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

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

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!

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

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!

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

Ferocious Dog

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.

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

Noble Jacks

Cranking it up a notch or two were 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

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!

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

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

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....!

Glenn Tilbrook with Steve Smith at Exeter Phoenix - 26/12/2016

For what is probably my last gig of 2016 I ventured out in amongst the Christmas party goers of Exeter to see Glenn Tilbrook.  The man from Squeeze was playing to a festive filled Exeter Phoenix. As always I'll let my friends over at MusicMuso do a full review of the gig and I'll concentrate on sharing some of images with you.

Steve Smith

Up first on the stage was Steve Smith.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith

Glen Tillbrook

Glenn Tilbrook

Glenn Tilbrook

Glenn Tilbrook

So just a short post from me this time. I'll be spending some time writing a couple of year end blog posts over the next couple of weeks. I'll be doing my top 10 images of 2016 and my top 5 bands of 2016. I've already had a quick look at my catalogue of images for 2016 and I think I'm going to be spoilt for choice this year.

So stunned to Instagram, Twitter and of course The Unplugged Blog for those year end posts. Hope you all have a very merry Christmas!

Gangstagrass with Rodney Branigan at Exeter Phoenix - 24/11/16

With winter nearly upon us and the dark nights getting longer we all need something to put us in good spirits.  And that's exactly what I found when I turned up to the Exeter Phoenix last Thursday night.  Meeting up with my old buddy from MusicMuso we were expecting a warming and uplifting night of music from Gangstagrass and Rodney Branigan.  They did not disappoint and MusicMuso had plenty to write about and I had plenty to shoot.  

As usual check out MusicMuso for a full review, but in the meantime here are some of the images I took.

Rodney Branigan

Rodney Branigan .

Rodney Branigan .

Rodney Branigan .

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass

Gangstagrass

It was yet another great night of music at Exeter Phoenix and it was great to photograph artists who are doing something a little different.  I don't think I've ever photographed someone playing two guitars at the same time!

I'll be back again soon on The Unplugged Blog with another set of hot images straight from my editing desk.  See you then!

Black Foxxes with Big Spring and Magpies at Exeter Phoenix - 29/10/2016

I've been lucky enough to shoot local rock heroes Black Foxxes a couple of times now including their epic set at the Radio One Big Weekend earlier this year.  Aside from the fact that they are a kick ass band they are fantastic to photograph.  The sheer energy they put into their performances makes my job so much easier.  My only complaint is having too many pictures to pick from!

So when my friends over at MusicMuso asked me if I could cover their sell out gig at the Exeter Phoenix there was no way I was going to miss it.  It was sure to be a awesome night of music with some quality support bands.  

Here are some of the photos I took...

Magpies

First up on the stage were 4 piece rock band Magpies.

Magpies

Big Spring

Turning it up a notch were Big Spring...

Big Spring

Big Spring

Big Spring

Black Foxxes

As I expected the mighty Black Foxxes did not disappoint as not only did they play a great set but they also gave me plenty of great shots.

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

There you have it.  I hope from the images you get an idea of what a great night of music it was.  If you are looking for a full review of the gig my friends over at MusicMuso will be posting one up soon.

On a technical note....

You may have noticed that all of my images on this blog post were black and white.  Ask any gig photographer how they will process their images when there is very poor light (in photographic terms) and they will tell you they will go black and white.  The gig was actually upstairs in the Voodoo Lounge at the Exeter Phoenix.  It's a fantastic room and it really allows the crowd to get up close and personal with the bands.  However, it's a really challenging environment for photography as there is very little in the way of lighting.

With flash photography generally being frowned up I really had to push the limits of my Nikon D750.  At a minimum I had the camera set at ISO 6400 but often pushed it to ISO 12800.  This was in addition to the camera being set at f/2.8 and 1/125 sec.  With the ISO so high the images had a lot of noise, and to combat that and the prominent pale blue lighting, I opted to process the images as punchy black and whites.  Despite those technical challenges, I like the results.

See you next time!!!

Ferocious Dog with The Leylines and Gaz Brookfield at Exeter Phoenix - 08/04/16

Anyone looking at the line up for this gig would have been fairly certain it was going to be a great night at the Exeter Phoenix.  With three top bands, Ferocious Dog, The Leylines and Gaz Brookfield playing, you could understand why.

