There’s not always a lot to do on a February Thursday evening in Exeter, so when my friends over at MusoMuso asked if I wanted a photograph three hard hitting bands at the Exeter Phoenix I couldn’t say no!
Read MoreFor my 1st gig of 2025 I head back to the Exeter Phoenix for a two-tone night featuring two bands, Revolution Roots and The Beat.
Read MoreA recap of the photographs I captured in 2023 and 2025 featuring Muse, Snow Patrol, Nick Mason and Del Amitri!
Read MoreOver the years I’ve photographed many bands, singers, and artists. Some of them have left me cold (both photographically and musically), but mostly they’ve all entertained and allowed me to capture some wonderful photographs. I have also been lucky enough to photograph some of my all-time favourite bands like Snow Patrol.
However, never in a million years did I think I’d ever photograph anyone from Pink Floyd. Gilmour or Waters? Not a chance. Nick Mason…well, he doesn’t even tour anymore. That was until a few years ago that is. Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets was born in a small pub in London where they played their first gig to a very enthusiastic crowd. With the success of that show, Nick decided to go on tour.
I am a massive Pink Floyd fan and I’ve seen Waters and Gilmour many times. Unfortunately, I came to Floyd a little late in life so I’ve never had the chance to see Pink Floyd live. The closest I came was at one of Water’s shows in London where Gilmour took on the guitar role on top of the wall for Comfortably Numb. I almost died of joy!
When Nick decided to tour I immediately got tickets for his gig at The Roundhouse in London. It was brilliant. Hearing so many early Floyd tunes sounding alive and fresh was amazing. It was a great show by a great band.
Fast forward a few years, and past the pandemic, and I find out that Nick is coming to Plymouth. I immediately contact Steve at MusoMuso to see if there is any chance of getting a photo pass. Surely even this would be beyond Steve’s power! But no, he got us both tickets and a photo pass. Amazing.
With a few months to go, I started doing some homework. I watched the DVD from The Roundhouse gig a few times to see if I could spot things that the band would do during certain songs that would make for good pictures.
I also decided that a once-in-a-lifetime gig like this was a great reason to get some serious photography kit. It’s not that my current kit is fit for purpose, but I wanted the best of the best, so I decided to hire the £5500 Nikon Z9. It’s a powerhouse of a camera and the autofocus capabilities of this camera would be of great benefit.
The night of the gig comes around and Steve and I drive through to Plymouth. We have turned up to gigs before and been turned away or told we can’t take pictures. It happens sometimes and I admit I was worried about that for this gig, but the tickets were there and I had my photo pass.
I went down to the front of the stage and got my cameras ready. Just as the band were coming on a security guard said I wasn’t allowed to take pictures. I showed him my photo pass but he said he had been told by the band or tour manager that no one could take photos at the front. Only from behind the sound stage or from your seat!
Nightmare!! I tried to get it all sorted, but the message kept coming back that I couldn’t photograph there. I was gutted. More than I normally am when I get told “no photos”. My dream of capturing my own amazing images of Nick Mason and his band was shattered.
It’s times like this that you have to stay calm and carry on though. There is no point in getting angry with anyone or waving your photo pass about! I just went to the back where the soundboard is and captured the photographs I could.
It’s such a shame as I could have captured some amazing pictures. I had the best tools money could buy at my disposal, and the stage lighting was great. Perfect for capturing amazing live music photographs.
Unfortunately, these things happen sometimes. It just had to happen with someone’s music I love. Talking of the music, the gig was GREAT. The band sounded amazing and I really enjoyed the show. They were superb.
Maybe I’ll see if I can get Steve to get me photo pass for Waters or Gilmour. You never know.
Unfortunately, it’s just a quick post on the Unplugged Blog from me this week but just because it’s short doesn’t mean it doesn’t have quality! And the quality comes from two fantastic bands that I photographed at the Plymouth Pavilions, namely The Snuts and the The Kooks. They were aa real joy to photograph. Enjoy the photos!
It’s hard for me to believe that I haven’t shared any of my live music photography since January 2020. I don’t think I need to go into the reasons why I’ve not been going to gigs. We’ve all had enough of the C word. It’s just unfortunate it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon!
Enough of that. Let’s talk about the fantastic night I had shooting a gig at The Great Hall in Exeter. It was so good to be back in the pit, armed with my cameras, and feeling that sense of excitement. As soon as Martin Carr & What Future came onto stage my skills as a live music photographer came flooding back. It was if The Kaiser Chiefs was only last week.
