My mate Mark and I were gunning for a Saturday night out, and have ended up at the same bars and pubs over the last few months. I knew that John Kennedy would be hosting his evening at The Social, near Oxford circus, where I took those very pleasing photo's of Adele and Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip just over 12 months ago (click to see those photo's). So I talked Marky into heading down there with me, and lugged along my Film SLR, flash and telephoto lens. I wanted to shoot specifically for my photographic society's monthly competition, which this month will be Black and White. The lighting and subjects in the venue really lent themselves to a dramatic image and I feel are inherently interesting. The bands above are: They came from the stars, I saw them (homepage) which had a very original electric / synth style and sound, and were unlike any band I've heard before. I suspect they have limited mainstream appeal, regardless of this, they clearly had talent and were entertaining to watch. The second band we saw were The Laurel collective (homepage) which were also very engaging and clearly skilled.

I shot two rolls of film, Ilford Delta 3200, which is ideal for these dim lighting conditions, and Neopan 400 pushed two stops, which has actually worked out better, I think because I used it first and was concentrating more. Later in the evening I'd lost interest in the photography and was more interested in listening to the bands playing and trying to have a Saturday night.