News / Blog - Gigs & Bands News

I've already mentioned the Guernsey School of Popular Music's Summer Party at the Fermain Tavern in a previous Blog. You can read that here if you want:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM SUMMER PARTY BLOG

You will see in that Blog that I was impressed by the enthusiasm and talent displayed by 'tomorrows generation' of young musicians and singers.

Well the story didn't really end there as after the juniors had finished enjoying their moment on the Fermain Tavern stage the night went on with performances by four 'senior' bands... three of whom could even be called 'Pro's' if judged by their longevity and experience!

The first of the seniors was a three piece made up of members of the Falla family. They call themselves The Buried Kings. Next up on this busy evening was Lifejacket - they raised the energy level... and the sound level!

Following them were Gay Army who turned it up one more click on the dial as if they knew they had to because it was Thee Jenerators who were waiting in the wings to have their chance on stage... and they never go quietly!

So to sum up the SoPM Summer Party and the follow-on gig in just two words, 'thoroughly entertaining' covers it. During the evening we were treated to the emerging talent and rewarded by the experienced old hands.

You can view my photographs of The Buried Kings, Lifejacket, Gay Army and Thee Jenerators by following these links:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE BURIED KINGS
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LIFEJACKET
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GAY ARMY
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THEE JENERATORS

Well how about that. I turn my back for a couple of days and the viewing total on this website passes through another MILLION MILESTONE!

I've been very busy for the last week and it seems that the 18 MILLION VIEWS total was broken at the weekend... and I've only just noticed!

What is also quite amazing is that the last five days has seen an extra 100,000 views added to the total!

Thanks for the continued support :-)

You can read a few of the previous MILLION MILESTONE Blogs by clicking here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MILESTONE BLOGS

The School of Popular Music's Summer Party at The Fermain Tavern brings a week of intensive music tuition and practice to a fitting climax as the students get to show off their new skills to friends and family.

They are given the chance to perform on the famous Fermain Tavern stage... just like Elton John did, and they get to enjoy having professional technicians working the sound desk and lighting rig... oh, and there's also a professional music photographer in attendance too ;-)

There was a fantastic atmosphere in the 'Tav which was packed full with young students and their supporters. The evening showcased perfectly how important music is in so many peoples lives and how being part of the music and artistic 'scene' helps you make friends for life.

From what I have seen whilst photographing three of the SoPM's events this summer the live music scene will only get stronger... that's good news :-)

This gallery displays pics of the eight bands that were formed by students for the 2017 SoPM Summer Party...
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE SoPM SUMMER PARTY

During its short life Guernsey's School of Popular Music has established a strong base of support. It has also established its own traditions. Not a bad effort after just a couple of years work!

I've been lucky to document some of these 'traditions' as they became established. It has been fantastic to get to know the tutors and students and to see how the hard work and practice is rewarded.

It is clear that the SoPM's modern approach to teaching music enables the students to blossom in confidence leading them to enjoy sharing their talents with friends, family and a wider audience.

The students have just completed two showcase events allowing them to demonstrate the progress they have made and I was at both gigs capturing some of the performances.

Many now familiar faces took to the stages fulfilling their ambitions to share their love of live music.

The first of the summer season's events was the Summer Concert at The Church on the Rock. Followed by the Summer Gig at The Doghouse.

You can view my pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE SoPM GALLERIES

That's another job done, hurrah!

The final galleries of pics from Chaos Voodoo 13 have now been added to the website.

New additions feature Demise of Sanity, Granite Wolf, Sugar Slam, Honest Crooks, Johnny Cage and the Voodoo Groove, That Band and a few more pics of the Peace Tent.

This is where you will find all the Greenman Chaos Voodoo 13 pics...
CLICK TO VIEW THE COMPLETED CHAOS VOODOO 13 PICS

Once again the Chaos Voodoo 13 Music & Motorcycle Festival was held on its unique clifftop site. All the expected ingredients were present, music & bikes... well that goes without question. Beer and fun. Of course, by the bucket full!

Perhaps it was just me that was missing from the usual line-up as I ended up with a couple of conflicting photo assignments :-(

But that didn't stop me from covering most of the Festival... and I still managed the usual 'van-camping' on the three nights!

My overall beer count might have been slightly down on the norm but perhaps that was a good thing for a photog who approaches retirement age at an alarming speed ;-)

You can now view the first of my pics that show some of the fun and music that made Chaos Voodoo 13 another vintage year..... More will follow.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FIRST PICS OF CHAOS VOODOO 13

One thing was certain when the Abba tribute band 'Bjorn Again' played for two nights to a packed crowd within the walls of Guernsey's historic Vale Castle.

