My 5 Favourite Bands of 2016

Every year I get to photograph lots of bands and artists covering all sorts of music genres.  My primary focus at those gigs is to get great photographs but when the 3 song limit has been reached I normally get to watch the rest of set.

So in this blog post I'm going to tell you about the 5 bands that had the biggest impact on me in 2016.  These are the bands that I personally enjoyed.  In most cases I knew of the band but it wasn't until I saw them live that they really captured my attention.  That's the power of live music for you!

It was a real year of musical discovery for me.  I'd never really considered Mumford & Sons and Years & Years before but their shows at The Radio 1 Big Weekend in Exeter blew me away.  I guess sometimes you have to see a band live to appreciate them.  Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer was one of those acts that just make you smile and enjoy yourself.  Tiny Folds are one of the best local (Teignmouth) bands about.  They are epic live!  Last but not least is Chvrches.  With wonderful vocals and a great electronic sound they are never too far down my playlist.

So there you have it.  2016 was a great year for music.  Do you want more though?  Why not check out My 10 Favourite Images of 2016 or look at My Top 10 Images from 2015 and My Top 5 Bands of 2015. 

Radio 1 Big Weekend at Powderham Castle, Exeter - 28th and 29th May 2016

When I heard that Exeter was going to host this years Radio 1 Big Weekend music festival I soon cleared my calendar.  There was no way I was going to miss shooting some the worlds most biggest artists while they were only a few miles from my doorstep.  Normally I'd have to travel a little further for this kind of shoot.

I'm really excited to share these images so I'm going to save the rest of my thoughts for later on in the blog post and get straight into the photographs.

BBC Introducing Stage

In New Music We Trust Stage

Main Stage

Saturday

Sunday

The Crowd

Gear

I hoped you liked the images, but in case you are interested I'm going to talk a little bit about gear.  Aside from plenty of spare batteries and memory cards this was definitely a two body, two lens job.  The ability to switch between telephoto and wide quickly is really important as the action can be happening in front of you on the stage or behind you in the crowd.  For this gig my chosen gear was a Nikon D610 with 24-70mm f/2.8 VR and a Nikon D750 with 70-200 f/2.8 VR. Both are wonderful combinations to shoot with.

Aside from the camera gear though some essential items are sunblock, water and food.  Shooting a gig like this can be very busy.  Jumping between the press tent and three stages makes for a busy weekend and you don't want to be battling hunger, thirst and sunburn if you're going to take the best of images.  

The Experience

So what is like to shoot a big event like Radio 1 Big Weekend?  If I could describe it in three words they would be exciting, hectic, and fun!   There is no doubt that shooting festivals can be hectic.  With three stages and barely any gaps between an artist finishing on one stage and another starting somewhere else, you have to have a daily plan.  Without some sort of plan you will either burn out or miss someone you need to shoot.

It's also very exciting.  I still get a thrill as I enter the pit at the main stage and start shooting.  You can prepare by watching YouTube videos of the artists to see how they behave on stage, but every performance is different so you need to stay on your toes.

It's also fun.  After all, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it.  I was located in the BBC Pictures tent and despite myself, the other photographers and the BBC staff being exceptionally busy everybody was enjoying themselves and there was always good chat while we walked between stages.

And finally...

My friends over at MusicMuso have written a full review of the Radio 1 Big Weekend and you read it over here.

My next festival will be Glas-Denbury in July.  As I did with this event I will be posting images live as they happen so remember to check out my Twitter and Instagram feeds.

See you next time on The Unplugged Blog!