A Day at the Races

A Day at the Races……one of the most surreal things I have seen for a while was the sight of a Panto horse race around Birmingham’s Centenary Square last Sunday. With twenty odd blokes and women dressed up to race around a course complete with jumps made from bales of hay.

All good fun and in the name of charity.

Christmas is here

Its time for the big chap in red to get his things together and make ready his slay because Christmas is here in Birmingham! The Christmas lights were switched on Saturday night at millennium point with the crowds entertained by Lamar and The Saturdays among others. Oh and the the lights were switched on! So que the ques in all the shops....barr humbug!

Gigbeth 2008 VIP launch

Well its Gigbeth 2008, and that means a weekend of gigs featuring a wealth of local Birmingham talent. Its first up with the VIP launch and sets from Scott Mathews and Dodgy, neither disappointed!

October is the new Summer!

Just got back from a week in Cornwall and yet again we were very lucky with the weather, just like the week in February when we were out on the mountain bikes in T shirts!

We were staying about 4 miles from lands end in a barn conversion and it was very nice to! We did the usual stuff of good food and wine with some great walks in about the best spells of sunshine I have seen for ages in what seems like a summer of rain rain rain!

These first set of images are from Porth Curno and the Minack Theatre on a very nice day which saw me reaching for the factor 30! And what seemed like millions of sun bathing butter flies.

Leaps and Bounds

These are just a couple of images from a recent shoot with Leaps and Bounds theatre company for youth theatre, who work with a wide range of performers from different social backgrounds. There most hight profile project to date is probably the Bally Hoo project with Birmingham Royal Ballet which was featured as a channel 4 documentary (that might be the wrong channel though?)

Artsfest Sunday Night

Its the Sunday night gigs then and there was a great set from Envy and other sins who I had seen before at last years Gigbeth http://www.gigbeth.com/ festival and they didnt disappoint, but most of the crowd were there to see the Levellers.

The last time I saw the Levellers was some 15 years ago, as an art student at Bournville art college, when they played the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. I just remember it being a great gig of mosh pit fun but just didnt see myself wanting to get into any of that sort of action!

Just to many people invading my close personal space! Oh and I was working.

Artsfest Saturday Night

Well it was fireworks a go go for the Saturday night at artsfest (and the rain had stopped) with the CBSO providing the rousing musical backdrop! I got these images by hanging out/onto the side of the spotlight tower......so a nice and comfy job there then...not!

We were also given a performance by Birmingham Royal Ballet, who I always like to shoot, but I'm not to sure how it went down with some of the crown who I would say were just there for the free fireworks!

Its raining...Must be time for Artsfest 08

Artsfest 08 http://www.artsfest.org.uk/ was off to a very wet start last night, although that didn't seem to dampen the spirits of G.Mall of the Dhol Blasters who had just played to a large crowed in front of the wonderfully illuminated Birmingham Council house as part of City of Lights.

Just after this shot I called it a night and with the amount of water on the ground decided to go a collect animals two by two! Just in case!

Dhol Blaster

Lets Ride!

Short break up north in a very nice lodge at Ravenscar south of Whitby and enjoying about the best weather of the summer so far! A fantastic view, maybe only bettered by the one from the boat?Yorkshire

Hot off the press!!

Fauré Requiem textHot off the computer press...here is the new image and venue details for the next notorious www.notoriouschoir.org choir concert at St Paul's church. The last time we sang Mozart requiem St Paul's in 2004 it was a sell out!Fauré Requiem cover