Live at Mr Wolfs: Horses on the Beach + Echo Den (18th January 2025)

There's something about Mr Wolfs that feels like organised chaos in the best possible way. It's cramped, it's sweaty, and half the time you're shooting from angles that physically shouldn't be possible... But when the room is buzzing, it becomes one of the most alive spots in Bristol. And on this particular Saturday night, it absolutely was.

Two bands with completely different energies. One hypnotic and slow-burning. The other bounding off every wall. And a crowd who showed up ready to move.

Let's get into it.

🎤 The Setup

Shooting at Mr Wolfs is... an adventure.

There's barely room to breathe, let alone move, and the stage is basically at eye-level with the crowd. If you want the shot, you've got to commit to it: squeeze into a corner, shoot under someone's elbow... Hope nobody spills a drink on your camera while you're trying to focus.

But the tightness also works for you. Faces are close, colours are intense, and everything feels immediate. The lighting was a neon blend of purples, greens, and warm backlights. Messy in theory, gorgeous in practice.

I shot the whole night on my Canon R5 and my 50mm f/1.8 again. It's perfect for tight rooms and chaotic lighting (and honestly, the only lens I had having just upgraded to mirrorless... An absolute game-changer, by the way). Regardless, my kit handled the night way better than my shoulders did.

🌫️ Echo Den

Echo Den opened the night with a set that felt like falling into a slow, psychedelic dream. Their whole thing is cinematic dub reggae (we're talking shimmering guitars, deep groves, glowy keys, and vocals that drift over everythign like smoke). It translated beautifully in a room like this.

They didn't need to do much to hold attention. Their energy is internal, absorbed... Bordering on hypnotic. You feel it more than you see it.

That mellow steadiness made them an absolute gift to photograph: pockets of light on their faces, little moments of concentration, colour spilling across keyboards and strings.

It set the tone for the night perfectly. Kind of like a calm before the storm, but in the best possible way.

Echo Den easing the room into a trance.

🐎 Horses on the Beach

And then... the storm.

Horses on the Beach hit the stage like they'd been plugged directly into the mains. High-energy from the first second, bouncing, smiling, shouting, riffing. The kind of infectious, joyful chaos that makes you grin behind the camera even when you're getting shoved sideways by someone dancing.

I first saw HOTB back in 2023 supporting Tom McGuire and the Brassholes at Thekla, and I remember thinking, "These guys will be headlining this room someday." Seeing them again now, even at Wolfs, felt like watching that predicition unfold.

Their set pulled from everywhere. Ska, funk, rock, Latin rhythms, big festival choruses... and the crowd absolutely ate it up. Every time the brass section hit a line, the room lifted. Every time the beat dropped, the front row went wild. Their chemistry onstage is ridiculous too: a group of best mates who just happen to be insanely tight musicians.

Photographing them was pure adrenaline.

Trying to keep up in a room that packed was a challenge, but the payoff was huge. Bright colours, movement everywhere, sweaty joy, and one of my favourite end-of-show shots.

Louisa leading the room like a spark with that unstoppable HOTB energy.

✨ Final Thoughts

This gig was peak Mr Wolfs: tiny room, huge energy.

Echo Den brought the atmosphere. Horses on the Beach brought the fire. The crowd kept the floor shaking the entire night.

Nights like this are why I love shooting Bristol's smaller venues. You're right in the thick of it - the heat, the movement, the chaos. You walk out buzzing with the same adrenaline as the crowd.

And honestly? If you ever get the chance to see either of these bands, take it. If you get the chance to shoot them? Even better.

More shows coming soon. Stay tuned ✌️