarge.
Should have them all back from the lab on Monday.

7/12/05

Got in about 1am this morning after seeing the Brides Of Destruction gig. I had seen BOD before at Donington in 2004 but that was with Nikki Sixx on bass. Nikki's absence from the band has not detracted from the quality of music they played last night as their performance was amazing!! Traci Guns still holds the axe for the band with London LeGrand on vocals and Scott Coogan on drums. Their bassist was unable to attend as his passport had been stolen (as I later found out) so the bassist from the support band stood in.

When I arrived at the gig I was greeted by Roger, their tour manager who was really helpful and asked me to let him know when the shots go up,,,, will do, Roger. As soon as the band hit the stage, London's presence was outlined by a yellow feathered jacket which was the brightest jacket I had ever seen in my life!. The band were tight and put on a great show and even got their support band to join them on stage for a slightly shaky version of "Communication Breakdown". Although unrehearsed, they pulled it off and the crowd were going crazy, (probably because Traci was pouring Jack Daniel's over them?). Traci's son joined them on stage and took over the bass duties for the last half of the set. There's no doubt that he is his fathers son, he is the spitting image of his dad. LA Guns tracks featured in their set too and Traci chatted a bit between each track.

After the show I caught up with the band and chatted about the shots I'd taken. Will forward a copy of them to the band after I get them back from the lab which should be Monday? Traci's son showed me what a "hair solo" was,,,, different! lol Took a few more shots of the band signing autographs then headed home. Could have stopped a bit longer but I had an early start this morning so had to leave them with their fans.

Thought that my friend Thinny would be at the show last night but couldn't see him? Will email him soon anyway. Did see my friend Will the roadie. His claim to fame was that he was once a body guard for Toni Iommi!!!!!

Dropped the shots off at the lab this morning and got really cold in the process. Felt really tired all day so I'm going to try to get an early night. Had my new Bret Hart DVD come in the post today but probably wont get to watch it till Sunday,, cant wait.

5/11/05

Had a really relaxed weekend. Watched some new South Park and Simpson episodes and got sent a copy of the new G3, 2005 DVD. As you know, I do like my Vai so this was a great treat for me. Did a bit of shopping on Sunday and sorted through my Midge Ure shots (which I should have up in the gallery this week). Got a lot of reading to do for uni this week though as well as do a shoot at the Brides Of Destruction gig this week. A woman's work is never done!!!

Had an email from Kieran Dargan over the weekend to confirm that I will be doing a shoot with Vaughn at JB's, Dudley. I've seen Danny play twice (once with Tyketto) and he is a really talented performer. For his Vaughn tour he will be joined on stage by Greg Morgan on drums. Greg was the original drummer with Dare (Darren Wharton's band, from Thin Lizzy). Greg also played with Ten, another great band who are fronted by Gary Hughes. If you want to see a good band this Sunday, get yourself down to JB's! That's an order. lol

Had a really nice email from Anthony Booth at 1PW. Anthony is commercial manager and has confirmed that I will be taking shots at the "No Turning Back" weekend at the Dome in Doncaster. This show will feature my all time favourite wrestler, BRET HART!!! I have always been a huge fan of wrestling and it is indeed an honor to shoot one of my favourite wrestlers.
The show is on both Friday 6th and Saturday the 7th of January, 2006 and tickets are selling fast so make sure you check out the links that I've added to my links page and the banners on the main index page. I would like to thank Anthony Booth for all his help in arranging a media pass,,,,thanks Anthony!!

I also have a magazine for sale on eBay. Check it out HERE

1/12/05

Watched the new Journey LIVE DVD last night. Its only just come out and I had a really hard time trying to get a copy as most places had sold out. Thank goodness Nottingham has two HMV's. Its well worth the purchase as its the original line up(one of them) of Journey with Steve Perry on vocals, Jonathan Cain on keyboards, Ross Valory on bass, Steve Smith on drums and Neal Schon on guitar. Steve Smith does an amazing drum solo,,, scary! You also get the audio CD to accompany it. Get a copy now!!!!

Gig reports of Firefest are starting to populate the web. Sounds like it was a good show, just a pity I couldn't get along, maybe the next one? Hoping to catch up with a few friends at the Brides of Destruction gig later this month. Really looking forward to that one as Traci Guns is holding the axe for that band.

