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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

I'm still playing catch up with some of the backlog of photo edits and truth be told I wonder if some of the pics patiently waiting are destined to go no further than my hard drive.

The disruption of moving home and office then overseeing the extension and renovation of Malander has taken more of my time then I could ever have imagined but it has been worth it in the sense of sorting out our long term plans of an 'easy life'!

The lengths we have ended up going to at Malander to bring it right up to date and new are now paying dividends and Carol and I have not looked back once to our old cottage home of over 40 years!

Anyway, I've got distracted. I was talking about new edits and galleries. The latest new one features the GVC Reservoir Circuit Road Race from way back in May. I've made an effort to add this event as I really love some of the pics with their backdrop of Guernsey hedges full of springtime flowers. I hope you agree.

The pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC RESERVOIR CIRCUIT ROAD RACE

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

Following the action photographers mantra of getting close enough... then taking one step closer I paid the price for doing this on Saturday at Vazon Bay, Guernsey.

The occasion was the 2019 Condor Ferries International Sand Ace ACU British Championships. The chosen venue for this prestigious event is the white sands of one of Guernsey's finest beaches.

The problem this year was the knock-on effect of the weather... the same weather that put a question mark over whether the competitors would even make it over for the racing.

Mother nature had brewed up strong gale force winds making the ferry an uncomfortable journey for the visiting racers. But once over here that was forgotten and they all seemed to enjoy the change of track surface from the more usual grass track or Speedway arena.

But I have digressed. What I was going to say was that the wind was still strong enough to be a nuisance - even to a photographer.

It was quite a challenge to capture great pics as when I got right in close the spray off the wet sand covered my camera and lens. And for the longer shots using my Nikon 180-400mm (reaching 560mm with the built in 1.4x converter) the buffeting wind made composing tight shots difficult.

Ultimately it's nice to be tested and I left the sands with a good set of action pics. You can view the galleries here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2019 SAND ACE CHAMPIONSHIPS

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

The 2019 Bowman of Guernsey 2-Day event was held at the Port Soif range in near perfect conditions. I popped along for a short period on both days to cover the competition for the Guernsey Press.

There was a good size entry with archers traveling over for the Guernsey Club's main event of the year from Jersey and the UK. There was a friendly and relaxed atmosphere with local archers making a good showing.

This gallery displays some of the atmosphere...
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2-DAY ARCHERY COMPETITION

The 2019 GK&MC 2-Day Inter-Island Motocross Event took place in (mostly) fine and dry conditions. The track had been well prepared and probably benefited from the heavy shower on the second day which damped down the dust. We all needed a soak in the bath after the several hours spent in the dust storm!

It was great to see a good sized entry which included many riders who had made the trip over from Jersey. There were also several locals who had been missing from recent events. Hopefully that wasn't just a 'one-off', it would be nice to see them back competing in the Club's regular championship.

Racing was very competitive across all Classes and a good sized crowd enjoyed two days of excitement. There was plenty to look at in the pits between races and even a bar to take a well earned pint once competition had finished.

This gallery features some of my action pics....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2-DAY MOTOCROSS EVENT

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

Once again this year I was asked by the Guernsey Press to help them cover the opening by students of their 2019 GCSE results.

This year I had to cover this event at Elizabeth College and the Ladies College.

This is a most enjoyable event to cover as a photographer finds himself 'in the middle of' what is a quite happy and emotional occasion where students discover that their ambitions and future is falling into place.

I've added a small gallery featuring my pics to this website. It is password protected as it features young people. You can Email me to get the password.

This is a link to the Gallery:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2019 GCSE RESULTS GALLERY

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

It had been about a year since I last visited the Delancey Flyers on one of their evening training sessions.

It was good to see that the enthusiasm for cycling was still just as strong with dozens of youngsters joining in a varied range of trials, races and coaching.

Once again there was a great atmosphere... no doubt helped by a warm summers evening.

Many parents had decided to sit in the park and relax for an hour whilst being relieved of the responsibility of looking after their children.

