Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets at The Plymouth Pavilions - 08/05/2022

Oh, the Disappointment!

Over 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.

The Kooks and The Snuts at Plymouth Pavilions - 01/02/2022

Two Quality Bands

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!

The Snuts

The Kooks

The Charlatans and Martin Carr & What Future at The Greal Hall - 14/02/2022

Back to Live Music!

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.

Martin Carr & What Future

The Charlatans

Kaiser Chiefs, Razorlight and Life at Playmouth Pavilions - 27/01/2020

A Proper Treat!

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.

Life

Razorlight

Kaiser Chiefs


Wildwood Kin at The Lemon Grove - 21/11/2019

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.

Jacob and Drinkwater

The Luck

Wildwood Kin

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!

Snow Patrol at the Plymouth Pavilions - 14/11/2019

Photographing Snow Patrol

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.

 

Newton Faulkner and Charl0tte at The Great Hall - 23/04/2019

The Joy of Live Music Photography

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.

Charl0tte


Newton Faulkner



Big Country at Exeter Phoenix - 15/09/2018

Big Country - Where it All Started

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.

Departed

First up were the rather epic rock band Departed.

Departed

Departed

Departed

Departed

Departed

Departed

Big Country

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

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!

Frank Turner at The Great Hall in Exeter - 28/04/2018

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.

The Homeless Gospel Choir

First up on the stage was The Homeless Gospel Choir.

The Homeless Gospel Choir

The Homeless Gospel Choir

Arkells

Following seamlessly on from The Homeless Gospel Choir came the Arkells.

Arkells

Arkells

Arkells

Arkells

Arkells

Arkells

Frank Turner

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

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!

Dub Pistols and Kioko at Plymouth Hub - 01/12/2017

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

Kioko

Kioko

Kioko

Kioko

Dub Pistols

Dub Pistols

Dub Pistols

Dub Pistols

Dub Pistols

Dub Pistols

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!

Ben McKelvey and Scouting for Girls at The Great Hall, Exeter - 13/11/2017

I'm Back!

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

Ben McKelvey

Ben McKelvey

Ben McKelvey

Ben McKelvey

Scouting for Girls

Scouting for Girls

Scouting for Girls

Scouting for Girls

Scouting for Girls

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!

Geezer and Stubb at Exeter Phoenix - 27/06/2017

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

Stubb

Stubb

Stubb

Stubb

Geezer

Geezer

Geezer

Geezer

Geezer

Geezer

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!

Record Store Day at Phoenix Sound - 22/04/2017

I've covered Record Store Day with MusicMuso a few times now and it's now rapidly turning into one of my favourite events to cover each year. I spend a lot of time in the pit shooting various musicians and bands but I don't really get a chance to connect with people. I might just manage a short chat over the roar of the music but you can't really hold a conversation.

So I was very excited about joining Steve from MusicMuso to cover Record Store Day this year at Phoenix Sound in Newton Abbot.  However, my excitement seemed to diminish a little when the alarm went off at 6 am. It's not that I'm not used to getting up early but I had a late finish yesterday after shooting coastal landscapes in Cornwall. Anyway, it was nothing a strong cup of black coffee wouldn't fix!

I don't know Newton Abbot that well so I wasn't sure where exactly Phoenix Sound was but as I turned the corner at Queen Street and saw the extensive queue I knew I had the right place. Time to get to work!

Over the next couple of hours, I took pictures of the shop, the vinyl on sale and those eager vinyl fans. There is no doubt that some of those shoppers, who started queuing at 3:30 am, are a passionate and fun bunch. Despite most of them probably having even less sleep than me they were more than willing to discuss their purchases and their passion for vinyl.   It was just good to engage with and photograph so many dedicated music fans.

Anyway, expect a full write-up of our trip to Record Store Day at Phoenix Sound in Newton Abbot over on MusicMuso really soon, but in the meantime here are some of the shots that I took...See you next time on The Unplugged Blog.

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Ferocious Dog and Sam Green & The Midnight Heist at Exeter Phoenix - 14/04/2017

What's not to love about a Friday night?  For most people, it's the end of the working week and chance to unwind.  If you were lucky enough to be at the Exeter Phoenix last Friday night your evening would have been made even better with some live music courtesy of Sam Green & The Midnight Heist and Ferocious Dog

On paper, this was destined to be a great night of music so when my friends over at MusicMuso asked me to photograph the gig there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to cover this one.  Having photographed Ferocious Dog previously I was confident that the huge levels of energy that these guys deliver on stage will make for a great night of photography.  So I passed on my Friday night glass of wine, grabbed my camera and headed eagerly off to the Exeter Phoenix.

MusicMuso will be posting up a full review of the gig shortly, so as usual here on The Unplugged Blog, I'm going show you some of my best images from this awesome gig.

Sam Green & The Midnight Heist

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e2dd8-20170414-samgreenandthemidnightheist-20871-08.jpg

Ferocious Dog

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Shooting Challenges

Photographing live music is rarely without its challenges and Friday night was no different.  For those of you who have had the pleasure of seeing Ferocious Dog before will know that their gigs can be a little "lively".  The band have some quality fans who love nothing better than to have a good mosh and jump about.  It's great to witness and really adds to the atmosphere of the gig.