The wind and rain has been terrible today, good job I had some shopping with me otherwise I would have been blown away! lol

(For those who have been asking when the Midge Ure gallery is going up,, it will be after the weekend, thanks)

28/11/05

Had a quiet weekend, just read and did some more research. Saw my old friend Pam and her fiance, Matt. I met Pam when I did my foundation coarse at college but she continued with fine art when I chose photography. Matt proposed to her at Blast Off (a Saturday night rock disco in Wolverhampton) by putting the proposal on the giant message screens via a tex. Different eh?

Firefest was on at Rock City this weekend but I was unable to make it. Heard it went well though. Got a few shows lined up for December including Brides Of Destruction and Thunder.
Spoke to Jon Levin from Dokken last week. He is the guitarist in Dokken and is having a custom guitar made for him about 2 miles from where I live. Small world. Plan to shoot them when they next tour the UK.

Just had some snow!! Cant believe how cold it is and I have to go out in it soon!!! Will put about 5 layers on i think? ha ha

There's a new video on the main index page, this week its System of The Down and "Aerials".

24/11/05

Had an email to say that the shop is now open and online. Any of the shots featured on this site can be purchased here. Prints are available in different sizes and on various photo paper. Payment can be made via PayPal and postage and packaging is FREE until christmas! Yes,, i'm feeling festive! ha ha. You will find links to the shop from the main index page but a shop button will be added to the navigation bar later today. Till then, click HERE to go to the shop page.

Went through some of my Eric Sardinas shots last night and some shots of me with the band. I've put them on the page so click on them and have a look.

Spent the morning continuing with my research and listening to some Metallica. Just had some hail,,,winter is coming!!!

22/11/05

Haven't been able to do any diary updates for a few days since my PC decided to die. Turned out to just be the power supply but I'm back up and running again.

Did a shoot at a live show last night. Had the pleasure of shooting Midge Ure. Midge was the front man in Ultravox and continues to perform throughout the world. Midge was also one of the main organizers of Live 8 with Bob Geldof. I had never heard much music by Midge but his songs are classics and I was really impressed at how he captured the crowd and kept them in awe without any other musicians behind him. The night was one of the best acoustic shows I have ever seen and heard.
Got to the Robin about 9pm and got my pass from the door. Met up with my good friend Richard Reade, who sorted out the passes, (thanks Rich, your a diamond!) then sorted out my gear. Midge came on about 9.30pm and played till about 11pm with an encore as well. All the hits were played, "Vienna", "If I Was", "Cold,cold Heart" and the grand finale of "Do They Know Its Christmas".
The shoot was very unchanging due to it being a one man show. The lights were basic , green and white, without any change but Midge is very emotional when he sings so this provided some variation.
Dropped the shots off at the lab this morning and should have them back by the weekend. Will get them up in the gallery next week.

Watched the "Bad Company" live DVD at the weekend. Good classic rock at its best. Been downloading new patches for my Pod XT as well. Got some Extreme, Def Leppard and Metallica sounds. Sounds so good, really happy with it.

Spoke to my friend Chris on Monday. He has just come back from New York where he went to see a Journey tribute band. Chris is the sound man for "The Essential Journey", a UK Journey tribute band. Seem them play and they are really good, worth checking out if they are playing near you.

17/11/05

Last nights Alice Cooper and Twisted Sister gig was amazing! First on was Twisted Sister who played for nearly an hour. I have to admit that I was surprised at how good they are live. Dee Snider has still got a lot of energy and collectively out on a good show. Of coarse, all the main hits were played, "Were Not Gona Take It" and "I Wana Rock" etc. Dee talked about the complaints they had been getting about their shows but followed it with, "suck my d#!*" That really got the crowd cheering. Really good performance from a really good band.
Alice Cooper came on to a huge applause sporting his trade mark top hat and cane. His set lasted just over an hour and even included tracks from his latest album, "Dirty Diamonds". Alice was throwing diamond necklaces (not real ones, ha ha) into the audience during this song. His encore began with "Poison", (of coarse) and finished with "Schools Out" complete with giant balloons thrown into the crowd. Couldn't help but notice that there wasn't the normal amount of stage props during this show. Don't get me wrong, what he had was good but there wasn't as many props as he normally uses.
I have to say that this was my first visit to the Nottingham Arena and it wont be my last. The venue is well laid out and has more merchandise stands and bars than any other venue I have seen. Because of this, there was hardly any queues for merchandise or drinks. There were plenty of stewards on hand to show people where they had to go and the overall atmosphere was relaxed. Great venue!!
Had my last birthday presents (although a little late, lol). It was a pair of headphones (which kind of struck me as weird) and a Line 6 Pod XT which was gracefully received!!!! For those who don't know what a Guitar Pod is, its an FX unit for guitars. Most bands use them in the studio and on stage, its the dogs! Plugged my guitar into it straight away and its amazing!! At last, I can sound like Metallica!!!
Spent most of the day in the library doing some research. Very cold today, good thing I brought an Alice Cooper hoodie last night!