Martin Carr & What Future did a brilliant job of getting the crowd warmed up (and myself), and then it was soon time for the main act The Charlatans to take to the stage. I remember The Charlatans from way back and so having the opportunity to photograph them and listen to them live was a real joy. They put on a great show and if you want to see more of my images and read a review of the gig then head on over to MusoMuso.
I hope the number and size of gigs continues to steadily grow in 2022 and that I’ll be there to capture those special moments you only get in live music. See you soon.
Plymouth Pavilions is probably the biggest venue I regularly visit outside of Bristol. Because of its size it attracts some of the best bands and artists out there. Well, they don’t come much better than the Kaiser Chiefs, so when my friends over at MusoMuso asked if I wanted to photograph them I jumped at the chance! As if the Kaiser Chiefs wasn’t enough they were going to be joined by Razorlight and Life.
With such a tasty line up of energetic bands it was sure to be a magic night of photography!
You’ll find a selection of my favourite images from the gig below but if you want to know how good the gig was, be sure to check out the MusoMuso review.
I was back at The Lemon Grove last week with Steve from MusoMuso to cover local band Wildwood Kin. Let’s great straight into the photographs.
Apologies that it’s a bit of a short blog post this week but I hope to be back in a couple of weeks with something a big special!
Over the years I’ve photographed hundreds of bands and artists. I’ve shot everything from local bands to chart-topping artists at the peak. Naturally some of the bands will be new to me and some them I will be really familiar with. However, it is rare that I get the chance to photograph a band I am a real fan of.
I’ve been a fan of Snow Patrol for around 15 years now. I think it probably all started with their first big hit album Final Straw. It was an album that I played so much that if CDs did indeed wear out I probably would be on my 3rd copy by now! Over the years I’ve bought all their albums and been lucky enough to see them in concert a few times.
I listen to a lot of music but there is something about the lyrics of Snow Patrol songs that seem to really connect with me. I’d often listen to them while I was out running and I would find the miles would fly by as I lost myself in those meaningful lyrics. Those songs became the soundtrack of my life during that period.
After the release of Fallen Empires in 2011, things went very quiet for Snow Patrol. The reasons for this are well documented but I think like most Snow Patrol fans we wondered if they would ever come back. Fortunately the release of Wildness this year saw the band come back at full strength. It is a cracking album and one that I’ve played many, many times. As soon as the tour for the album was announced I bought tickets and so my wife I went to see them in Birmingham. It was great to see the guys back on the stage and on great form.
All that said, it should be obvious to you by now that I like Snow Patrol. Fast forward to November 2019 and I get an email from my friends at MusoMuso asking if I’d like to photograph Snow Patrol at Plymouth Pavilions on their Reworked tour. It took all of few microseconds to say yes!
At the gig it was business as usual for me. Well, for the first three songs anyway. Regardless of my personal attachment to the band I always take my job seriously and aim to do a professional job while capturing images in the three-song window. After I captured the images I got to enjoy m 2nd Snow Patrol gig of the year. This job can definitely have its perks sometimes!
I know this is a slightly different blog post than normal, but getting the chance to photograph a band or artist that you are a real fan of doesn’t happen very often. It was a real privilege taking these photographs and I hope you have enjoyed them as much as me.
It’s been a while since I’d last shot a live music event so when my friends over at MusoMuso asked me to photograph the Newton Faulkner gig at the The Great Hall in Exeter, I just jumped at the chance. The excitement started early as I changed my camera setup from landscape photography to live music photography, and before I knew it I was outside The Great Hall picking up my photo pass.
As soon as Charl0tte hit the stage I remember why I love capturing those amazing moments you only get from live music. I’m very pleased to share some of the images I captured that evening.
Though my first blog article was published on 22nd September 2014, it was actually back in October 2013 that I shot my first gig with my friends over at MusoMuso. The band I shot that evening was legendary Scottish rock group Big Country.
When I heard that Big Country would be returning to Exeter Phoenix, and it would be almost 5 years to the day since that first shoot, I knew I just had to be there.
First up were the rather epic rock band Departed.
Departed
Departed
Departed
It was great to see, listen and photograph Big Country again and they put on an awesome show.
Big Country
Big Country
Big Country
Big Country
A bit of short blog this time. I’m still working heavily on other photographic projects which is taking up a lot of my time, but you can expect to see at least a few more blog posts before the year is out. So, stay tuned to The Unplugged Blog!
I first photographed Frank Turner at the Beautiful Days festival last year. I was not only blown away by his music but also his stage presence. He was a real joy to photograph. Every music photographer wants to photograph an artist who has lots of energy and style as it makes the whole process of creating great photographs that much easier.
