Just the greatest ...

The best song, by the best band... ever.... period.

New....

Image copyright VirtuousCirclePhotography / John Colson

huh ...

Its nearly MARCH already..... berluddy hell !

Wishbone Ash, Robin 2, Bilston.

I visited the Robin 2 for the first time last friday... what a great venue !!
I was there to review 'Martin Turners Wishbone Ash' for Midlands Rocks.... You can check out the review and Claires awesome photos here....http://www.midlandsrocks.co.uk/reviews/live-rock-reviews/wishbone-ash-bilston

What a week....

Well... that was a crazy week ! I've driven to Hull (definately not Hell.... I like it there) and back, been to a surprisingly good gig (more about that later), and been stranded in Dublin due to the weather in Birmingham....
With regard to Dublin, I didnt get to see much of the place (a bit like Dubai a few weeks ago, when I flew 3000 miles to spend 24 hours in the city:0( ). However I did have what was probably the greatest carvery Ive ever had the pleasure of feasting upon whilst there (In Dublin, not Dubai). If youre ever in the city, and find yourself in need of a bite to eat to soak up the 'refreshments', go here... http://www.sinnotts.ie/ ... I really was in culinary heaven ....

Cobra Starship.....

Caught Cobra Starship at the Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton this week. Wasnt really my thing, but the kids at the show loved it, which hopefully comes across in my friend Angela's review here ... http://www.brumlive.com/ . My photos were rubbish ... trying to dodge flying 16 years isnt conducive to getting good images as you can see from the shot below....

Image Copyright Virtuous Circle Photography / John Colson

Some random stuff...

Here are a few random images from recent gigs Ive shot...

Not for reproduction. All images copyright Virtuous Circle Photography / John Colson

Melissa Auf Der Maur

I'd forgotten what a sensational artist Melissa Auf Der Maur is until the other day when I dragged one of her CD's out of my collection and gave it a spin.....


Also, check this link out .... another stunning video by Melissa that youtube kindly refuse to let me embed...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdRvcoD1uMY

Something new....

Not for reproduction. Image Copyright VirtuousCirclePhotography / John Colson

New work.... courtesy of my little lensbaby....

All image copyright VirtuousCirclePhotography / John Colson

Gandhi ?

What with all the recent economic and political upheaval, not to mention uncertainty in the world today, I have been giving a lot more thought to my own political and social beliefs of late. Whilst ive always been pretty steadfast in my own beliefs, ive never really been able to align myself with mainstream political values. I may have fairly right wing feelings towards some aspects of life, but also some fairly socialist views on others ,which is why I probably dont identify with any of the current political parties in the UK. So a friend of mine suggested I visit this site http://politicalcompass.org/index and take a short survey to get some sort of overall impression on where I stand on numerous issues. The survey asks a series of simple questions relating to Economic, Political, Moral, Sexual and Religious values, and then provides a personalised 'score' based on the responses.
Apparently Im a left wing libertarian with very similar beliefs to Gandhi... which is fine by me. Anyway here is my 'result' chart.....

Dirty Little Rabbits

I've seen loads of rock bands over the years.... from goth to thrash, gloomy shoe gazing grunge to glam rock cheese and most, if not all of them, have been great. But rarely have I seen or heard a band that has impressed me as much as the Dirty Little Rabbits did when supporting Lacuna Coil at the Academy in Birmingham this week.
Possibly best known as Sean 'Slipknot' Crahan's other band (but certainly no side project), they put on a show that left me grinning for hours. I downloaded their EP 'Simon' as soon as I got home and it hasnt left the turntables in Colson towers since. They are more or less the band I've been wanting to hear for years.
As youve no doubt realised, Im not the most eloquent of chaps, and to accurately describe the bands sound is by no means easy, so Ill leave it to Jordan Richardson of Blog Critic to describe their sound in this fantastic review of their recent EP.... http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-dirty-little-rabbits-simon/
And in the meantime, here are a couple of my shots from the bands gig in Birmingham on Monday. Finally, please please please do yourselves a favour and check out the bands site.... you wont be dissapointed... http://www.dirtylittlerabbits.com/

All images copyright VirtuousCirclePhotography / John Colson

Lacuna Coil / Dirty Little Rabbits / Dommin: Birmingham 02 Academy 010210

My latest live gig review etc can be found here .... http://www.midlandsrocks.co.uk/reviews/live-rock-reviews/lacuna-coil-birmingham .....
In addition to Lacuna Coil, I also got to see Dirty Little Rabbits.... an awesome band from the states... I will write more about them soon ...
In the meantime... pop on over the Midlands Rocks and see what the fuss is all about.....

Oh, and thanks Hannah for the Cutting Crew knowledge ... :0)

Alex Moir, Yeah Sparrow and Kings of Spain - 310110

I had the pleasure of shooting a small gig at the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham last night. Three acoustic acts were on the menu. To read a review of the show pop on over here.... http://www.brumlive.com/ but here are a couple of shots to wet your appetites....

All images copyright VirtuousCirclePhotography / John Colson