15/11/05

Took some shots of some roses I had for my birthday. I've been told that I have another present which I should have had on my birthday. Haven't got a clue what it is but I'll find out tomorrow night.
Have added a new feature to the site, music video! Every week a different video will be added to the site. This week it's Velvet Revolver and "Fall To Pieces". Just click on their image from the main index and enjoy some sound and vision while your on the site.
Going to see Alice Cooper tomorrow night with support from Twisted Sister. I've heard that the gig is a "joint headline"? Hmmm, can't help but think that Alice Cooper is the bigger artist?

14/11/05

Spent Saturday night just relaxing and watched Spinal Tap The Movie. Was on late so I was nodding off while it was on. Its a great film and I still find it hilarious every time I watch it.
Spent Sunday going through some of my shots. Got to pick some out for some interviews. Went out in the evening for a meal at Chiquito's but after waiting 15 minutes without being served, we went over the road to Frankie's and Benny's where I had a really nice meal with a cocktail, (I do like my cocktails). Had a "P.S, I Love You", very nice. Watched one of my many Metallica videos when I got back then nodded off.
Had a lazy Monday morning (watching Metallica again) and got ready for uni only to find out it was cancelled, ah well. Went shopping instead then came back home. Couldn't help but think that Nottingham is turning into one large building site!

11/11/05

Happy birthday to me!! ha ha. Thank you to everyone who has emailed me with birthday messages.
Woke up early and planned to go to the Mick Rock exhibition but the weather was awful so I've put it off till next week some time. Been continuing with research and typing up some work.
Heard on the news that Lord Lichfiled has passed away at the age of 66. This is really sad news as Lord Lichfiled was a main figure in the world of photography and contributed heavily to the images of the swinging sixties. He was awarded fellowships of both the British Institute of Professional Photographers and the Royal Photographic Society and was a great supporter of photography's digital revolution. His home of Shugbourgh Hall is only a short drive from where I live. He will be sadly missed.

Lord Lichfiled. 1939 - 2005

10/11/05

Heard from Simon Abbotts again today. He's been in the studio for most of the day working on some new tracks for his tour next year. Hope to hear them this weekend. Been listening to Motley Crue today on my MD player, might play some Journey later?
Been sorting through some emails I've had concerning passes. Must make sure I get my planner sorted for next year. Heard from Paul Trappett as well. He plays keyboards in "The Essential Journey", a Journey tribute band. Seen them a few times and they are really good. Paul even plays the keyboard solo that Jonathan Cain plays on the Journey Live 2001 DVD. If you get chance to see them, go along.
Read about Justin Hawkins buying a copy of his own album off eBay before it's released!! Wouldn't like to be the one who leaked the copy.

9/11/05

Spoke to Simon Abbotts earlier today. He's got a tour planned for next summer and has asked if I will shoot a few of his shows. Going to try to drag him along to a Thunder show (he's a big Thunder fan) although I don't think I will have to try too hard! ha ha! Been trying to ring Simon Lees but then I remembered he's in Brazil,, doh! Found his myspace page. Click HERE to open the link.
Got given a cd by "Blue Lightning". There on myspace as well, click HERE for their page. There all friends of my mate Luke (who gave me the CD). Their main track is called "Black Shade Dude" and its really good. Hard to believe that the lead singer is only 16!!!
Just got sent an email to say that most of the HIM tour dates are sold out! Thankfully I got my confirmation just after the tour was announced.