As usual I met up with Steve from MusicMuso (expect a full review up there soon), and prepared for a raucous gig.  I knew there would be lots of energy and action coming from these artists and while there wasn't a barrier / pit, I shuffled my way to the front of the crowd and got to work.

Gaz Brookfield

Up first was Gaz Brookfield and after photographing him last year at Chagstock I knew he would put on a crowd pleasing show.

Gaz Brookfield

Gaz Brookfield

Gaz Brookfield

The Leylines

Folk-rock band The Leylines really turned things up a notch with their fantastic set.

The Leylines

The Leylines

The Leylines

The Leylines

The Leylines

Ferocious Dog

When Ferocious Dog took to the stage things really kicked off with a high energy performance that the crowd just went mad for.

Ferocious Dog

Ferocious Dog

Ferocious Dog

Ferocious Dog

Ferocious Dog

It was a cracking night and these types of band always make my life a little easier as there is plenty to shoot.

I'll be shooting Record Store Day next Saturday so my next blog post's images will be a little bit different but hopefully still as interesting.  So bye for now and see you next time on The Unplugged Blog!

Rapha Ghetti at Exeter Phoenix with Annie Rew Shaw, HER, and Stella Martyr - 22/01/2016

I last saw Rapha Ghetti at the Exeter Phoenix back in December 2014 while they were supporting the legendary Grandmaster Flash.  It was a cracking gig and I remember Rapha Ghetti well so I was looking forward to shooting them again.  If you want to see some images from that last gig, check out my blog post from the night.

This time around though Rapha Ghetti were the headline act so together my friends from MusicMuso I braved a chilly January evening and headed off to the Exeter Phoenix.

It was a quality evening of music so lets take a look at some of my images.

Annie Rew Shaw

First up was the very talented Annie Rew Shaw who played on a beautiful set.

Annie Rew Shaw

HER

Next up were new indie band HER.

HER

HER

Stella Martyr

There are huge number of talented bands coming out of Exeter and Stella Martyr are just another great example of the local talent.

Stella Martyr

Stella Martyr

Rapha Ghetti

When Rapha Ghetti took to the stage the crowd were well up for it and fortunately the lads delivered big time.

Rapha Ghetti

Rapha Ghetti

It was yet another great night of music at the Exeter Phoenix and it offered plenty of shooting opportunities.  If January is anything to go by, then 2016 is going to be a good year!

If you are interested in what I've got coming up in 2016 check out My Set List page.

Instagram

Starting this year, I will also be posting on Instagram, so why not check out my Instagram pages by clicking here.

Of course I will still be active on all my other social channels including Facebook and Twitter.

I'll see you all again soon on The Unplugged Blog!

Cancer Bats at Exeter Phoenix with INCITE, Palm Reader and Lord Dying - 15/01/2016

After a bit of a break over the festive period I returned to the Exeter Phoenix with MusicMuso to cover a gig that was surely going to be a loud and energetic start to 2016.  We were not disappointed!

INCITE

Taking to the stage first were INCITE and any cobwebs on my camera were soon blown away!

INCITE

INCITE

Palm Reader

I was having to work hard to keep up with the action as Palm Reader rocked the stage.

Palm Reader

Palm Reader

Lord Dying

The night was turning out to be a bit of a treat both musically and photographically as the awesome Lord Dying kicked things up yet another notch.

Lord Dying

Lord Dying

Cancer Bats

When the Cancer Bats took to the stage to crowd were well up for it and I couldn't wait to see them perform on stage so I could capture some great images.

Cancer Bats

Cancer Bats

Cancer Bats

Cancer Bats

As you can see it was a bit of an epic night of music.  I love nights like this as the performances give me lots of opportunities to capture exciting images.

I'll be back again on The Unplugged Blog really soon with images I took of Rapha Ghetti recently, so stay tuned!

My Top 5 Bands of 2015

Every year I get the chance to photograph a stack load of bands.  It's hard work but it can also be great way to discover new music.  Most of the time I'll be familiar with the band, especially the headliners, but every now and again a band I haven't heard of blows me away.

This special blog post celebrates those bands.  These are the artists that I remember the most from 2015 either through their music, stage presence or combination of both!  

First up in my list is The Worried Men who were supporting Jefferson Starship at the Exeter Phoenix back in February.  Lead singer Jamie really owned the stage and put on a great show!  See my blog post of the gig here.

