mikesaid: Hi.

Hello, firstly I'd like to apologise to my loyal reader for my absence... it's been a crazy first half of 2014 - I made a planter box and my partner and I had a beautiful baby boy named Theodore - he's awesome. If you follow me on instagram you may have noticed this.

So I am back in the saddle, on the wagon so they say. Speaking of Wagons, (did you see what I did there?) they have released a new album called Acid Rain and Sugar Cane and my photography features throughout it's pages. I didn't shoot the cover this time - that honor went to Kane Hibberd who also shot the band photo you see on the back of the album.

The new album is fantastic, it fits nicely into the music genre 80's Country, well for me anyway. I seem to recall hearing it on my mums record player in 1986 when I was nine, but that can't be true.

They are currently on tour promoting their new album and rolled through Melbourne recently with Jonny Fritz (USA) and fellow Melbournite Fraser A Gorman as support. I arrived early enough to start on the rider before anyone got there and finally got to see backstage at the HiFi (it's basically a wobbly staircase leading to a room with 2 couches, 1 frudge and a table. And a floor). It's been a long while since Wagons played a full band show in Melbourne, as usual it was fantastic - I really enjoy photographing for a band instead for a publication because you usually get AAA access, this provides two things: I get to capture the show documentary style, I can take time with my shots and I also think that a gig gets more interesting to shoot as the night progresses. With the usual 3 song rule that can be imposed on shooters means you end up with 800 photos quickly fired off hoping that you may get 50 or 60 decent ones, and 5 killer shots. Number two - I'm not going to lie, it's nice to feel important.

So time for pics and videos (I still remember the format!)