8/11/05

Got back earlier today after a nice train journey. Listened to Journey on my MD while on the train, makes the journey even better. The halloween/bonfire party went really well. Ran a little late with getting the food ready but managed to get it all done. Never cooked so much food in my life! Guests started arriving from 6pm and after making sure everyone had a drink, I got changed into my costume which was an Elvira outfit, with wig! Our friend Ian Thomas saved the night by decorating the whole house out with spiders, snakes, pumpkins etc,,, thanks Ian.
Started the fireworks at 7pm and everyone enjoyed them, especially the kids that came along. Was nice to see Helen and Neil with Cat and Luke at the party. Helen is one of my oldest friends and they came all the way over by train. My friends in "Live Thru A Lens" came also as did Simon Abbotts and his sister Rachael. In total we had 39 people there, however did we do it????
By the end of the night, most of the drinks and food had all but gone (they curry completely went, ha ha!). Can't wait till my next party, new years eve!!!
Had a few replies to emails I sent about shows for next year. Nothing confirmed yet so can't say anymore.

3/11/05

Spent most of the day in the library doing some research. Heard the new Santana album, "All That I Am" and really like the song "Just Feel Better" with Steve Tyler on vocals. I'm a huge fan of Areosmith so that's probably why I like it but its just so catchy.
Didn't get to go to the Mick Rock exhibition because of the weather (so windy), will try to go next week?
Had an email from Danny Vaughan and Kieran Dargan about the upcoming Vaughan UK tour. Should be shooting Danny and his band at one of his shows.

31/10/05

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Watched "Halloween H2o" on Saturday night, I do enjoy my horror films. Spent Sunday shopping for some more props that I can use at my Halloween/fireworks party. Brought a 7 foot high, inflatable witch! Looks really cool. Will put that at the side of the house so people see it as soon as they get to the party! He he! Went out for a meal on Sunday night. Went to Chiquito's just outside Nottingham. Very nice food, had margarita chicken and fired ice-cream for desert, mmmmm!! Watched "Silence of the Lambs" when I got back. I know what's coming with that film but its still a classic.

Planning to see the Mick Rock exhibition in Manchester soon. Might go with some friends from university? Never got to see the Ross Halfin exhibition because the London bombs went off the day I was planning to go.

Been playing an Eric Sardinas "live" cd that I was sent. Sounds really cool. He is such a good slide guitarist,,, lucky sod! ha ha

28/10/05

Had a lot of emails asking about my Steve Vai shots. I'm glad so many people like them. The Vai message board is really building up with peoples thoughts. Thanks to everyone who emailed in or left a message.
Spoke to Simon Lees today. He's nearly finished his UK tour with Budgie and I know that a lot of Budgie fans have been checking out the Budgie gallery on my site. Will have to get some enlarged for Simon's collection. Once saw Simon playing my favourite Steve Vai song, "For The Love Of God". He makes it look so easy, damn I'm jealous!

Just watched Rock Star with Gene Simmons. Wish the rest of Kiss would come on the show too.

27/10/05

Woke up to incredible sun shine! I thought i'd woke up on the planet Mars!!! Ha ha ha!
Had a lot of good positive feedback off my Steve Vai and Eric Sardinas shots, thanks to everyone who emailed in. Your kind words are really appreciated.
Was printing some typed up work that I'm doing for some work planned later this year and my printer managed to swallow the paper and get jammed! After having a tug-of-war with the printer I finally managed to get the paper out, phew! Hard work though. Might try arm wrestling with it instead?

26/10/05

Picked up my Vai shots from the lab and I'm really impressed with them. Will sort through them tonight and try to have them up by tomorrow. Gots some good ones of Dave Weiner, Billy Sheehan and Vai but Tony MacAlpine only came to the front of the stage a few times.
Finally fixed my Sony Net Mini Disc, turned out to be a software problem. Downloaded the latest software update and it worked fine. Now I can listen to some of my latest CD's while i'm out.
Just had my tea, seafood! MMMM! Lovely!

Just had a call to say that the Vai and Eric Sardinas shots are now up in the gallery.