The Worried Men

Jumping forward to June and I was back at the Exeter Phoenix to shoot The Sherpas.  Cornish band Auction for the Promise Club were first on and their music really hit a note with me (excuse the pun!).  You can also see my blog post of the gig here.

Auction for the Promise Club

Covering festivals is a lot of work but when I shot Moriaty at Glas-Denbury in July I was blown away by the shear energy of the band.  Talk about putting on a show!  You can see lots more images from this festival by clicking here.

Moriaty

About a week later I was at another festival, Chagstock.  You can see all my images from Chagstock here, but the standout act for me was Gaz Brookfield.  I loved the lyrics of his songs and as soon as I got home picked up his live album. 

Gaz Brookfield

Finally, and more recently, I saw Beardyman perform at the Exeter Phoenix in November.  To say that Beardyman is a talent would be an understatement.  His ability to mix up comedy with all sorts of music genres was just a pleasure to experience.  You can see my blog post of the gig here.

Beardyman

If 2015 was anything to go by, 2016 should be a bumper year of discovering new music!

Finally, be sure to check out My Top 10 Images of 2015 blog post.

My Top 10 Images of 2015

As the end of 2015 approaches I like to take some time to look at all the images I took over the year.  Looking at my 2015 collection I realise that I've had a very productive year.  At the end of 2014 I wrote about my Favourite Images of 2014, a collection of my 5 personal favourites.  I soon came to the conclusion that narrowing 2015 down to 5 images would be impossible.  

So to celebrate 2015 I've selected 10 of my personal favourites.  This gallery of images are the photographs that I'm either very pleased with (artistically speaking) or strike some sort of personal chord.  An image should spark an emotional response and for me these images do just that.

I really hope you enjoyed my selection but if you want to know what my favourite bands were, please check out My Top 5 Bands of 2015 blog post.

See you all in 2016!

The Computers

Having photographed The Computers back in 2013 I was fairly confident that their show at the Exeter Phoenix last Friday night was going to be a good one.  I was joined by Steve from MusicMuso and we were not disappointed!  Not only did we have The Computers but we had three quality support bands and a very lively crowd.  Happy days.

As always, MusicMuso will be putting up a review of the gig really soon and it's my job here to show you a couple of images hot from the editing desk.  OK, I'm not so hot with this post due a trip to Glasgow at the weekend, but my main problem was actually selecting which images to include.  A tough job given the quality and energy of the bands, so I'm just going to share more than I would do normally.  But hey, it's the Xmas period and I'm feeling festive!

First up were The Mocking Birds:

The Mocking Birds

The Mocking Birds

The Mocking Birds

Next up were Black Foxxes and they caused me a bit of headache as it was really difficult to narrow down which images to use!

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

Black Foxxes

On next were Then Thickens:

Then Thickens

Then Thickens

Then Thickens

Then Thickens

Then Thickens

And last, but in no way least were the very talented and energetic The Computers: 

The Computers

The Computers

The Computers

The Computers

The Computers

So I definitely posted up more images than I normally do but I couldn't do the gig justice with just a couple of photos!  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did capturing them.

I think this will be my last gig of the year but it won't be my last post of the year.  I'll be working on my top 10 images of 2015 blog post over the next couple of weeks.  It's going to be tough to pick them as its been a bumper year of great images.

However, 2016 is already shaping up to be even better than 2015 with some amazing acts in the pipeline.  I can't wait to share some of those images with you!

No matter what you are doing this December, have a great holiday and I'll see you real soon on The Unplugged Blog.

From The Jam

I had a feeling that the From The Jam gig at the Exeter Phoenix was going to be a good one.  All the signs were there.  It was a sold out event and when I arrived at the venue last Saturday night I had squeeze my way up the steps to get in past the crowds.  A great band and a busy crowd always make for more interesting shots!

Of course, with great headline acts normally come great support bands, and The Real Me did not disappoint.  Here they are in action:

The Real Me

The Real Me

By the time From The Jam came on my shutter finger was well and truly warmed up and here are some of the images of the band in full swing:

From The Jam

From The Jam

From The Jam

My job as photographer is always more fun when you get a night of loud and energetic bands.  Last Saturday was one of those nights.

I hoped you enjoyed my images and if you want to see more then keep an eye out for regular posts on The Unplugged Blog and for images live from the gigs follow me over on Twitter.   If you want to read a quality review of the From The Jam gig then my friends over on MusicMuso will be posting one up really soon!

