News / Blog - Gigs & Bands News

The Independent Venue Week is a great initiative aimed at supporting and promoting independent live music venues across the UK.

The hope is that the trend of these unique places closing can be slowed and halted. This is an important goal which any scholar of the history of popular music would tell you.

Small venues have been the making of almost every major act to emerge on to the scene for decades. Without these 'seed beds' where young artists and musicians can meet, network and develop their personalities and performances the future of modern music would be stunted.

So it was fantastic to see the support given by musicians and gig supporters to the Guernsey edition of the Independent Venue Week at St James.

I photographed three of the bands who performed, The Tarantulips, Stone Cold Fiction and the headliners Beach Riot.

Follow these links to view my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BEACH RIOT

CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF STONE COLD FICTION

CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE TARANTULIPS

The boys from 'up north' brought their 'Grunge from the Vale' to St Peter Port on Saturday night.

The Fermain Tavern was the venue where Coastal Fire Department sonically abused our ears when they turned if up to eleven on the dial making anywhere within four meters of the stage carry a health warning!

With support from Bobby Battle's 'Terrible Stuntman' and From Darkness the crowd where rewarded for making the effort to climb the hill out of town.

I've added pics of the three bands to the website. Follow these links:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF COASTAL FIRE DEPARTMENT
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TERRIBLE STUNTMAN
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF FROM DARKNESS

The School of Popular Music's annual Christmas Concert is always full of seasonal good cheer and anticipation of what is to come.... both Christmas Day and the ongoing development of the young talent.

The relaxed atmosphere which is shared by students, SoPM tutors, family and friends is often the first time the younger performers stand on stage in front of a room full of people.

It is a credit to them and their tutors that they always rise to the occasion and produce many memorable performances.

I've photographed the concerts many times and there have always been 'stand-out' young people who I'm sure will already feature during next years many SoPM events. I think that the SoPM's modern teaching structure is fantastic at building confidence within the youngsters as there seems to be a healthy balance between the required formal practice and discipline which is combined with having a 'target' set on future events where new abilities can be showcased.

You can view my latest pics of the School of Popular Music's 2019 Christmas Concert by following this link:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM 2019 CHRISTMAS CONCERT

One of the more enjoyable Press assignments of 2019 was being sent to photograph the Accent Language School singing Christmas carols in Market Square.

I was getting into seasonal good spirits whilst driving down to town but this was soon tempered when I saw that I literally had only torchlight to work with!

In the end I was quite pleased with the results.

Click the link to view the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE ACCENT LANGUAGE SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CAROL SINGING

Christmas must be on the way as it's time for the School of Popular Music Christmas Gig. Once again the students were given a whole evening to fill at The Doghouse. The entertainment was none-stop with some real quality on show.

The familiar format started with the solo acts leading on to the bands. This was the sixth year that I have photographed the Xmas gig and as always it's great to see how each performer has developed over the years.

The opportunity to sing and play their chosen instrument at a live venue that offers professional sound techs, lighting and an audience is a special and memorable thing for the young talent. Some, I'm sure, will go on to make a life and living within the music business. Others will enjoy the moment and they'll have fond memories of this time forever.

So thank you SoPM. I'm now officially feeling the festive vibes... well just a bit!
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM 2019 CHRISTMAS GIG

I confess that I've spent 'silly' money over the decades on HiFi systems.

I still have a set of Celestion Studio Monitors that stand at over half my own height! Sadly they are now relegated to stands for our lounge lights!

I'm now a firm convert to the Sonos system of speakers... in every room... and Spotify. My days of reading HiFi magazines are gone and I've 'sold out' to technology and a single system. Maybe my old HiFi mags would not be impressed with my investment but there are real benefits.

The streaming of music has enhanced my enjoyment of a wider range of music. I'm definitely the winner. Maybe I'll expand on the bonus I now enjoy from using this technology in another Blog.

But, and it's a BIG but. There is no system that can replicate a top live performance... and I was reminded of this last weekend.

I attended a gig at St James in Guernsey which had three very popular local bands on the bill. Indeed these bands would have been enough of a draw to entice a good turnout.

However there was a promise that the headliners would put on a rather special performance to top the night.