25/10/05

Had a call from the lab to say that my Steve Vai shots were ready for collection but I wasn't available to pick them up at the time. Will pick them up tomorrow and hopefully have them up by Thursday.
Spent the day working on my halloween costume which I'm going to be wearing at my halloween/bonfire party. It looks good but needs a few adjustments. Been listening to Eric Sardinas. Black Pearls is an amazing album and was mixed by Eddie Kramer who also mixed for Jimi Hendrix. No wonder it's good!!!

24/10/05

Just got in from tonight's Steve Vai show and like Thursday's, it was amazing! Eric Sardinas's set was brilliant and tonight he did something that he couldn't really pull off on Thursday,, halfway through one of his songs he turned down his guitar and moved away from the microphone and carried on playing and singing while his bassist and drummer completely stopped. Because of the acoustics of the Royal Centre, this went down a storm! The crowd went wild as many had never seen anything like that before. Simply incredible! For some strange reason though, the lighting director chose to soak Eric and his band in red light! Now this may look good with the smoke but it doesn't help me when I'm trying to shoot him and the band. Thankfully they had a good black backdrop which helped a little.
Vai was soon on stage with his band and played the same set as Thursday. Although I knew what was coming next, I was in awe at his playing, he makes it look so easy. Billy Sheehan gave me one of his plectrums (which is the most strangest plectrum I have ever seen) and Dave Weiner even gave me a wave during "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama", thanks Dave.

Had an email to say that Thinny at www.thunderonline.com (Thunder's web site) has added my site to their links page. Thanks Thinny.

Will have the Vai and Sardinas shots from both shows in the gallery, later this week.

Weather is really bad today, rain woke me up at 4am. Hasn't stopped at all. Still got a tickly throat, rain doesn't help either.

21/10/05

Got in at about 12.30am this morning after seeing Steve Vai with support from Eric Sardinas. It was a seated show which was unusual but very fitting for the relaxed nature of Vai's shows. I won't go into a long review about the show as I'm sure there are many other sites that will but I would like to point out a few things that are worth a mention.
I had already seen Eric Sardinas a few years ago and he did not disappoint then and he did not disappoint tonight. Eric's playing is blues and soul at its best. He is an amazing showman and an amazing guitarist. His forte is slide guitar and after using a proper slide to play with all night, he changed to an actual beer bottle for his last song. It was an absolute pleasure to see and hear him. Caught up with Eric and his band after the show and they were real gentlemen. They signed their cd's for the fans and had time for everyone.
Eric Sardinas is a hard act to follow but Vai and his band, (Tony MacAlpine, Dave Weiner, Jeremy Colson and Billy Sheehan) put on an amazing show. Their set went straight back to Passion & Warfare, right up to Real Illusions. An acoustic part was added in the middle of the set which kind of brought the tempo down and made the night more intimate. Vai told stories from his days with Frank Zappa at this point and reminisced of his past. The night finished with "For The Love Of God" which is one of my favourite Vai tracks so I left on a high. Really looking forward to Sunday night when I do it all over again!!!!

Rained most of the day and I have a really tickely throat, (cough, cough). Everyone say awwwww

20/10/05

Just got a call to say that the LA Guns shots have gone up.

Axel Thomas (Budgie's biggest fan) has mentioned me on his site and has put one of my images up too. Always nice to see which images people like the most, thanks Axel. Check out his site from my LINKS page.

Going to the Steve Vai show tonight, haven't seen him this year. Support comes from Eric Sardinas who is a virtuoso on slide guitar, very bluesy! Heard some of Eric's live shows from earlier this year and they are amazing! Imagine a cross between Stevie Ray Vaughan and Steve Vai? Not too sure who the drummer will be with Vai? Virgil Donati usually has the pleasure but he might be busy with Soul Sirkus, guess i'll just have to wait to find out!

18/10/05

Had some really nice emails from Thinny, the webmaster and one of the main men behind Thunder. Thinny and the rest of the guys in Thunder have had a look at my galleries and really liked them,,,, thanks guys. I will have some more Thunder news nearer the end of the year but at the moment I cannot say anymore than that so keep checking this diary and the gallery pages. Thanks again Thinny!

Had my costume arrive for a fireworks party I'm throwing in November. Need to do some adjustments to it but it looks great! Going to give the house a horror make-over! Scary!!! ha ha!

