2022

December 17, 2021 by Julian Baird

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

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

April 25, 2019 by Julian Baird

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

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

May 01, 2018 by Julian Baird in Uncategorized

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.

Arkells

Following seamlessly on from The Homeless Gospel Choir came the 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!

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!

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

November 16, 2017 by Julian Baird in Uncategorized

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!

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

February 22, 2016 by Julian Baird in Uncategorized

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!

Europe and Black Star Riders

March 16, 2015 by Julian Baird in Uncategorized

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!