And that is what happened. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs were immense. Heavy, charismatic and memorable. Indeed they were the perfect example of how live music has to be enjoyed 'in the moment' and shared together as an unrepeatable (no two live performances are ever the same) experience.

Sure the musicians will often comment after a show that they weren't a tight as they wanted or some other error had crept into the show. But the crowd rarely even notice this.

The fidelity of the sound might not match my old Studio Monitors but that is quite irrelevant. The memory taken away is much more powerful and references a far more complete experience.

So I hope you have taken from this ramble that I remain a committed follower of live music and when I experience a powerful performance like the Pigs x7 at St James it can't get much better!

Their support was from Track Not Found, Brunt and Teaspoonriverneck. You can view pics of Pigs x7 and those bands here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF PIGS x7
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TEASPOONRIVERNECK
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BRUNT
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TRACK NOT FOUND

The soon to be closed Guernsey Aquarium was the venue for a one-off pop-up gig organized by the Vale Earth Fair Collective.

The granite tunnel challenged the bands and sound techs as well as the photographers. Massive natural echo and near darkness means that this space would never work as a permanent live performance spot but it really ticked the box for wacky, weird and memorable.

I caught the performances by Kiya Ashton, Patrick Devaney aka. Citizen X and Brunt.

The act that seemed most at home in the cavernous tunnel was Citizen X who's electronic sounds some how seemed to benefit from the acoustics.

Thanks VEF, you gave us another 'should have been there' moment.

These pics show some of the atmosphere....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE AQUARIUM POP-UP GIG

Dat Bass swapped London town for St James for a gig featuring their own brand of brass band hip-hop. This ten-piece outfit rocked the party with their energetic take of beats and rhymes.

This gig followed a successful run of events promoted by Guernsey's most stately venue. St James is beginning to establish itself as a versatile venue and the momentum is building.

Various tweaks have been made along the way with a bar now being a feature at the back of the hall. This reduces any vacant space and keeps the punters who want drink involved with the performances.

The one area that needs work is the acoustics of the large building. Balancing the sound must be a nightmare job for the techs. I've been told that there is a plan to try and sort out the sound... if that comes about I think we are going to be treated to many more memorable nights at St J.

My pics of Dat Brass can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF DAT BRASS PLAYING AT ST JAMES

On Saturday night family, friends, fellow musicians and live music followers through the years supported an amazing evening of music held at L'Eree Aerodrome in tribute and fond memory of Guernsey's popular drummer Colin Hewlett.

The gig was an immediate sell-out which was no suprise as Colin was dearly loved by so many. He had been a part of the local music scene for decades and had played in many local bands. He was the 'go-to' drummer when Guernsey hosted big stars and he even backed Elton John!

His musical friends were out in force to put on a fitting tribute to Colin and I was there to try and record the atmosphere.

All money raised during the night was given to Male Uprising Guernsey (MUG) and I'm also donating any picture sales to MUG.

The evening took us all back quite a few years and some of the audience must have been feeling those 'years' when rising from their bed on Sunday! None of us have the same recovery rate as time rolls on!

There were so many fantastic performances during the evening with a couple being my most memorable.

Pete Frampton once again showed what an amazing performer he (still) is... great singer, wonderful vocalist and front man.

The other thrill and special treat was to see Alan Palzeaird on stage for a very rare (but all too brief) performance. This man truly makes his guitar weep... and truth be told he has that effect on me too!

It is a wonder that the finest guitarists like Alan are able to tease such emotion out of their instrument whilst 'just' playing the same notes as all others. I do hope Alan makes more appearances again... please don't keep us waiting too long!

I've added my Gallery of pics, there is a link below, and as I mentioned before I am donating any sales I make to MUG in memory of Colin Hewlett.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE GIG FOR COLIN

Those who know me will be aware that I love live music and that I combine this passion with my profession in the form of my music photography.

But those who really know me will know that I also enjoy mixing a few pints of Real Ale into that mix. This is an entirely natural and obvious pairing to me!

So I was one of many visitors to this years Vale Earth Fair who were aware that something was missing. It just wasn't quite the same.

During the past year the Vale Earth Fair Collective... and indeed all of us, lost one of Guernsey's special ones. Errol Groves passing left a massive hole in the heart of the VEF music festival. It also left me without my favourite landlord, even if he was that for just one day a year.