Still waiting to pick up the LA Guns shots from the lab but have been busy today,sorting through some old shots. Will try to pick them up Thursday.

17/10/05

Got in at around 12.30am after seeing L A Guns at Junction 7. It was my first time to the venue and I was amazed at how small the place was. The capacity is only 200 (which must be the smallest venue on LA Gun's tour) but the staff were friendly and helpful. Local band, Teenage Casket Company were already half way through their set when I arrived and had brought a good local following. Next up were The New Generation Superstars who were also local. Both bands got the support they deserved and gave good shows.
After a brief rearrangement of the stage, LA Guns came out and blasted through their hits. Steve Riely was amazing on drums and new guitarist Stacie Lane (who really tried to look like Nikki Sixx) did an equally good performance.

My only gripe about the night was a few mindless idiots who saw no wrong in simply pushing everyone out of the way so that they can get to the front of the room. After spending nearly an hour, standing in a good spot with a good view, some sweaty, white vest wearing low life pushed everyone out of the way and began dripping his sweat over everyone. To add insult, he then brought in his sister and girlfriend to sweat over everyone and she was more sweaty than him! Don't think they knew the meaning of hygiene!

Will drop my shots off at the lab later and try to get them up this week.

13/10/05

Got sent my tickets for LA Guns. Its going to be the first time I've seen them since Traci Guns left the band. Last saw Traci at Donington with Nikki Sixx after they had done their "Brides of Destruction" show. Looks like the Budgie gallery will have to be divided into two! I've been through the shots twice and I've narrowed it down to just over 100.

Had some emails asking for some higher resolution images of my shots so starting next week, there will be a choice of high or low resolution.

Just had a call to say that the Budgie galleries are now up and running. Check out the gallery to see them.

8/10/05

Went to the Robin Hood 2 in Bilston last night to see Live Thru A Lens, a tribute band to Robbie Williams. Robbie is not my kind of music but I know the band and they are always booking me to shoot their gigs. Over 400 people piled in to see them and the screaming the crowd did was amazing! They had a great crowd and they gave a great show in return.

Had some of my Budgie shots back (not all of them though) and they look really good. Will aim to get them up in the gallery early next week. Also had a nice email from Axel Thomas who is probably Budgie's biggest fan. He has a site (which has been added to the LINKS page), dedicated to Budgie with reviews and interviews and loads of gossip and links. Axel will be using some of my shots on his site in the coming weeks. Thanks Axel.

Got a night off tonight so I'm going to visit some of my family. Haven't seen them for a little while so I'm looking forward to it.

6/10/05

Got to the Limelight Club at about 8.30pm. Got in, (thanks for the passes Simon!) and started sorting out my equipment ready for the night. Simon Lees came straight over (after being mobbed by Budgie fans) and we had a chat about his web site (www.simonlees.co.uk) and some of the shots I'd done in the past. Simon puts a lot of work into his sound both on and off stage. He is a big believer in his Roland GT-8 and gets the most amazing sounds from it. I don't think it will be too long till Roland add a preset labeled"Lee's Budgie".

Anyway, on with the show. Once the projector screen blocking the stage had withdrawn up, the crowd were roaring. Not sure if it was sold out but there wasn't much room to get around. The sound was awesome (probably due in part to Simon's stereo Marshall stack), very full and hard to believe that Budgie are just a 3 piece! The whole band is very photogenic (Simon especially) although Burke does like to move around a lot on stage which is a bit hard to follow sometimes when the room is so busy but I still managed to get some great shots of them.

I will leave the reviews of the night to the Budgie sites as there were a few people last night who were interested in some of my shots and planned to put them with their reviews. As soon as I have their details, I will post them up.

After the show Simon came out and after having a quick chat and took a few more shots of him with some fans, I headed home. Dropped the shots off at the lab this morning and hope to get them up in the gallery after the weekend.

5/10/05

It was really foggy this morning but I was in a rush so didn't get chance to do shoot it. I'm sure there will be plenty more foggy cold mornings this year? Off to see Budgie tonight at the Limelight Club, Crewe. Haven't been there for a while so I'm going to have to use the sat nav, wish me luck!