So when I heard Frank was stopping off in Exeter as part of his Be More Kind tour, I was straight on the phone to my friends over at MusicMuso to see if we should team up to cover the gig. Of course, the answer was yes and we both got ready for what was almost guaranteed to be a great night of music and photography.
Here are the photos from the night.
First up on the stage was The Homeless Gospel Choir.
The Homeless Gospel Choir
Following seamlessly on from The Homeless Gospel Choir came the Arkells.
Arkells
Arkells
Arkells
Normally I will only post two or three photos of the main act on the blog, but I captured so many great images of Frank Turner that I just had to share a few more than that!
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
Frank Turner
It was great to see three great bands and for The Great Hall to be packed out like that. Not a bad way to spend your Saturday night working.
If you want to read a review of this fantastic gig and see even more of my photos from the gig then head over to MusicMuso.
See you next time!
There are not many bands that will make me want to leave the comfort of home on a chilly December evening, but when you know it's going to be the Dub Pistols it's easy to get motivated! So when Steve from MusicMuso asked if I wanted to go to Plymouth to shoot the Dub Pistols there was no danger I was going to miss it.
Like proper dedicated music journalists, we arrived early and waited patiently outside the Plymouth Hub waited for the doors to open. Despite the frosty temperatures, the wait was worth it. First up were soulful reggae-pop band Kioko who put on an energetic performance that got even the coldest of gig-goers warmed up. By the time the Dub Pistols hit the stage the place was jumping.
Let's take a look at some of the images I took.
Kioko
Kioko
Kioko
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
Dub Pistols
As you can see it was a cracking gig and both bands put on brilliant performances. This always makes my life easier as it gives me plenty to shoot!
I hope you enjoyed this blog post and images. If you did remember to follow me on all my social media channels to find out what I'm currently shooting and when my next blog post goes up.
See you next time!
Yes, it's been a while since I posted here on The Unplugged Blog. I've been working on a number of exciting photography projects but I'm pleased to be back on the blog. I'm even more pleased that I'll be sharing images featuring Ben McKelvey and Scouting for Girls.
So let's great straight into it and let's take a look at those images.
Ben McKelvey
Ben McKelvey
Ben McKelvey
Scouting for Girls
Scouting for Girls
Scouting for Girls
Scouting for Girls
So there you have it. It was a cracking gig. I'd never seen The Great Hall so busy so early on and Ben did an amazing job getting the crowd going with his set.
Just a brief blog from me but hopefully you've enjoyed the photos. Remember that MusicMuso will be posting up a review of the gig really soon.
Bye for now!
When I covered the Beautiful Days festival last year I thought it was one of the best festivals I'd had the pleasure to photograph. Naturally when I was invited back to cover the festival in 2017 I jumped at the chance. Everything that I enjoyed about the festival last year was there in abundance this year. Great crowds, fantastic lineup, and despite some dubious summer weather, a proper fun festival vibe.
As I did last year this post is going to be a photographic celebration of this brilliant Devon festival. My friends over at MusicMuso will post a full review soon, but in the meantime please enjoy my gallery of Beautiful Days 2017 images.
That's it from me. I hope you enjoyed my images! And remember to follow me on Twitter and Instagram to see my images as I post them live from future gigs and festivals! See you next time on The Unplugged Blog!
I was first invited to photography Chagstock back in 2015. I remember it being a cracking festival and thanks to great stage management and timing it made covering all the bands really easy. I was unfortunately unable to cover it in 2016, but when I was asked to photograph Chagstock 2017 there was no way I was going to miss it.
I could go on and on about what a great festival it was this year, or how the crowd were amazing, or that band lineup was awesome, but I'm going to let the photos do the talking for me. So enjoy this bumper gallery of some of my favourite images from Chagstock 2017.
Well, I hoped you liked that small selection of images from Chagstock 2017. I'll be back in a few weeks time with an even bigger gallery of images from the Beautiful Days festival!
It's been a few weeks since I last posted on the blog but I'm just back from shooting Geezer and Stubb down at the Exeter Phoenix and I just had to share some images with you.
I can go on and on about how good they both were and how the guitar and drum work was amazing but you should wait for the MusicMuso review for that. Instead I'm going to share with you some of the images from both bands. Enjoy!
Stubb
Stubb
Stubb
Geezer
Geezer
Geezer
Geezer
Geezer
A bit of a short blog post for you, but I hope you enjoyed all the images. I'll be back again soon on the The Unplugged Blog with more quality live music photos!