On A Technical Note

As I mentioned in my last blog post I had just taken delivery of a Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24–70mm f/2.8E ED VR lens.  Saturday night proved a great first proper test of my latest bit of kit.  Initial signs are really good with noticeable improvements in focusing speed and accuracy.  The often dark conditions that I have to work in can often play havoc with autofocus but this new lens seems to be coping very well.  The Vibration Reduction technology is also a welcome addition.  I've got another big action gig coming up so we'll see how it copes with that but the initial signs are looking good!

Beardyman

I've had the pleasure of photographing musicians from many genres of music, but when I went to the Exeter Phoenix last Thursday night to see Beardyman, I saw one man cover everything from jungle to death metal!  The show put on by Beardyman was hugely entertaining (musically and comedically) and the crowd were loving it.  There were plenty of funny moments for Steve from MusicMuso to write about, so keep an eye out on the MusicMuso website for a quality review very soon.

But my job isn't really to write about how good the gig was but to show you how good it was.  So here it goes….

Beardyman

Beardyman

Beardyman

Beardyman

I hope you enjoyed these shots, and I'll be back on The Unplugged Blog again very shortly with images from both From The Jam and The Fratellis gigs, so keep your eyes open here and over on Twitter.

On a Technical Note

I've finally just taken delivery of a new Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24–70mm f/2.8E ED VR lens.  It's a quality bit of glass and I can't wait to really put it through its paces.  It had a nice warm up job for Beardyman, but the next two gigs will see how it really performs.  I'll report back soon.

See you next time!

Lucy Rose

Most people don't like Mondays.  It's the start of another working week and the weekend seems an age away.  However, I took a little trip to the Exeter Phoenix last night where the very talented Lucy Rose was on stage to brighten everyone 's life up a little.

Here is Lucy adding a bit of happiness to the packed out crowd:

Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose

Lucy Rose

It was a fantastic gig and a great way to get my shutter finger warmed up for the week.  My friends over at MusicMuso will of course be writiing up a full review very soon so keep an eye out on their website for that.

I've got a busy November so check out the My Set List page to see what gigs I'll be covering and remember to follow me over on Twitter to see images posted live from the gigs.

See you next time on The Unplugged Blog!

Cattle and Cane

The Exeter Phoenix features some of the best new musical talent out there and Monday night was no exception.  Cattle and Cane were on tour promoting their debut album and they managed to put a great show for the eager Exeter crowd.  As usual I was there with Steve from MusicMuso, so expect a full review up on his website really soon.

In the mean time, let me share a couple of images from the gig.  First up were the local band Tors.

Tors

Tors

And of course Cattle and Cane...

Cattle and Cane

Cattle and Cane

Just a short blog post today but I thought you'd all like to see the photos from Monday night.  

I'll see you next time on The Unplugged Blog!

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Despite suffering from a rather annoying cold I was really looking forward to Saturday night at the Exeter Phoenix.  I thought a good dose of American soul and R&B would be just the medicine I needed.  Thankfully Barrence Whitfield & The Savages instantly made me forget my own blues as I moved around the intimate venue taking my shots.  The power of music and photography can cure all sorts of problems!

It was a cracking gig and and my friends over at MusicMuso will be posting up a full review very soon, but in the meantime here a few images to keep you going.

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

See you next time on The Unplugged Blog!

The Unplugged Blog is One Year Old!

A year ago today I started The Unplugged Blog as a quick way to talk about and share the images I had recently captured.  My first blog post shared some images from the Lewis Watson gig at the Exeter Phoenix - you can read it here.

One year and 24 blog posts later I've shared images from The South, The Boomtown Rats, Europe, Grandmaster Flash and UB40!  It's been a blast.

For those who read my blog on a regular basis you'll know that I like to share my images as soon as I can.  And while I will post images direct and live from a gig on my Twitter feed, you can't beat the quality of a fully processed image from the computer.  So when I get back from a gig the first thing I do is catalog and select my best images.  I will then normally select one or two of my best images from the shoot to share on my blog.  It's important to share some images while the gig is still fresh in everyone's mind!

So to celebrate The Unplugged Blog's first birthday I've collated a selection of some of my favorite images.  Not only are there images from previous blog posts but I've included some images from gigs before I'd even started the blog.  So have a good look through and you might see some images previously unshared!

I hope you enjoyed this selection of images, I certainly enjoyed taking them.  Remember to keep checking my Twitter feed and The Unplugged Blog for all the latest images!

See you next time!