4/10/05

Spoke to Simon Lees today. He was on his way to pick up his Gibson Les Paul Slash signature series guitar from local music shop, One Way Music. Somehow he managed to blow it up? If you have ever seen Simon play live you will understand that its possible with him! He is a first rate player and I am going to be shooting him tomorrow night so I think a fast shutter speed will be needed! :-)
Got some more Jeff Scott Soto shots back from the lab. They look amazing, a great job. Will be getting my framer to frame them up. Also had my new business cards arrive. Very similar to the links banner but with contact details as well.

3/10/05

Just had a phone call to say that the Glenn Hughes gallery is now up. I've chosen 20 for this gallery but should be shooting him again soon as a good friend tells me he will be touring with Toni Iommi?

2/10/05

Watched a bootleg Sebastian Bach DVD that was sent to me. Whenever I see Bach, he's always having problems with his in-ear monitors? Still a great show though.
Finally managed to sort through my Glenn Hughes shots. They should be up in the gallery tomorrow. Glenn is great on stage and a pleasure to shoot.

28/9/05

Watched a Kiss bootleg DVD that was sent to me by a friend in Columbia. Kiss are one of my favorite bands and I am waiting for them to return to the UK. They didn't play Demon on this recording (so no blood from Gene Simmons) but they did play "God Of Thunder" which was the first track I ever heard by them. Been playing the guitar tonight as well. Skid Row and Metallica never sounded so good????
Hear that my friend Richard (roadie for The Vaseline Rats) is soon to be a dad. His wife is going to give birth any day. Cant wait to hear their good news.

26/9/05

Took some self-portrait shots for the interviews I have been asked to do. Trying to get a variety of shots, always difficult to judge photo's of yourself. Watched a bootleg dvd of Whitesnake that was sent to me. I was lucky enough to catch them twice on their last tour. Planning to shoot the M3 gig later this year when they tour the UK. M3 is Bernie Marsden, Micky Moodie and Neil Murray (hence the name M3), all ex members of Whitesnake. Defiantly worth checking out if they are playing near you.

22/9/05

Had an email from Chris Johnson, guitarist with The Vaseline Rats. He said how much he liked the live shots I did of the Vaseline Rat's gig. Some of my shots will be used for the promotion of the Vaseline Rats and Chris's own site. Thanks for adding me to your links Chris. Had an email from Stuart Hamilton with details of the interview he plans to do with me for his site, www.metalforlife.co.uk Thanks for your help Stuart.

The new galleries have just gone up with some Linkin Park shots from my Donington collection. Also up is the new Al Atkins gallery. Al is a great singer and very photogenic as the gallery shows. Al is planning to use some of the shots for his new web site and for promotion of his eagerly awaited new album, Demon Deceiver.

21/9/05

Spoke to Simon Lees from Budgie today. He's asked us to go along to one of the shows there doing during their nationwide tour. Don't know which one I'm going to go to yet but I will defiantly catch them and shoot the show as well. Simon is one of the world's most talented guitarist's and a real gentleman. I always try to catch him live whenever I can. His web site has been added to the links page so have a look.

19/9/05

Get a phone call at 1am to inform me that the Skid Row gallery has just gone up!!! Hope the lads in Skid Row are pleased ?
Had an email from Stuart Hamilton from metal4life.co.uk. He's planning to do a feature on my site! Thank you Stuart. Have also had the links updated with some of my new friends sites.

Just got back from a photo shoot for Al Atkins. Al was the founder member and original front man with Judas Priest. He is still rocking today and has just completed work on his soon to be released album, "Demon Deceiver". Did the shoot in a recording studio where Al was working with Pete Emms from The Vaseline Rats. Check out Al's web site which has been added to the links page.

18/9/05

Heard from Jeff Scott Soto. He said how he liked the gallery of live shots I did. Always nice to hear from the people I shoot after the gallery has gone up. Thanks Jeff, will see you soon.
Watched the M3 live DVD. Its basically the original line up of Whitesnake but without Coverdale. Been practicing my make-up skills on Al but think I got a bit carried away??

Will get my "mix n match" shots up tonight. Its just simple commercial photography but hey, its work!