... There was no shortage of hit songs for the band to play ...

Vale Castle is the traditional venue of the Vale Earth Fair so it is no stranger to live music. It is a fantastic setting for live performances and there was a large crowd for the first night of Bjorn Again.

Many people in the crowd had obviously been up in the attic to find some of their old gear. This added more atmosphere to the night.

I felt the only disappointing aspect of the night was that it seemed to end a bit too abruptly. Another fifteen minutes would have made the punters feel they had good value from the night.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF BJORN AGAIN

As this website smashes through 17 MILLION VIEWS I maintain the effort to keep the updates coming.

CLICK HERE TO READ MY 17 MILLION VIEWS BLOG

The variety of work that makes up an average week of photography keeps everything interesting for me... and I'm pleased to say a few of you too, judging by the amount of picture views made every day on this website :-)

As an example of some of the variety of photoshoots there have been three new galleries added today. They feature Round three of the GK&MC Summer Kart Championship.

Then there are pics of Jo Reeve's fortieth birthday gig at the Golden Lion which saw Gay Army make a rare live appearance.

There's also a gallery of cricket pics that I captured during the Loveridge Cup half-time at KGV. See the previous Blog for those pics.

All this still doesn't mean that I'm up to date with the weeks work yet... but I'm definitely three steps closer!

These links will take you to the new uploads:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ROUND 3 OF THE SUMMER KART SERIES
CLICK HERE TO VIEW GAY ARMY PLAYING AT THE GOLDEN LION
CLICK HERE TO VIEW CRICKET AT KGV

I’m chuffed to say that this website continues to gain a following. My thanks and a high five (a hug if you’re a lady) to anyone who pops along here for an occasional browse through the picture galleries.

The time I spend taking pics is mostly exciting and enjoyable…. and it definitely beats having a ‘proper job’!

Now whilst the pleasure I get from working full-time as a photographer should be enough to keep me happy there is an additional side to making me smile – that is this website and the amount of interest shown in my work.

The total number of picture viewings of the galleries has just passed another MILLION MILESTONE. The total now exceeds 17 MILLION VIEWS!

It seems that the annual average has now settled at FOUR MILLION VIEWS A YEAR!

This got me interested in calculating what that number means on a daily, hourly and minute basis. The result is quite surprising!

So I started with the 4 MILLION annual views.

A simple division gives you 11,000 views a day – every day of the year!

I then looked at the Google Analysis which shows most viewings are between 7am and 1am…. that’s eighteen hours out of the twenty-four day.

So another division…. 11,000 views divided by the 18 hours gives you 600 views an hour every day of the year!

Next divide the hourly views by 60 minutes and you arrive at 10 views a minute.

Finally another quick calculation and you can work out that (on average throughout the year) a picture is viewed every six seconds. WOW!

So there we have it, my Maths teachers at the Grammar School always said that I would be surprised how useful ‘learning sums’ could be later in life. In this case it has helped tickle my ego and encourage me to keep taking the pics…. At least while the interest remains ;-)

Thanks again for all your support.

If you want to read a few of my previous ‘MILLION MARK’ Blogs just click on this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MARK BLOGS

It was a night of surprise and not!

Saturday saw the launch gig of the new Static Alice EP ‘Warrior’ at the Fermain Tavern… a bit more about that in a minute.

I’ll start by mentioning one of the supporting bands.

Somehow I had missed seeing this band before. Maybe because, as I get older and lack the youthful stamina, I sometimes miss the early support bands as I arrive a little late at gigs. A man of my age has to pace himself you know!!

Whatever the reason, this was the first time I’d seen a new (for me) young band called Track Not Found… and they impressed me. When you take a look at my pics you will see that the three guys in the line-up are girls! :-)

Don’t let this leave you with an impression on their music choices. This band is grungy and heavy. They already have a strong set of originals and have developed a tight and promising live performance. This was the surprise that I mentioned before. Track Not Found did more than enough to get me to their next gig early to make sure I see them again. You must keep an eye out for them too.

The other surprise of the night… but it wasn’t really… was that there were so few ‘punters’ out on Saturday to catch the launch gig of Static Alice’s new EP ‘Warrior’. Static Alice command a large following of fans in Guernsey. They always ‘produce the goods’ at gigs with their charismatic, high energy live performances of original songs. They really are one of the most memorable bands on the Guernsey scene at the moment.

So why didn’t their fan base turn out to support Static Alice in greater numbers on Saturday?

As I suggested earlier, this was a surprise… but not, if that makes any sense!

