at dawn we attack

Back On It

Since lockdown ended, I’ve been shooting non-stop every weekend. I’ve done everything from small pub shows to major festivals with my friends to nightclubs and promotional sessions on the side. As always, it’s the live work I particuarly enjoy so here is a small collection of my favourites taken over the last few months.

Smashfest 2

Last weekend I attended the punk and metal crossover day festival ‘Smashfest’ which featured some of the best punk and metal bands the West Midlands has to offer. The day after the event I uploaded my galleries onto my Facebook page as I always do but I wanted to go back now some time has past and select my favourite four images from each gallery. The images chosen could have been selected for any number of reasons; maybe I like the lighting, the performers pose, the colour tone of the image… Who knows, the only thing which is important is that I like them.

I hope you enjoy my selections and if you’re interested in attending the next Smashfest event, ‘Summer Smash’, all of the information you need can be found here.

Photographing the Undergrounds Finest.

Hello everyone and welcome to my new website!!

This will be my place to showcase all of my work and to provide you all with a behind the scenes view of everything I get up to. Now then, for my first post, I don’t want to concentrate on myself. Instead, I want to look at my top 5 bands killing it right now on the underground scene. So in no particular order let’s get brutal:

Sertraline

I first came across Sertraline at my beloved Scruffy Murphy’s. I was asked by the venue to do a quick impromptu photoshoot with them before the gig, giving me the chance to get to know them a little.

They were a shining example of good friends creating music, constantly laughing and joking during the shoot… which may have taken place next to some bins but we’ll gloss over that. That evening I heard their music for the first time which would probably fall into the melodic tech metal (?) category; whatever it is, it’s awesome and I can’t get enough of it.

The images included were all taken at Bloodstock Festival 2018 on the New Blood Stage which I know was one of the highlights of their year. I’m so happy to see them doing so well for themselves and it’s amazing to see them getting festival slots on the likes of Techfest!

At Dawn We Attack

Jesus Christ, At Dawn We Attack: The hardcore thrash entertainment system.

Nothing beats an ADWA live show and they actually took my band of the weekend at Scruffyfest 2018 which was no small feat considering the magnitude of bands who performed that weekend. A few of which feature in this list also. I’m actually struggling to think of ways in which to adequately describe them, I mean insanity instantly pops into my mind but that barely scrapes the surface.

Their music is technical and complex in parts but not in an outright progressive way (think more Lamb of God and Gojira). Either way it pummels you in the face and grooves like a motherfucker.

These dudes are currently in the studio working on new material which I’m sure is going to be amazing.

Recall The Remains

A relatively new band to me. I first photographed Recall The Remains back in June of 2018 at Scruffy Murphy’s. I was booked to shoot one of the Scruffy Murphy Presents events and much like Sertraline, I knew nothing about them minus the odd person exclaiming ‘yeah dude they’re sick’ when mentioned.

The sound they produce is simply monstrous. Don’t take my word for it though, go listen to their single ‘First Inversion’ to hear it for yourself.

There’s a really remarkable thing about a Recall The Remains live performance though; with every performance there is a clear improvement from the last. And let me be straight, I have never seen these guys put on a mediocre show, they go for the jugular each time. It’s no surprise that they won a slot to perform at Mammothfest 2018…

Metal To The Masses 2019 yeah guys?

Almost Easy

Taking a step away from metal and jumping to the band I’ve known for the longest amount of time; Almost Easy. I first photographed Almost Easy all the way back in 2015; not that what I captured back then was really anything to shout about.

This bunch of hard rockers are electric; always on the move, constantly pushing themselves musically and relentlessly gigging. That being said, they have actually slowed down a little for the start of 2019, albeit that’s only because they’re getting ready to hit the studio once again to work on album number two.

Their live show is something else and I should know, I’ve photographed Almost Easy more than any other band I know. They’re all a bunch of total delinquents but god I love them all.

Netherhall

Netherhall are one of the enigmas of the underground scene. Much like their idols ‘Tool’, they carefully and meticulously craft every aspect of their band from the imagery they put out to the music they release. Everything must be perfect.

This dedication to their art is what separates them from a lot of other bands on the underground scene. It’s also this dedication which saw them victorious at the Birmingham Metal To The Masses 2017 final and got them a slot at a private function for Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler himself.

Their live performances can almost be described as ethereal with their use of drone notes and delay. They create vast soundscapes before brutally shattering any sense of peace and tranquillity with sheer modern metal brilliance. On more than one occasion I’ve found myself in the photo pit just sitting listening to their music instead of photographing them. If there’s one band you’ll be hearing more of in 2019; it’s Netherhall.