When I was asked if i was available to cover Gaerea for my first official shoot, I was pinching myself for weeks. Not only was I already seeing them on the tour as a fan but they have fast become one of my favorite bands of 2026.

The venue for this gig was at the Brunedell Social Club in Leeds, and, having seen the band in a Rescue Rooms in Nottingham was a bit of a culture shock seeing them in what is essentially a working mens club in their second function room located in the middle of a housing estate…a very different venue.

As showtime arrived and the crowd was filling the room, CONJURER took to the stage bringing the power to shake the room, most notably during the second track “Hollow” where lead singer Dani Nightingale stepped away from the mic and belted out a verse that echoed around the room. As well as power and might, Conjurer also brought heart and feeling to their set with “Let us Live“, a song dedicated to the Trans Community.

After Conjurer, it was time for the main event. The excitement was growing, the tension palpable as the Gaerea crew worked hard to get the small stage prepped for the show. The lights went out and the band entered one by one. Xi, Beta, Rho and Delta each entered with drumbeats and strums on their guitars before going straight into the opening track “Luminary” where Alpha entered the stage and, collectively began to take the crowd on a journey through their latest album “Loss” as well as some old favourites.

My resonation with Gaerea is the power of emotion and the song most relatble to me was “Nomad“. I can neither confirm nor deny I sobbed upon hearing this live for the first time in Nottingham and again had a little tear singing along whilst photographing at this show. Throughout the show the crowd were full of energy with a large pit that took up most of the space with members of the crowd giving it their all during “Uncontrolled” and “Hellbound“.

The show had the perfect blend of high intensity and also slower moments, giving the whole evening a nice ebb and flow. Bringing the crowd up for “Hellbound” to then start to bring them down during “Cyclone” and then having Delta lead the way for “LBRNTH” before kicking it up again for “Nomad“.

Gaerea also brought in old hits with “World Ablaze“, “Hope Shatters“, “Laude” and as Alpha called it their Taylor Swift moment with “Wilted Flower“, whilst also sprinkling in new favourites “Phoenix” and their self descrobed biggest song yet, “Submerged“.

And the show was perfectly rounded off with “Stardust“, a track that is beautiful and has the perfect mix of energy, passion and heart, I couldnt think of a better way to close out a show.

As Alpha would say during the shows, this was a dream, a fever dream to see Gaerea not once but twice on this tour, they are definitley worthy of larger stages and will be getting that opportunity next year as they are scheduled to headline the Sophie Lancaster Stage at Bloodstock Festival. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Gaerea and will definitely be first in line to see them again!