Regular gig-goers have seen it all before and I guess that nothing will ever change. However, at least (in one way) I hope things don’t change.

What I mean by that comment is this. I hope bands aren’t put off arranging gigs when their efforts go so unrewarded. I would hate to lose the chance to see live music played in Guernsey just because of the apathy shown by so many.

If you’re still interested, Static Alice didn’t let the lack of people affect them in the slightest. They are in the game (originally) because of their love of live music. They stepped up to the mic’s and didn’t lower the energy level until the last song. Well done guys.

Oh, and ‘Warrior’ is fantastic. Make sure you buy a download. We need to support our local talent… even if you can’t be bothered to attend gigs.

There is one more point that makes the lack of punters even harder to understand. The other supporting band was Honest Crooks who have a large fan base of their own – making things even stranger!!

You can view pics of the bands here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF STATIC ALICE
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF TRACK NOT FOUND
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF HONEST CROOKS

May the 9th is Guernsey's National Holiday... but I have to ask 'What National Holiday?'

Liberation Day is a day that most locals enjoy chilling out on. There are many events taking place if you need entertainment. Or you can take the chance to visit friends and family for a couple of beers.

However for a working photographer it is far from a leisurely day.

This year my first assignment on Liberation Day day was to photograph the 50th time that the Guernsey Velo Club had run their Liberation Day Road Race over the L'Eree course. There was a good size entry when you consider other events that were taking place.

After that 6.30 am start my working day didn't finish until 18 HOURS LATER!!!

Once I'd captured a few action pics of the Road Race it was back to my office to sort, edit, caption and submit the pics for publication.

Next on the list was the Guernsey Athletics running race from the Peninsular into St Peter Port. I captured the start then followed the runners around the coast until (after struggling to find a parking space) I was at the finish line just as the winners crossed. Then back to the office for another edit.

Now it was time to photograph the historic motor cavalcade along the St Peter Port seafront. This always promises lots of colour and flag waving. It produced the goods :-)

It was now time for a bit a music... and a deserved beer... up at the Vale Earth Fair stage placed in the front garden of the Last Post Pub in St Andrew. To be honest with you, I could easily have called it a day then and there as there was a lovely chilled-out vibe among the crowd of locals sitting in the closed main road.

But no, there was more on my list. So back into St Peter Port I headed to photograph some of the bands appearing on the Lib Rock stage on the Albert Pier... only stopping to take a few pics of the fireworks.

So like I've already said, Liberation Day is far from a 'chilled day off' when you're a working 'tog. But it was still great fun. I hope you enjoyed yours.

You can view my pics of the 2017 Liberation Day by following this link:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF LIBERATION DAY 2017

On Saturday I took the steps up to The Lion's Den.

This new venue on the Guernsey live music scene looks as if it has plenty to offer.

Just in case you haven't discovered it yet, you just have to head into St Peter Port... next you find Market Square. You'll be getting near. Listen out for the sound of music emanating from the upstairs room above the Golden Lion Pub and you will have found The Lion's Den.

Over the years I've enjoyed many gigs downstairs at the Golden Lion but I'm sure that the new Lion's Den Bar will prove even more popular.

My first visit offered the chance to see Chas Cole fronting a band instead of hiding in the shadows behind the mixing desk. His band called BlackTopTales received a great response. Keep an eye open for their next gig.

Headliners were Blue Mountains now expanded by a couple of friends and offering greater depth to their sound. This band is heading into my top ten of local bands.

I'm recommending The Lion's Den to you if you like your music live... of course you do!

I've added a few new pics to my Music Gallery featuring BlackTopTales and Blue Mountains:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BLACKTOPTALES
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF BLUE MOUNTAINS

Do you want a master class in how to organize a party?

Do you want to know who the experts in fun are?

Well I'll let you into the 'not so secret' formula!

You need to ask Guernsey's most popular band for dancing and partying to help you out.

During the last 30 years King Rat and the Soul Cats have been the masters of the party and they celebrated that milestone with a mega gig at Beau Sejour recently.

The word had spread that it was likely to be a lively event and the band definitely didn't disappoint. During the two sets King Rat and the Soul Cats performed many of their own songs together with the expected Motown classics.

It was a reminder that, in my opinion, nothing can replace a live band.

The Motown classics (as you would expect of such great songs) are often played by DJ's at dances and functions but they just lack that special something that a live performance has.

You could feel the love and happy memories in the haze of the Beau Sejour function room as we time-travelled back through thirty years of good times.

Thanks go to the band, the music and the loyal fans for a great night :-)
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE KING RAT 30th GIG

My work-time has been a bit disrupted recently as I've had to commit more and more hours to the care of my father.