16/9/05

What a day! Firstly had my site plugged on MelodicRock.com so many thanks to Andrew at Melodic Rock. Please visit his site, its in my links section. Spent the day completing a recent commission for UK company "Mix n Match" who are based in Wolverhampton. Mainly images for their new product range. Will put these shots up in the product gallery soon.
Still going through my Skid Row images. Scotti Hill is so photogenic! Expect the gallery to be up very soon. Heard from "The Vaseline Rats" this evening. They have nearly finished their new EP and are just finishing off the vocals in the studio. Cant wait to hear the results.

15/9/05

Woke up to some nice emails. First was an email from Andrew at Melodic Rock.com. Andrew has said he will give me a mention on Melodic Rock.His site is really informative and is updated daily. I really enjoyed his recent interviews with Journey (one of my all time favorite bands). Thank you Andrew.
Also had an email from my friend Ralph at medazzarock.ch. Ralph suggested I be the next " medazzababe". I'm obviously very flattered by this and will give it some consideration. Thanks Ralph.
Also had a lovely email from Moreno at SlamRocks.com. He has agreed to put my site in his news section and add a link. Many thanks to you Moreno.
You can never have enough good friends in this world and I am lucky to have so many nice ones.

10/9/05

Been going through the Skid Row pictures from last night and will add them to the gallery this week. Got to JB's early (well, early for me) and caught the support band, "Head On". Their sound was good, very heavy but I must pay special mention to their lead singer who was a great front man. During their last song he disappeared from stage for a moment only to return with an old VCR which he promptly threw to the ground. To follow this, he then produced a large club hammer (made him look like Thor) and started to beat the hell out of this VCR! What made it better was that he was built like a tree, so when he hit that VCR,, he hit it! Hilarious!!!!
Anyway, back to Skid Row. The line-up tonight was minus Dave "Snake" Sabo as he has hurt his arm so in stepped Kelly Keagy who did a really good job. The set was what you would expect from Skid Row with Johnny Solinger doing an excellent job on vocals (and posing for shots too). Guitarist Scotti Hill threw his monitors down the stairs during the encore which i'm sure went down well with Sam, (owner of JB's). Will make a mention in the updates when the shots go up in the gallery.

9/9/05

Off to shoot Skid Row tonight at JB's. Been updating the links page today and going through some Glenn Hughes shots that I did last year. I always find it hard to shoot Glenn as his voice just makes you stop and listen. I've heard from a good source that he will be touring with Tony Iommi soon to follow up their "Fused" album. That will make a good night!

3/9/05

Spent the day going through the shots from last nights JSS show. Will have them up in the gallery next week. Got there about 8.45pm, just in time to catch Black Balloons set. Not before Martin (owner of the Shed) had shown us his new bar upstairs. The building work is nearly done and it looks really good. Its going to be called "The Bar Above",complete with poles. Will defiantly check it out when it opens.
Anyway, Black Balloons set was full of energy and very entertaining. They went down well with the crowd and I hope they continue to get gigs of this caliber. At around 10pm, Jeff Scot Sotos band made their way to the stage. The crowds response was fantastic as Jeff sang hits from his huge back-catalogue of albums. The odd cover was thrown in too, including "Play that funky music" and Seal's "Crazy" which Jeff also sang with Soul Sirkus. Caught up with Jeff after the show and we joked at how he said he saw me taking loads of shots. Thanks for a great show Jeff (and thanks for the pole demonstration, Martin - he he)

2/9/05

Going to see Jeff Scot Soto tonight at the Shed in Brierley Hill. Haven't seen him since the Soul Sirkus tour with Neal Schon, Marco Mendoza and Virgil Donati. That was a really good night and I doubt tonight will be any different. Support is from my boyfriends mates band "Black Balloon" who I haven't had the pleasure of seeing yet.

1/9/05

26/8/05

Took some great shots of the Vaseline Rats last night. Will get them up on the site very soon. Saw a few familiar faces in the crowd last night, including Al Atkins, original singer with Judas Priest. Thanks to the whole of the band for a great show.

25/8/05

Going to shoot The Vaseline Rats tonight at JB's Dudley. Its going to be a good local gig for the band and I'm hoping for some good shots. Don't know how the lights will be tonight though?

12/8/05

Just got my new Canon 20-35mm lens. Perfect timing as I am aiming to go to north Wales next week to get some scenery shots.