News / Blog - Gigs & Bands News

Another vintage year......

With each year the Guernsey School of Popular Music (SoPM) has raised the bar with its Corporate Battle of the Bands event at Beau Sejour.

The night sits in the middle of a 'three-header' between the Under 18's Battle of the Bands and the 'Music for Everyone' showcase.

The team from SoPM don't hold back or take the easy route and consistently top their previous efforts. I've added Galleries featuring all the highlights of the 2024 Corporate BotB's to my website.

To view photos of all the SoPM events click the link below:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL OF THE SoPM EVENTS

The standard of performances just gets better and better with each year's Guernsey School of Popular Music 'Battle of the Under 18's Bands'.

The SoPM Tutors have perfected the process of organizing their biggest weekend of the year.

Over the years the weekend has grown to feature three separate events.

First up it's the 'Battle of the Under 18's Bands' which features five talented bands.

The winners in 2024 were The Sexy Mosquitos. Photos of the winners and all the other bands, The Fourth, Polystyrene Pigeons, Cheezy Beanz and Aviation are featured in these Galleries....
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2024 BATTLE OF THE U18's BANDS
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Those of you who were also born in the mid-fifties like me..... heck, that makes me feel really old when I say it like that!

But back to the point. If you are from around that era you will probably have great memories of the live music scene that centred around the Fermain Tavern.

You will also probably agree that everything has changed so much over the recent decades... including the music scene.

Whilst we can never go back... and probably wouldn't like it if we did... I was encouraged to hear that there are a few plans in place to get The Fermain Tavern back up and active.

I heard this whilst enjoying a four band line-up at the 'Tav on Saturday. Fingers crossed that they can make it work.

Whilst I was there I photographed Kiya Ashton, Pillars, Coastal Fire Department and Hollow Youth. It was just like the good ol' days, eh!

Click the link to visit my new website and use the 'Search' option to find photos of the bands:
CLICK HERE TO SEARCH FOR THE NEW BAND PHOTOS

Conceived by the guys in Teaspoonriverneck, Spoonfest has become a celebration of Channel Islands live music.

During its short life SPOONFEST has created a small niche for itself in the musical arena in Guernsey. A hand picked line-up always showcases some of our best bands and a look around the audience will reveal that many of the Islands most active musicians support the event.

Spoonfest 3 at St James presented Play Nice, Hollie Thorne, Semu Cà from Jersey, Teaspoonriverneck and SkySkrapers.

Sadly I missed Play Nice but photos of all the other Bands have now been added to my website Galleries.

Click the link if you want to take a look.....
CLICK TO VIEW THE PHOTOS OF SPOONFEST 3

Gaelic Football is a Sport that I rarely have opportunity to photograph, which is a great shame as I love this game.

But what elevates Gaelic Football to legendary status is when I can combine photographing this Sport with a trip to Sark. Add into the mix a good number of beers in the sun with some live music and it really can't get much better.... can it?!!!!

Last Saturday I joined the early boat load of visitors and team members heading off to Sark for the annual clash of the Channel Islands Irish!

The Jersey Irish GAA Club were due to face the Guernsey Gaels Gaelic Football Club on Sarks Millennium Field. And there was a promise of many cold beers and live music to end the day!

I'm fairly certain that even the loosing side... Guernsey, I'm afraid, still had a great day out. I certainly did! I hope to get over again next year too.

But really I was only over in Sark to work, eh!

So just to prove it I've just added a new Gallery of my photos!
CLICK TO VIEW THE JERSEY v GUERNSEY GAELIC FOOTBALL PHOTOS

Photos of a special Elysium gig at The Fermain Tavern are now online.

The Pink Floyd Tribute Band's gig was titled 'Run Like Ted'. The event was organised as a send-off for the bands Saxophonist Ted.

Just one thing was missing at this great gig.... Ted (who couldn't make it due to a bug!)

If you want to view my Photos just click this link and don't forget to look at a huge Gallery of my Elysium photos in my archive too.
CLICK TO VIEW THE ELYSIUM RUN LIKE TED GIG

I think I'm done!

The Chaos Events Music & Bike Festival is one of my highlights of every year even though it is a 'working' holiday - but it's great fun too.