I've added a Gallery of pics which should illustrate what was going on in Delancey Park:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE DELANCEY FLYERS TRAINING EVENING

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

Darren Warwick has received a sponsorship deal from Zef Eisenberg's MADMAX Race Team allowing Darren to race the last three rounds of the 2019 FIA European Hillclimb Championship.

This Championship series is very expensive to compete in as the Hills are spread across many European countries. The overall cost has meant that currently no British driver takes part.

There is also the added challenge that Darren will be competing against many big budget teams and drivers.

However we have our hopes raised that Darren does enough during this short run of events to attract a big headline sponsor in 2020 to allow him a real opportunity to try for his Class title.

As well as the MADMAX logos Darren's car also features Zef's new ITV4 series 'Speed Freaks'.

This gallery features my pics of Darren and Zef shaking on the deal.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF DARREN WARWICK & ZEF EISENBERG

The Guernsey Autocross Club celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first ever race meeting by returning to St Sampsons Harbour for a special race.

Judging by their smiles, Drivers didn't seem at all bothered by the sticky, smelly mix of sand and mud. The high harbour walls formed a perfect arena and were packed with spectators enjoying the mucky action.
Let's hope we don't have to wait another 50 years before race action returns to this natural 'stadium'.

The Autocross Club committee and active members should be congratulated on reaching such a great milestone of half a century of this fun, and relatively cheap, form of Motorsport. Most other genres of Motorsport are becoming expensive and more and more regulated. Guernsey's 'Banger' racing remains quite unique and a fantastic sport that brings smiles in equal measure to both racers and spectators alike!

I enjoyed photographing the historic racing from the slippery harbour floor and surprisingly avoided going horizontal on my back!

The results of my work can now be viewed here:
VIEW PICS OF THE 50th ANNIVERSARY AUTOCROSS MEETING

Visitors to the 2019 Motorsport Seafront Sunday and Twisty Sprint enjoyed a beautiful Guernsey summer's day and were well entertained by the racing, noise and action.

A large crowd was drawn to North Beach where the Twisty Sprint and demonstration runs showcased some of the many genres of Motorsport that are organized within our small Island.

I think the Motorsport Seafront Sunday attracts more people than any of the other Seafront Sundays and the families who visit certainly hang around for longer as the action comes fast and thrilling. The Twisty Sprint gives spectators the chance to get really close to the racing... they feel the rush of air as the competitors speed past them, the smell of brakes and overheating clutches all with a whiff of tyre smoke!

Well done to the Guernsey Clubs for working so closely together to organize such a successful event.

I've uploaded a few pics that offer a small taster of some of the Twisty Sprint and demo run action:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2019 MOTORSPORT SEAFRONT SUNDAY

The Guernsey rounds of the 2019 Avon Tyres/Wynn Developments Motorsport UK British Hillclimb Championship will be remembered for the great performances made by local competitors.

Once again the national contenders arrived with their specialist racing cars. As always they were spectacular, fast and bristling with the latest technology.

But Guernsey and Les Val Des Terres must give them one of the toughest of challenges among the whole seasons championship.

This Island has developed driving talent way beyond what you would expect from such a small population and those racers have hand built and modified their dated machinery to such a high level that only the very fastest national competitors can get the better of them!

Five locals made at least one run off. Darren Warwick, Nick Saunders, Tim Tulie and Paul Le Messurier all qualified for both rounds with Ian Le Messurier joining them for the round 22 run off.

So Guernsey should be proud of these racing hero's who fly the chequered flag so high for us.

My pics of the event are now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE 2019 BRITISH HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP

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

Now firmly established in the Guernsey Motorsport calendar the GK&MC Reservoir Speed Event maintains a special status as it only runs on alternate years.

The 2019 event was eagerly awaited and several competitors were out to try the twisty course for the first time. More than a handful of Class records were re-written as the day was warm and dry.

I was only able to cover the morning's racing due to other commitments but this was long enough to capture plenty action.

Follow this link to view the picture gallery:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2019 RESERVOIR SPEED EVENTY