To leave a gig with your face hurting from how much you smiled has got to be one of the best feelings on earth and that was what I got to experience as I walked out of the o2 Academy Bristol on Monday night after watching McFly begin their Power to Play tour.
McFly opened their set perfectly with “Where Did All the Guitars go?” A question which we all soon found the answer to and were reminded of through unapologetically enthusiastic solos and breakdowns throughout the entirety of the set. McFly have been around since 2003 and have become a household name in that time, with their new album quickly slotting into that extensive discography of well-known tunes, demonstrated through the volume of the crowd singing along to every song (me included!). The setlist was a fantastic mixture of new and old so there was something for everyone that night. The crowd was an equal mix of everyone from hardcore fans to children experiencing this for the first time. The sold-out room got to collectively experience some magic that night.
Although this was the first night of their tour, there was a clear sense that all of these musicians knew exactly how to work the crowd and truly loved being on stage. Their fantastic musicality and on-stage banter made for a brilliant stage presence. This show was high energy from start to finish and they kept the crowd engaged the entire time. Danny disappeared off into the crowd for Red and reappeared complete with glowing red microphone, ready to make the crowd bounce their way through the catchy riff-filled song; Something I have been dying to experience myself for years.
There were a fair few songs in there that would have had even the least knowledgeable audience member singing along, including Star Girl, which saw the band do their iconic synchronised kicks across the stage, One for The Radio, which is a personal favourite of mine, and 5 Colours In Her Hair, which closed out the night. The lighting design throughout was phenomenal but ending with a rainbow panel of lights for 5 Colours was truly the icing on the cake.
This band were always one I wanted to tick off my top 3 bucket list, both to see live and to shoot, and getting to do that was as incredibly rewarding as I hoped. Their tour continues for the next month and their music will clearly live on much longer than that.
@anna.h_photos
Role: Photographer/ Journalist
Available for: Gig and press phototography, album shoots, music videos, tour coverage
Qualification: 1st class BA photojournalism degree
First attended gig: First ticketed gig I remember is Newton Faulkner but there was plenty of live music that I saw growing up in the folk scene in Cornwall
First gig shot: Rattler Fest for all three days
Dream gig: It's too hard to pick just one, and i'm lucky enough to have been able to shoot some of my bucket list bands already, so top 3 would have to be Frank Turner, The Hives, and Twenty One Pilots