But I always end up with a big photo edit.... well it is three days of photography combined with quite a lot of beer!

So the editing has to fit around my normal week of photography and that delays completion. BUT, I get there in the end and the final Chaos 19 photos are now online.

I think I deserve a beer or two! Click the link to view the Galleries....
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE COMPLETED GALLERIES OF CHAOS 19 PHOTOS

Congratulations to the School of Popular Music Guernsey on reaching 10 years of teaching young and older students the art and skills needed to fulfil their creative musical ambitions.

During the decade many hundreds have achieved goals and enhanced their lives through the medium of music in all its genres.

I've had the privilege of capturing many of the special performances during the last decade. In fact I was there at the first open day of SoPM. It speaks well of the enthusiastic culture of SoPM that many of the original tutors still teach alongside some early students who are now part of the tutor team.

I had a chance to pop along to Delancey Park for the SoPM 10th Anniversary celebration 'Party in the Park' to take a few photos.

I also have a huge archive of SoPM photos taken during the last 10 years. These links are to some of the Galleries:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM PHOTOS ON MY OLD WEBSITE
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM PHOTOS ON MY NEW WEBSITE

As the Chaos Festival fog clears and my beer count has been tallied (it wasn't a record year) I've started the massive edit.

Unfortunately when I combine having a great time, live music, beer and photography at some point I end up with a lot of photos!

So there's no shortcut, I just have to plod through... but its fun looking through the memories again.

I've already uploaded a load of photos which you can view if you click the link. Please share and tag to get the word out.... thanks.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2024 CHAOS FESTIVAL PHOTOS

My edit of the 2024 Guernsey Together Festival is complete, yay!

I've said this before but it's always fun and interesting 're-living' an event through the photos. Oddly, sometimes I don't even remember watching a band or photographing a group of people.... and before someone else makes the comment, yes maybe it was because of the beer!!

So with the edit finished the last galleries are online featuring the Day 2 bands and also an extra gallery offering a feel of the atmosphere and characters.

Click the link to view:
CLICK TO VIEW THE COMPLETED 2024 GUERNSEY TOGETHER GALLERIES

The Guernsey Together Festival fills a gap in the local calendar of events and has now established itself as a 'must go to' for many.

The 2024 GTF was blessed by good weather... apart from late on Saturday eve by which time everyone was in festival spirits anyway!

It is noticeable to me that the majority of the crowd is made up of families and people who aren't regulars at the VEF, Chaos or Sarkfest (when it existed).

The GTF festivalgoers are attracted by a lineup of mostly 'middle ground' popular tribute acts and cover bands. This is not a criticism as the thousands attending prove that there is great support for the concept.

Every act that I saw received an enthusiastic reception. The overwhelming comments from those I spoke to was that they had had a great time and maybe this 'first' taste of a festival format will encourage them to add one of the other local festivals to their calendar as well.

I spent the two days wandering between the two stages (and the bar) and I've added a Gallery featuring the Saturday lineup.

Click the link if you want to view my photos:
CLICK TO VIEW PHOTOS OF SATURDAY AT THE GTF

So as I write this it seems that we are back to the rainy season!

There is a lesson to be learnt from this and that is to really make the most of the good stuff when it happens!

This is what thousands of Islanders did on Liberation Day 2024 when we enjoyed a beautiful sunny day in Guernsey.

I spent my time up at the Last Post where the entertainment was great. I took a few pics too. They are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2024 LIBERATION DAY ENTERTAINMENT

The School of Popular Music Jersey continues to grow and emulate the success of the original School of Popular Music Guernsey.

I've just returned from the 'Other Isle' after photographing their Easter School Gig at Chambers.

The whole place was buzzing with the enthusiasm and confidence of the young performers. It was clear that 'The Stage' was the natural environment for many of the talented students!

I'm always a bit in awe of how quickly the students learn new songs and then perform on stage after just a few days of practice!

My photos of all the bands are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM JERSEY 2024 EASTER SCHOOL GIG

Variety in your work life keeps everything fresh and interesting. That is certainly my aim when choosing the assignments to put in my diary.

