News / Blog - Gigs & Bands News

I've enjoyed another fully packed weekend covering two football games... the U21's Muratti and GFC v Bexhill United.

Also Sunday morning's Round 3 of the GVC Ian Brown's Cycle Shop MTB XC Series.

Adding to the list a Charity fundraiser and a Gig featuring SIX bands at St James on Saturday night I think I know why I'm now feeling a bit wacked!

All great fun though!

I've just added the Gallery featuring the GVC Downhill Racing Cross Country race. Click the link to view the photos:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 3 OF THE 2026 GVC MTC XC SERIES

As I'm heading off to St James Guernsey this evening for the Decibel Tower event.... and it's going to be a busy one with SIX Bands on the bill!

So I thought I should add some recent photos taken in the VERY dark 'The Pit'. This is a fantastic, intimate venue downstairs at St James. But it is VERY challenging to photograph in such low light.

However, I never learn so it's more of the same for me tonight then!

Here are a couple of links to the recent photos:
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF PILLARS
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF SICK MILITIA
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF HOLLOW YOUTH

I was assigned by The Guernsey Press to photograph the 2026 Thirst Music School 'Battle of the School Bands' at Beau Sejour.

I'd photographed this event last year and I had also photographed many of the students previously at other events and in a variety of Bands. These young musicians certainly enjoy their passion for live music and they will turn up anywhere they can showcase their talents!

The evening of the 'Battle' was a great example of this. Five school Bands had clearly been practicing hard and they all revelled in playing on the big stage at Beau Sejour to what appeared to be a near sell-out crowd.

All the production values on the night were first class, sound and lighting. No-one left the theatre unimpressed by what they had seen and heard.

Congratulations to the Band representing Elizabeth College, Shockwave, who won the trophy (and cash) for being judged as the Best Band!

There are new Galleries showcasing all the Bands and the atmosphere on the night. Click the link to view them:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE THIRST BATTLE OF THE SCHOOL BANDS PHOTOS

Last Friday I made my first visit in 2026 to a gig. Yeh!

The Christmas/New Year break always leaves me eager to get back out there and this years first event was at St James... and it set a high standard.

We were down in The Pit, which really is a great venue. The line-up featured a window to the future with a couple of new bands on show.

The three bands on the bill were Vessels, Hanging Pieces and Sleep Thief. I'm sure they will play again on a stage near you during the next few months. Keep your ear to the ground and make sure you catch one of their performances.

I've added new galleries to the website featuring the bands. If you fancy looking at them click this link and use the search box to find them.
CLICK TO VISIT THE WEBSITE

One of the final events in the Guernsey School of Popular Music's calendar is also one of my favourites of the year.

The event is titled 'Music for Everyone' and that pretty well sums it up.

The format of the show, which is held in the theatre at Beau Sejour, is to give individual students the chance to perform as part of a professional band made up of SoPM tutors.

Once the students have 'done their thing' they recount what their own musical journey has been like on the road to taking the spotlight on stage.

After the event I'm always so impressed how well the 'Music for Everyone' title perfectly tells the story.

My photos of the 2025 show are now online:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2025 GUERNSEY SoPM MUSIC FOR EVERYONE SHOW

The Guernsey School of Popular Music now has a traditional weekend where students talents are showcased in front of family and friends.

Part of the weekend includes a 'Battle of the Bands' event. This is presented on the big stage at Beau Sejour which offers amazing sound quality complemented with professional lighting... the result is a night to remember for all those involved.

I kept my own tradition going by photographing the whole night and the photos are now online. Just click the link if you want to see the results of all the talented students hard work:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GUERNSEY SoPM BATTLE OF THE BANDS

The festive season kicked off quite early this year with the Guernsey School of Popular Music's Christmas Concert.

In what I think was a brilliant move the Guernsey School of Popular Music included their Christmas Concert into their weekend of events at Beau Sejour.

As we were still in November this benchmark meant that the festive season must have begun!

And judged by the other guideline as to whether it's too early, the fact that M&S have started advertising Christmas everything was fine!

My photos of the SoPM Guernsey Christmas Concert can be viewed by clicking the link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2025 SoPM GUERNSEY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

The Global Collection Festival was created five years ago by Jon Bisson and Gregory Harrison.

Their original concept has grown and developed since then but it is still centred around three venues within St James Guernsey, The Whittacker Hall, The Pit and The Café.

Additional performances could also be enjoyed at the Old Government House Hotel.

The 2025 edition of the GCF was held over three days and nights and featured an amazing line-up of exciting artists and I'm certain that every one of the music lovers who attended during the three days would have discovered a new act to follow!

Thank you St James for enriching our lives once again.

You can view my photos of the 2025 GCF in the Galleries below.....
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE 2025 GLOBAL COLLECTION FESTIVAL

The axe's (of the guitar variety) where out for a fight in Jersey when the Jersey School of Popular Music held the annual 'Battle of the Jersey School Bands' at Haute Vallée School theatre.

This years event was the best ever and was great fun to photograph.

Now this is just an idea.... but maybe we could have a 'Battle of the Bands' inter-insular someday?

Now there's an idea SoPM!

You can view the Jersey BotB's Galleries by clicking this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE JERSEY BATTLE OF THE JERSEY SCHOOL BANDS

The GFC Women maintained their unbeaten record so far this season when they played the visiting team, AFC Stoneham, at Victoria Park.

The 1-1 draw was a fair representation of the closely fought game where both teams performed well. Whilst this game didn't produce the goal fest that had come before it was encouraging that the GFC Women where able to adapt to a tighter game.

