Julian Baird 16/11/2017 Julian Baird 16/11/2017

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

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!

Julian Baird 22/02/2016 Julian Baird 22/02/2016

Fun Lovin' Criminals at The Great Hall, Exeter - 19/02/2016

When Steve from MusicMuso called me last month and asked if I wanted to shoot legendary band the Fun Lovin' Criminals there really was only one answer I could give... yes!

So Friday night came around and I got in the car and drove all of 5 minutes to get to the Great Hall at Exeter University. (It's rather handy living beside one of Exeter's biggest music venues.) When I got there the crowd had already started to build up and I had a feeling it was going to be a good night!

Fortunately FLC did not disappoint! My primary job of course is to take quality images of the night but when you get an experienced band like FLC on stage that becomes a little easier. They had plenty of stage presence and Huey was kind enough to stick is tongue out for a shot (see my Twitter or Instagram feed)!

So here are some of favourite FLC shots from the night:

Fun Lovin Criminals

One thing you might notice from the images is that these are a bunch of guys that just love playing as a band. When I was finished shooting I stood at the back of hall and watched these guys put on an awesome show. Plenty of smiles and interaction with the crowd. Quality stuff!

If you want to read a full review of the gig then MusicMuso will be posting up one soon, and it will of course be featuring some of these images and more, so do keep an eye out for it.

That's it for my FLC blog post but just to let you know that I've got a BIG March coming up so make sure you keep an eye out on my Twitter and Instagram feeds for more live posting and here on The Unplugged Blog for more great images.

See you next time!

Julian Baird 31/12/2015 Julian Baird 31/12/2015

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!

Julian Baird 22/09/2015 Julian Baird 22/09/2015

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!

Julian Baird 16/03/2015 Julian Baird 16/03/2015

Europe and Black Star Riders

Sunday evening gigs are sometimes some of the hardest to get motivated for. You've spent most of Sunday eating, drinking and generally chilling out. However, with both Europe and Black Star Riders performing at the Great Hall last night there was no chance I would be lying around on the sofa. There was work to be done!

Well, it doesn't always feel like work. The Great Hall is a great venue for taking images. The pit area has plenty of space to move about in, and the bands are well lit. Add that to two kicks ass rock and roll bands and you have all the elements you need to capturing great images.

First up were Black Star Riders and boy did they put on a performance.

Ricky put on a great show, and it looked like Robbie and Scott were having a great time as well!

Europe were up next and I have to admit to having a little bit of a soft spot for them. Back in the day I used to have Final Countdown on cassette, which I remember playing a lot. (Yes, I'm old enough to remember owning cassettes).

As you are only given the first three songs to shoot, I had to put all my youthful memories to the back of mind and focus on the task at hand. It was a busy 15 minutes but the guys gave me some great images.

As you might expect, the crowd were treated to a great show.

All in all it was a great night. Photographically and musically. After all, one of the reasons I do this job is for my love of music.

For my next shoot I'm back at the Exeter Phoenix for GoGo Penguin on March 25th. However, keep an eye on my Twitter feed this week. I might be making a special announcement about a very special assignment....

I hope you enjoyed these images and remember to keep an eye out on the MusicMuso website for a full gig review.

Until next time on the Unplugged Blog, c ya!