The long Easter break offered a really diverse mix for me. Indoor, outdoor. Fast action, slow and moody calm, clean and very dusty, daytime and evening, young and old.... you get the picture (I hope)!

One event was the School of Popular Music Guernsey Easter School Gig at the Doghouse. I always look forward to this one.

This years seemed to be especially busy and a massive challenge for me to get anywhere near the 'action' on stage as there was an eager audience of youngsters packed up close and not wanting to miss a moment of the performances!

The enthusiasm and support was fantastic.

I did manage a few photos and if you want a feel of what SoPM offer take a look at this gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM GUERNSEY EASTER GIG

On Saturday night we were able to enjoy a live performance of Guernsey's alt-grunge Band Tantale at St James Guernsey. They played their most recent Album 'Where Nothing Ends' in full.

Tantale left nothing in the locker when planning this gig. They were supported by The Bare Minimum, Flexagon and the GLC - The Guernsey Laser Company. The stage also used projected images to enhance the experience.

The result was an incredible show that showcased what talent the Island is blessed with across all aspects of live music.... including great sound, imaginative graphics and stage design. Amazing and memorable stuff!

I revelled in the music and the Lasers made me a bit trigger happy too!

If you want see a taste of what you missed when you decided to stay at home on Saturday night (shame on you)..... give the link below a click:
CLICK TO VIEW PPHOTOS OF TANTALE AT ST JAMES

A HUGE well done to St James Guernsey for organizing the two nights of the Decibel Weekender. Gig goers were treated to a great line-up of bands including many top visiting artists.

The venue has been busy over the last couple of years working on the performance space. Clearly a big investment has been made in state of the art sound systems and the acoustics are sorted with new curtains. And to top it off there is new lighting..... just to keep the photographers happy you understand!!

Keep an eye on the St James diary for the next events... there are many!

I did my bit and took a few photos of both nights. Click the link if you are interested:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2024 ST JAMES DECIBEL WEEKENDER PHOTOS

After the first two nights of Battle the Guernsey School of Popular Music relaxed a little for their 'Music for Everyone' event on the Sunday afternoon.

In some ways I think this could be my favourite event of the three. The format sees one or two students on stage within a band made up of SoPM Tutors. This way solo musicians and singers get a chance to experience what it is like to be in a band.

Then, as a bonus for the audience, after the performance the students take part in a short interview where we learn a little about their passions for music.

I really enjoy the format and so do the students judging by the smiles.

My photos of the event are now online on my new website. Follow the link to view them:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2023 MUSIC FOR EVERYONE EVENT

Day two of the Guernsey School of Popular Music's 2023 'triple-header' at Beau Sejour saw the 'longer established' musicians get their turn to go into battle.

Titled as the 2023 Corporate Battle of the Bands the competition was tough for the honour of lifting the trophy.

The five bands showcased a mix-up of some recognisable faces together with a host of 'first-timers'. It would be easy to expect little from such an arrangement but as in previous years the standard of performances was really impressive.

At the end of the night there were plenty of smiles to be seen... even on the losers faces. A testament of just how much fun had been had by all.

My Galleries of photos are on my new website and they can be viewed by clicking this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS OF THE 2023 BATTLE OF THE CORPORATE BANDS

This was the first of a 'three-header' covering the latest Guernsey School of Popular Music's events at Beau Sejour.

Once again I had the chance to photograph the Under 18's Bands as they went into battle for the coveted BotB trophy.

What a pleasure it is to see such young talent coming through the SoPM training. It really is a credit to the tutors for developing such skills. But there is more to it than just that as the students also showed a high level of 'professionalism' in the way they presented themselves in front of a full Beau Sejour theatre.

Well done to all those who were involved.

My Gallery of photos are now uploaded on my new website. This link will take you there:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2023 U18's BATTLE OF THE BANDS

I've just noticed that as well as being slow I'm also late with my coverage of the 2023 Vale Earth Fair.

In fact I actually added VEF Galleries to the new website a few weeks ago but failed to add links to them... bad,bad boy!!

Somehow there have still been thousands of views! How does that work, eh?

But better late than never... I hope. So here's a link if you are interested. So far there are about TWENTY GALLERIES!!
CLICK TO VIEW MY 2023 VALE EARTH FAIR PHOTOS