My challenge for this gig was finding a good spot to shoot from.  Normally there would be a pit so I could freely move up and down the length of the stage, but in this instance, I wasn't going to have that luxury.  So, to get the photos I was going to have to get in there with the crowd.  I would need to pick my spot carefully though.  Too far off to the side the photos would be dull, but to close to the middle and it would be unlikely that I would be able to keep still enough against the surging crowd to take pictures.

Fortunately, I did manage to find a spot that would allow me to capture some good images.  I wasn't able to move sideways so I could adjust my composition, and I did get wet from some flying booze, but I did seem to pick just the right location as I was able to use the camera without getting jostled too much.  Obviously I would have liked a pit area, but some of the fun of live music photography is working through the challenges! 

So that's it for me this week.  In my next blog post I will be covering Record Store Day, so be sure visit The Unplugged Blog again to see the images from this cracking national event.  If you want to know exactly when that blog post goes up be sure to follow me on my Facebook page, Instagram feed, and Twitter feed.

You Me at Six, Tonight Alive and Black Foxxes at Plymouth Pavilions - 05/04/2017

With the promise of three energetic rock bands taking to the stage, there was a tangible sense of excitement as we drove the A38 towards the Plymouth Pavilions.  Joining me on the short journey to Plymouth was my journalistic pal from MusicMuso, Steve. Not only were we excited by the prospect of a good night of music, but we were very pleased to see that local band Black Foxxes would be supporting.  We've covered the Black Foxxes a few times and we knew how good they are to see and to photograph. 

Steve will, of course, be writing up a full review of the gig over on MusicMuso really soon but in the meantime here are some of my photos from the night.

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

Tonight Alive

You Me at Six

You Me at Six

You Me at Six

You Me at Six

You Me at Six

You Me at Six

Well, I hope you enjoyed those images.  Remember you can follow me on all the normal social channels.  Just check out the social buttons at the bottom of this page.  I'll see you next on The Unplugged Blog.   

Mad Dog Mcrea, Noble Jacks and Biere De Luxe at Exeter Phoenix - 11/03/2017

After my excursion to Plymouth earlier in the week to cover Elbow, the weekend saw me returning to one of my local venues, the Exeter Pheonix, to cover the Mad Dog Mcrea gig.

With three bands on and a packed crowd enjoying a Saturday night out it was sure to be another great night at the Exeter Pheonix.  However, I'm not going to wax lyrical about the gig, I'll leave that to my friends over at MusicMuso who will be posting up a review really soon.  Instead, I'm going to focus on the images I took so let's great straight into them!

Biere De Luxe

Up first on the night were Biere De Luxe.

Biere De Luxe

Biere De Luxe

Noble Jacks

Cranking it up a notch or two were Noble Jacks.

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Noble Jacks

Mad Dog Mcrea

And putting on a quality show, as usual, were Mad Dog Mcrea.

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Mad Dog Mcrea

Another quick blog post from me but I hope you enjoyed the images.  Hopefully, it won't be long until the next one, but until then remember to click on those social buttons at the bottom of the page to follow me across the web!

Elbow and C Duncan at Plymouth Pavilions - 09/03/2017

I always like shooting at the Plymouth Pavilions.  The venue hosts some big name artists and bands, the lighting is generally good, and the large capacity means that there is always a good atmosphere.  So when I got a short notice call from MusicMuso to cover Elbow on Thursday night I was more than happy to jump in the car and head along the A38 towards Plymouth.

As always my friends over at MusicMuso will be posting up a full gig review shortly, but in the meantime, as I always do, here is a selection of the images I took on the night.

C Duncan

Supporting Elbow for their spring 2017 was C Duncan.

C Duncan

C Duncan

C Duncan

C Duncan

Elbow

Elbow put on a quality performance to the packed and eager crowd of the Plymouth Pavilions.

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

Well just a quick post from me today, but I'll be back really soon on The Unplugged Blog with another set of live images!  In the meantime remember to click on those social buttons to connect with me so you can see images as I post them live from the gig!

Kate Nash and Gothic Tropic at Exeter Phoenix - 16/02/2017

After a short break from concert photography, I was back at the Exeter Phoenix with my friends from MusicMuso to shoot Kate Nash.  She was sure to put on a good show so I was excited to be covering the gig, but nothing prepared me for the energy of her set!  It was one of those gigs where it is just a pleasure to shoot.  Her experience and talent shone through as she blasted out her songs and worked up the crowd.  Both Kate and her band gave me plenty to work with! 

If you want to read a full review of the gig my friends over at MusicMuso will be posting one up on their website really soon, so make sure you check it out when it goes live.  It was an action packed gig and they will have plenty to write about!

Here on The Unplugged Blog though, I'm going to show you some of my favourite images from the night.

Gothic Tropic

As with most great gigs, there is also a great support band.  Gothic Tropic did not disappoint and they delivered a quality set.

Gothic Tropic

Gothic Tropic

Gothic Tropic

Gothic Tropic

Kate Nash

Normally I would post two or three images from a band, but I was spoilt for choice with Kate Nash, so I'm just going to post all of my favourites!

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

Kate Nash

So there you have it.  That was probably one of the best gigs I've shot at the Exeter Phoenix.  Experienced and energetic artists make my job so much easier and it was a real pleasure to shoot.

So if you liked those images and want to see more be sure to follow me on Twitter,Instagram, Facebook, and of course here on The Unplugged Blog.  Till next time....!