But we can all be sure that the quiet, caring, thoughtful, likeable and memorable guy who was friend to so many will live on at the VEF as his real ale bar has been renamed as 'Errol's Bar'.... which of course it always was.

I'm pleased to say that Errol's Bar continued his fine work by serving many a satisfying pint. I, as did many others, drank an extra pint just for the great man.

My edit of the many pics I took of the VEF 2019 (fueled by many pints) will take a while to edit as I actually still have to finish the Chaos Festival edit. That too was fueled by music and real ale!

For now I've added a small picture gallery featuring my Press edit that had to be submitted overnight for publication.
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2019 VEF PRESS EDIT

On Saturday night I took the steep Stairway to Vale Castle to see a tribute to one of my favorite bands... actually is was a steep pathway but that didn't quite work with my analogy!

The previous comment should be enough of a clue to any rock music lover of my era as to who the tribute was for.

One Louder promoted a special event within the historic walls of Guernsey's Vale Castle featuring Europe's finest Led Zeppelin tribute band.

Letz Zeppelin powered through two sets of the originals finest songs and had the crowd (which were mostly of a 'certain age' - like me!) rocking like the years had dropped away!

The event could have done with a few more people... the band certainly justified gig goers making more of an effort. But for those who had made their way to the castle it was a memorable gig.

This Gallery of pictures should give you a flavour of the night:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF LETZ ZEPPELIN

Once again the SoPM Summer Gig at The Fermain Tavern proved to be one of my favorites gigs of the year.

The 2019 version had a fantastic atmosphere and it is great to see the progress students have made since their last performances. Well done to teachers and students alike for organizing such an enjoyable evening.

I was invited to capture the performances and my Gallery of pics is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM 2019 SUMMER GIG

A notable anniversary deserves a special effort to celebrate it and that is what the SoPM team made to mark their fifth year supporting the musical population of Guernsey.

Hundreds of children and adults have benefited from the talent and enthusiasm within the young, energetic SoPM team of tutors. I've been lucky to have covered most of the SoPM special events and the latest anniversary concert was organized in the modern Performing Arts Centre.

Once again the talent was amazing as performers did their thing in front of a packed audience.

The SoPM goes from strength to strength each year with a stream of new ideas and events designed to keep their many students exciting and enthused.

My pics of the anniversary concert are now online. Check them out here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM 5th ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

Its been a busy few weeks doing almost everything apart from photography!

Life has been full of selling property, buying property and dealing with Advocates. I need to get back to work to pay for that one as that's an expensive business!

Also I've packed more boxes of belongings than I'm prepared to admit too.

How is it that many of us feel we need so many possessions to be 'who we are'? Probably most of them are forgotten and unused until we have to pack when moving residence!

To add to the work load I've been project managing the modernization of our new home which will be a completely up-to-date and most importantly easy to keep clean and maintained fully networked bungalow... after it is finished and we can move in. For now we have to 'camp out' in rented holiday accommodation.

Carol and I never really expected to be moving to a modern place after more than forty years living in a nearly two hundred year old Guernsey cottage but now we have started on this new journey we are really excited by it and we are certain the future will be easier for both of us.

All this ties in with my retirement in less than a years time but this will mean anything but putting my feet up as there will be a long list of decoration and projects to complete before life becomes all about putting the feet up, drinking beer and laying in the sun (at least that's my plan - I haven't run it by the boss yet!).

Luckily I was able to find my cameras this weekend (an amazing feat given we have things spread over four buildings and dozens of boxes) so I managed to get out to take some pics. I've photographed Sandracing, Cricket and a loud gig... much like normality really!

The first pics are online and feature a pre-season friendly game of cricket at KGV where Cannaccord Griffins played a visiting side from the UK, Sparsholt. The pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF CANNACCORD GRIFFINS v SPARSHOLT

Some like it heavy. In fact there is quite a tradition in Guernsey for the heavier side of music. Metal has always had a following and many bands have formed then split over the years.

I popped along to a night of the dark stuff at The Fermain Tavern which was well named as 'Black March'. I captured a few pics of three of the current bands on the scene... Of Abscess and Amputation, Ironfoot and From Darkness.

