Slim Pickings and The Honest Crooks – St James Concert Hall – 22/06/19

When it was announced that St James was staging a pirate themed ska party featuring well known Guernsey based band The Honest Crooks and visiting octet Slim Pickings, 'complete with pirate ship,' I expected maybe a few Jolly Rogers and some inventive fancy dress. Upon arriving at the venue on Saturday night though, less than...

BlackTopTales, Blue Mountains and JD And Folk – The Golden Lion – 15/06/19

With festival season fast approaching three bands, BlackTopTales, Blue Mountains and JD & Folk, took over The Lion's Den upstairs room at The Golden Lion for a bit of an unofficial warm up for this year's Sark Folk Festival that happens at the beginning of July. Country influenced duo JD & Folk started the night...

The Recks, Hot Plastic, Ukuladeez and Isle Stone – The Fermain Tavern – 14/06/19

The last time The Fermain Tavern changed hands it was marked with a full refit for Guernsey longest running live music venue and a launch show featuring 70s British R'n'B legend Wilko Johnson. This time things have been less obvious, externally, but nonetheless, following a a few big name dance events this line up, featuring...

The Cor Damme Lars – Tangled Lies

The last year and half has seen the The Cor Damme Lars build a solid reputation for themselves on Guernsey's music scene, first as a trio and then really hitting their stride as a five piece with bass (Tom Bradshaw) and drums (Andy Nicholson) added to their mandolin (Gemma Honey), violin (Sarah Van Vlymen), accordion...

BBC Music Introducing at Arts Sunday – St Peter Port, Guernsey – 09/06/19

For the fifth year in a row BBC Music Introducing was represented with a stage at Guernsey Arts Commission's Arts Sunday event. Matching the growing scope of BBC Music Introducing in the Channel Islands the stage featured five acts including performers from Guernsey, Jersey and Sark across the day. The day began in relaxed form...

The Cor Damme Lars album launch – The Mariners Inn – 07/06/19

Barely a year and a half since their first show, at the 2018 Vale Earth Fair Unplugged event, The Cor Damme Lars launched their debut album, Tangled Lies, with a show at The Mariners Inn on The Bridge. Before they hit the stage though Dave 'Duke' Etherington (aka Ten Toe Hobo) kicked off proceedings with a...

Free Range Music – Jamie-Lee, Lucy and Claire, Jamie and Cheese and The Coalbox Generals – The Fermain Tavern – 17/01/09

This throwback to January 2009 looks at another of the Free Range Music series of shows including a selection of acoustic artists and an early outing for The Coalbox Generals... Over the past few months the Free Range Music brand, spear-headed by tonight’s headliner Jamie-Lee, has welcomed styles of music crossing all genres to its...

Havoc Events presents Third Time Lucky and friends – The Fermain Tavern – 18/05/19

Thirteen years ago I started a section on the BBC Guernsey website called Guernsey Unsigned, since then it's developed into the BBC Introducing radio shows for Guernsey and now the Channel Islands but, back in June 2006, the first live event I covered was headlined by Third Time Lucky. Since then the band have split...

Liberation Day Warm Up with The Recks, The Honest Crooks and Track Not Found – Imperial Hotel – 08/05/19

Liberation Day is always a busy one when it comes to live music and 2019 was no different, however in the past the night before has often been a rather quiet one. This year though that was different as The Imperial Hotel at Rocquaine chose Wednesday the 8th to kick off a potential new series...