Seven Pounds Premiere & The Astoria's Farewell

Another cold evening spent outside, this time photographing the 'Seven Pounds'premiere in Leicester Square. Will Smith was good with fans and photographers alike and others celebs at including Danielle Lloyd and Gok Wan.






Following this I covered the final night at the Astoria before it is knocked down to make way for the Crossrail project.
The closing night had been scheduled for tomorrow, the 15th, and was expected to feature The Who and Kasabian, but that was cancelled. Tonight's bill was a lot less low key in terms of names, but did feature some good acts like The Mystery Jets (below).
I wouldn't count the Astoria as one of my favourite venues, compared to somewhere like Brixton Academy, where I've spent far more time. However, it's sad to see it go. I just hope this isn't the way things go for other large London venues, as the capital is in my eyes, the live musical capital of the world.
Finally, the best gig I saw at the Astoria and the stand out moment? Seeing Blur in 2003.





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NME Award Show: Richard Hawley

The NME Awards show gigs are coming thick and fast at the moment with shows most night of the week in London. The concerts provide good opportunity for shooting some excellent up-and-coming bands, as the gigs always have relatively strong support.
Richard Hawley (top photo below) is a personal favourite - an old fashioned crooner, who has gradually matured into his sound since his days in Pulp. He has wit to add, and following on from the stoned electronica of Maps (middle photo below) and the promising Vincent Vincent And The Villains (bottom photo below), who are soon to release their debut album, this was the most enjoyable gig so far from the NME shows.