Well done to the ladies. Lets hope the good form lasts. You have certainly captured the interest among local supporters who look forward to the next game at Victoria Park.

I've added a new gallery featuring the GFC Women v AFC Stoneham. Click the link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF GFC WOMAN v AFC STONEHAM

Tantale's recent gigs have seen them as headliners, a role that they rise to with style. They have more than a decade of experience and deserve the recognition that they've earned.

But last weekend Tantale took a supporting role at the return gig of The Recks at St James Guernsey.

The combination of these two great local bands created an night to remember... and I'm not the only one who thinks so. The comments on social media have all been fervent, thrilled and excited.

I've just uploaded a few pics of the TANTALE set. Click the link if you want to take a look:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST TANTALE PHOTOS

The Recks are perhaps the most photographed band in my galleries. I think the number of photos now exceeds 1,200!!

The Recks have played at festivals and gigs across the Channel Islands and UK and have earned a loyal following. The Covid years seriously interrupted their momentum and plans and the band disappeared from the scene.

However in 2025 they were back with a legendary gig at St James.

Hopefully this signals that more is to come......
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST PHOTOS OF THE RECKS

With the my hard drives bursting at the seams with a backlog of edits I'm almost of a mind that I should just take a rest from covering events (to catch up)!

But of course it is the taking of the photos that is the best and most enjoyable part of my work! So, no, I've got to find another solution, somehow.

A great example of the fun that can be had whilst 'working' has to be the annual Vale Earth Fair. The 2025 edition was incredible and so was the amount of photos I captured... around 700! But I was there for twelve hours!!

Of course this made for a massive and slow edit which had to be fitted around the other jobs. But it's all sorted and the completed Vale Earth Fair galleries can now be viewed. If you're interested just click the link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE COMPLETE VALE EARTH FAIR 2025 GALLERIES

Photos of the Channel Islands longest running Music Festival are now online.

The Vale Earth Fair consistently presents a great line-up of bands. The Castle Stage headliners for 2025 were the Dub Pistols with strong support from Big Special and The Lovely Eggs with Meryl Streek headlining the Next UP Stage.

But the line-ups always feature many of the Channel Islands best and favourite bands and for 2025 we saw The Risk, Buffalo Huddleston, Apothis, Ukuladeez, Dodgy Jammers and many more.

Central ethos of the VEF organisers is how they support good causes with consideration give to their impact on the planet. In fact they were well ahead of the times as this has been part of their beliefs going back nearly five decades!

Click this link to view the 2025 VEF:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2025 VALE EARTH FAIR

With the 2025 Vale Earth Fair just around the corner I thought I should make one last effort to finish and update the Chaos 20-25 Festival photo gallery.

I'm sure I will have another mega edit awaiting me after the VEF but that will have to wait until my VEF Real Ale induced headache has eased!

For now you can view photos of the legendary (and last) Chaos Festival by clicking this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE CHAOS 20-25 FESTIVAL PHOTO GALLERIES

It's the season when the School of Popular Music Guernsey and the School of Popular Music Jersey organise their Summer Schools.

The students are promised a full and varied week. The aim is to work towards a final night of performances where the newly created bands can showcase the work that they have done during the week.

I've just photographed the Jersey SoPM Summer Gig and I've added a gallery of photos of the performances:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2025 JERSEY SUMMER SCHOOL GIG PHOTOS

I've just discovered one of the most enjoyable Music Festivals and its future is uncertain!

This is a great shame as the landlords of the L'Auberge Du Nord on Jersey are just leaving the tenancy!

But let's not worry about that right now. I'm still so excited that I was able to get along to Bergefest 3 as the all-day event hosted an amazing line-up of acts. Three were from the UK and Karma Sheen, Waco and Dungeön were great new finds for me.

I wasn't totally distracted by the music and I did photograph all the bands.... lucky me as I can now look at my photos to remember this great festival....

If you are interested too, click the link below to view all the Galleries:
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF BERGEFEST 3

July seems to bring endless highlights and events to photograph.

Inevitably as I can't be in front of the screen editing whilst I'm out doing the fun part of my job.... actually taking photos (and having a good time) there is a backlog of updates to the website.

But I promise I haven't been sleeping (although god knows I could do with a few good nights worth).

However I'm really enjoying the Chaos Music & Bike Festival edit as it was such good fun this year.

I've started on day two, Saturday, and you will find all the latest photos by clicking this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST CHAOS FESTIVAL PHOTOS

With the legendary Greenman Chaos Band & Bike Festival coming to an end in 2025 there was an air of sadness around the Pleinmont cliff-top festival site.

But that didn't last too long as we all realised that we had a duty to send it off in biker style.... loud, lively, burnouts, bands, beer and partying... oh and more beer!

It's fair to say that everyone stepped up to the challenge and many great memories were added to the pile.

As usual my edit is massive and it will take some time to complete but it is always worth a new look at the gallery to see the latest updates....
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST CHAOS FESTIVAL PHOTOS

It's already coming up to a week gone since the 2025 Guernsey Together Festival. Time really fly's by when I'm gardening! Well it has been a great week to get out and catch up with the weeding!

But I've now also caught up with the editing!

This years GTF vintage was just a one-day affair but the festival still managed to include most of what we were expecting. This festival is all about keeping it local and celebrating our local bands.

The line-up kept the chilled crowd entertained and there was a great family atmosphere. Even the sun turned up this time!

And I've just noticed that the dates for 2026 have been announced so it looks like Guernsey Together has more left in the tank. See you there next year?

Click this link to view all my photos:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2025 GUERNSEY TOGETHER FESTIVAL