2020 - The Best Bits. One show, a Couch Convention, and some other nuggets

Markus Vanhala, Insomnium

 18th January, 2020, at the Waterfront in Norwich, UK. Starting the photographic year with an evening of Finnish metal; loved the show and you can find the review here. Little did I know that it would be the one and only concert that I would photograph this year. Apart from the odd phone snap of a video stream on the TV... and that's where all our live music was, on screens. At least once people began to realise that the pandemic wouldn't just disappear within a few weeks.

Two online events that were wonderful: first, Marillion's Couch Convention in September, a three-day event with not only streamed concerts but support acts, interactive sessions, merch... and confetti: I kid you not, I'm still digging bits of confetti out from under the rug and behind the TV.  Sheer genius... it really helps that the worldwide fans are like one huge family and it was a chance to catch up with people that, in a normal year, we might have bumped into at a show. But 2020 was never going to be normal - the Couch Convention showed just how some planning and ingenuity and some wonderful music can make so many people happy. (Through this, and other things like this prize draw, the band has been raising funds to help all the road and stage crew that have been badly affected by the halt in performances and touring.)

The second of my favouite online events: Steve H's wonderful H Natural live stream from St John's in Oxford. Just beautiful. (To find out more, and to listen to his podcasts, go here: http://www.stevehogarth.com/.)

My favourite new album of the year? This... Mother from In This Moment. I've listened to it - a lot - throughout the year. 

Just a few best bits... next year will have more. Happy new year to you all!

The Lost Year, and the Found Photos

Eric Vanlerberghe, vocals, I Prevail

 Not been writing much: who wants to read about lockdowns and misery and lack of live music? Instead, we keep busy (or not) with other things; tending the garden, walking for miles, working at jobs - those of us lucky-enough to have work that we can do from home, or essential jobs (thank you, all of you) - finding other creative outlets (I spent much time stripping wallpaper and organizing a full refurb of a Victorian property in a seaside town, much less time than usual listening to my usual escape, music, because the lyrics were playing again and again in my head at 3am rather like too-much Tetris, though that seems to have passed, thank you Universe).

Chris "Motionless" Cerulli, Motionless In White

We may look back on 2020 and reminisce, how many concerts did you miss? How many tickets bought, yet still held for next year, or the year after? How many books did you read or TV shows did you binge? How much weight did you drop, or gain? 

Joe Cotela, DED

How many people did you lose? (That's going to be the hardest. As a world, a country, a community, a family, as a human being and a humanity.)

Chevelle

No, I didn't want to write about 2020. So I took a look through the photo archive, and found a few that I had missed editing at the back end of 2019. A little editing burnout; a lot of work to catch up on; some close-to-the-pandemic business trips and heck, just plain forgetfulness. So now here they are; a reminder of festivals past (they are from Aftershock 2019 - this year's festivals were, of course, postponed to 2021).

Joe Duplantier, Gojira

Here's to the new year; may it bring hope, health, happiness, and music. I hope to see you in the crowd and in the photo pit many more times yet!

Blink-182

Photo galleries:

-Blink-182 at Aftershock 2019 

- Chevelle at Aftershock 2019

- DED at Aftershock 2019

- Gojira at Aftershock 2019

- I Prevail at Aftershock 2019

- Motionless In White at Aftershock 2019