Follow the links to view my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF OF ABSCESS AND AMPUTATION
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF IRONFOOT
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF FROM DARKNESS

Now I know that Blog headline is a bit corny... but hey, I'm not a copy writer, I'm a photographer.

But that headline isn't too far wrong.

I photographed a gig at The Fermain Tavern on Saturday. The promoters were Havoc Events. They'd invited a mixed lineup of local talent - both young and not so young (sorry Coastal Fire Dept.)

I missed the first acts but caught the end of the Vice GSY set. Next up were the loud, heavy and grungy Coastal Fire Dept. Has the Tav ever been blasted with such a solid wall of riffs?

Then to contrast it was Kings who closed the night with their polished, modern set. I really like this band. Their sound is distinctive and contemporary. They are another example of the amazing talent that Guernsey seems to nurture.

There must be something about a small community that acts as a catalyst for talent. I recommend that you try and catch a Kings gig. If you like things on the loud and heavy side then Coastal Fire Dept. would be the way to go!

My pics of the gig can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF KINGS
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF COASTAL FIRE DEPT.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF VICE GSY

Will I be accused of being over excited if I state that the 2019 Resolution IT Guernsey Rally was pretty spectacular?

Well, so what if I am! I spent two days following the event including seeing some of the massive amount of organization and the number of people behind the scenes who have to come together to make this event happen... and I was more than impressed.

The Stages were varied and challenged competitors versatility on each day. A large number of spectators took full advantage of the perfect springtime weather... but it is still midwinter!

Big respect to the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club, some great work sorting that out! Or maybe it was all the helpers who came over from Jersey who brought their own sunshine along with them? I don't care if they did. It was the icing on the cake of a great Rally event. Bring it on again next year please.

I'm now working on the edit... and it's a big one! Check out the link below to keep up to date with the latest uploads.

As well as photographing the Rally I also covered 21 BOUTS of boxing at Beau Sejour and just to completely wear me out, there was also a gig to photograph on Friday night after the evening Stages of the Rally.

My whole body is aching... but it's a good kind of ache. The sort you get after having a good work-out. The only problem is my recovery rate at 64 years old isn't what it used to be :-(
CLICK TO VIEW THE RESOLUTION IT 2019 RALLY PICS

Harry Dean Junior and the New Breed played their first gig to a packed theater at Beau Sejour. We were all there to pay tribute to one of our talented and loved 'musical brothers', Ged Kelly who recently died too young.

It was a true tribute to Ged and his family to see so many local musicians play a role during the evening, many others had traveled to Guernsey just to be a part of the evening.

The headliners on the night were Harry Dean Junior and the New Breed. This new band fronted by Chris Dean featured several members who would be familiar to fans of King Rat & the Soul Cats.

That link kind of gives you a clue about what you'll hear from Harry Dean Junior and the New Breed... together with a new set list. A greater recommendation couldn't be made. Make sure to get along to one of their gigs.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GED KELLY TRIBUTE CONCERT

I've just finished uploading pics of two of my favorite ways to get into the festive spirit.

There were a couple of (now traditional) back-to-back School of Popular Music events held recently and there was nowhere to hide from the classic Christmas songs!!

Thankfully lots of other music and song also featured from well over a hundred performers spread over the two nights.

First up was the SoPM Christmas Concert held at the Church on the Rock followed by the SoPM Christmas Gig at The Doghouse a day later.

The Concert showcased the less experienced and younger students with the experienced students being treated to a professional venue with the added benefits of a pro sound desk and lighting at The Doghouse.

I've added two full galleries featuring all the performances:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM CHRISTMAS EVENTS

The annual tidy-up is still underway and I've found another folder of pics that seem to have missed the edit... but that's sorted now!

These pics are from way back in the summer when a David Bowie tribute act visited Guernsey and played a couple of outdoor concerts within the historic walls of Castle Cornet.

I was sent along by the Guernsey Press to take a few pics and enjoyed re-living my youth to a stream of Bowie hits. I was a great fan of the Starman and hearing so many of his hits during a two hour set reminded me of the time when I wore flares, platform boots and had hair down to the shoulders. Thankfully not too many pics exist of that very questionable period of fashion!

The Bowie Experience did a good job of 'time-travelling' us back to the days of cassettes and no mobile phones. Those were the days :-)

This is a link to my pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE BOWIE EXPERIENCE