It has been a challenging time trying to fit everything from a 'normal' work and home life around the substantial hours spent caring for my dad.

My father is now over 90 and up until recently he has managed to look after himself... with a lot of support from me. But as time marches on things change and during the last few weeks he has had several falls which have knocked his (and my) confidence in his ability to live alone.

However I'm really pleased to say that after I've stayed with him nearly 24/7 for the last week he is now getting back to normal and is getting stronger again. We have also had fantastic support from all the Guernsey Social Services... from Carers, Fast Response Nurses, Social Workers, St Johns Ambulance, A&E, Doctors.... the list could go on. Thank you all.

This whole episode has caused me to step back and re-asses what is important in life... what is really important to me. I have realized that spending so much time with my father has meant we have strengthened our love and friendship in a very special way. It has been very rewarding.

But, away from that commitment life has to go on and whilst it has been challenging in every way I think a care plan is now in place. I think dad will be able to remain at home - which his wish.

The lack of free time and the stress of trying to keep dad safe are now the main factors that we have to address going forward.

What this ramble is leading to is explaining why it has taken more than a week to update a gallery featuring Round-6 of the GVC Winter MTB XC. I've now sorted this out and you can view the pics by following the link.

Going forward is a bit of an unknown. I'm intending to stay fully committed to the caring of my father and fit as much photography around this as I can. You'll maybe have to be a bit patient if the updates are a little slow sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support and interest in my pics... life goes on... it's just a little different :-)
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND 6 OF THE GVC MTB XC SERIES

There's never any chance to get bored of the Guernsey Live Music scene as something new is always popping up :-)

Just when you begin to think that things are getting a bit stale... if that term can be used about music - maybe it only works for bread? - things get a new fresh look!

Last weekend I watched the first ever gig of a new local band - The Goon Squad.

Maybe I'm stretching the point when I use the term 'new' as the faces behind the band are all familiar to any regular gig-goer.

But when lined up below 'The Goon Squad' banner their set list is full of covers featuring tunes that aren't heard live very often.... think of favorites from Joe Jackson, Squeeze and Elvis Costello.

This first gig was at The Doghouse and showed promise for the future. I'll try and catch another of their sets sometime in 2017 to see how the sound develops.

My pictures of The Goon Squad are now online here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE GOON SQUAD'S FIRST GIG

It always seems to take an age to get back into my 'normal' routine after the Christmas seasons disruptions.

OK, I know that for many people - not just the kids! the Xmas period is the most anticipated time of the year. But for me I find it just messes up my comfortable routine. Maybe it's because I've now enjoyed over sixty visits from the big man in red on his sleigh? The novelty has now worn off!

I enjoy a rather relaxed and interesting life... at least I find it is. It basically revolves around home and family combined with 'cherry-picking' out the photographic work that I enjoy shooting.

That work tends to narrow down into two specific genres, Motorsport and Live Music.

Both these genres (I guess like so many other things) are disrupted by the afore mentioned holiday break.

But I'm pleased to say, not before time, that my cherished routine is getting back into its sweet spot and last weekend I managed to combine most of what interests me in photography.

My previous Blogs have linked to some the Motorsport and Sport that I photographed last weekend. This Blog adds links to a couple of Bands... Burning at Both Ends and Brunt.

It's good to be back :-)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF BRUNT
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF BURNING AT BOTH ENDS

I’m not usually touched by the celebrity culture that we live in.

I’m rarely ‘star-struck’ when meeting people that spend their life in the public eye. Maybe that comes with my job as a Press photographer and Journalist where I attend many events where ‘faces’ are the centre of attention.

However, when I think back, I’ve never really been ‘star-struck’… even as a teenager when I followed David Bowie, Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper I never really thought of them as anything other than people… just like you and me.

OK, they did have a BIT MORE TALENT and MONEY and FUN than me (and probably you)... but hey, they were still just human beings!

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to meet many famous people and I’ve rarely been star-struck by the person themselves.

So what is this Blog leading to?

Well you should now have an idea that I’d be the last person you should invite to join any sort of quiz team that requires a knowledge of celebrity. My missus has learnt (after 40 years) that it is pointless trying to have any conversation with me if it involves the lives, jobs or faces of the rich and famous! I’m not interested. I know NOTHING!

I have friends who work as Paparazzi in London and they enjoy taking the piss out of me by saying that I would starve if I did their job… they are right. If David Beckham bumped into me with Cheryl Cole on his arm I wouldn’t even notice them!!

