I first saw Starset during an early afternoon Sunday set on the Opus Stage at Download Festival in 2019. I hadn’t heard of them before, but with no other bands clashing, I decided to check them out. They emerged through thick smoke, wearing striking post-apocalyptic, sci-fi-inspired outfits, and the photos I captured during those far-too-short fifteen minutes quickly became some of my favorites of the entire weekend.

Naturally, I was eager to see them again. When they toured the UK in 2020, I made the trip to Rock City in Nottingham to photograph them on a much smaller stage, where I could get up close and personal.

The production leaned heavily on dense haze and strobing lights, sometimes so thick it obscured sightlines. It was part spectacle, part sensory immersion, amplifying the cinematic feel of the show and creating dynamic opportunities for photography that balanced mood, movement, and drama.