So you understand that I’ve built up a ‘thick skin’ when in the company of celebrity… particularly in this decade when so many people that are given the label of ‘celebrity’ have no memorable talent at all!

All this commentary has been to try and explain how uninterested I am, normally, with star quality.

But occasionally I get caught out. This happens when I meet a particularly charismatic person or experience an amazing live performance.

That was the case at The Fermain Tavern on Saturday.

I had been looking forward to seeing Nessi Gomes play at her Diamonds & Demons album launch. Nessi is a Guernsey girl (with a Portuguese background). She was a familiar face on the local music scene before she took control of her ambition to make music and she started a passionate road to making that happen.

The first time I can remember seeing Nessi perform was at the Vale Earth Fair ‘Beach Life’ in 2009 (I have the pictures!). This mini festival was held in the picturesque Petit Bot valley next to the beach. Nessi played an acoustic set with a few friends and, even way back then, I remember that there were hints that Nessi had a special talent.

This talent has now blossomed and matured and Nessi Gomes revealed the result of the many years developing her own unique style and sound with her live performance at the ‘Tav launch of Diamond & Demons.

I was bowled over by the quality of her performance and yes… this old hag was more than a little star-struck! She must be something really special!

Now is the the time for you to discover Nessi Gomes. Follow her here on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nessigomesmusic/

I've edited my pics of the album launch and you can take a look at them here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE NESSI GOMES DIAMONDS & DEMONS ALBUM LAUNCH

Three for the price of one is never a bad deal!

If the deal offers three great bands on the bill at The Fermain Tavern I'm certain to enjoy the evening :-)

I've been catching up with a few updates again and this time three galleries have new pics of the bands on that bill...To the Woods, Lifejacket and Lord Vapour. I said they were great!

These links take you to each of the gallery updates:
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW PICS OF TO THE WOODS
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW PICS OF LIFEJACKET
CLICK TO VIEW THE NEW PICS OF LORD VAPOUR

How do you get into the festive spirit?

Well if you're still of 'working age' then the chances are that part of the seasonal 'warm-up' process is to spend some time in the company of your work-mates at the office Christmas party.

Now, as we all know, these 'do's' can end up in all sorts of dramas!

Some of the stories of misbehavior circulating around the office the day after a lively party go on to become legendary. Reputations are both made and lost!

Even though we all know that we are walking a risky road by joining the revelry at the office party we all give in and let our hair down... well why not - it's just once a year ;-)

This blog is leading on to me telling you about my own ultimate office Christmas party.

When I throw a party everyone is invited ;-)

OK, maybe I'm 'bigging' up my part in organizing the TALLPICTURES.com Ultimate Office Christmas Party just a little.... OK, actually quite a lot.

In fact my own TALLPICTURES.com office party involved me sitting in a dark corner of The Cock & Bull (alone) with a pint of real ale and a packet of crisps... it can get lonely when you're the only employee :-(

However there is always an answer to any problem, if you look hard enough.

So my idea was to tag onto someone else's office party. This turned out to be an amazing plan as I joined hundreds of revelers at the OneLouder 2016 Ultimate Office Christmas Party at Beau Sejour.

These guys really know how to have fun and their choice of two of the most popular bands in the Channel Islands was perfect to party to!

Fade2Grey and King Rat & the Soul Cats had Beau Sejour rocking and the party took its place among all the legendary parties of years gone by... but this time it was for all the right reasons :-)

So I left the party with a camera-full of pics (yes I know I shouldn't work at my office party) but I couldn't miss the chance to take a few pics... even if the lighting was a struggle for a photographer to work with. Yes I'm still a moaning misery even at Christmas time!

The OneLouder party did its job getting me in the festive mood and I've just one more thing to say...

'Seasons Greetings to you all'

If you want to see how my office party went, check-out the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF MY ULTIMATE OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Guernsey's School of Popular Music has only been in existence for a few years but they have already established a tradition.

At Christmas-time the SoPM arrange a special gig to show-case their students... both new and old. This is organized at one the Guernsey's live music venues and gives students the chance to experience what it is like to perform to an audience with the benefit of a pro sound system, sound desk technician and stage lighting.

I've photographed many of the SoPM events and enjoy seeing the progress of the first singers and musicians to start the courses. There is real talent on show. It's also great to see the 'buzz' that the 'first-timers' feel after their introduction to live gigging.

This year the SoPM arranged two special events at Christmas. As well as the Doghouse gig the newer students had their very own concert at The Church on the Rock. This was performed to a packed house of family and friends.

You can check-out pics of all the SoPM events that I have photographed by having a look at these galleries:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE SCHOOL OF POPULAR MUSIC EVENTS
CLICK