Guitars on the beach, Lyme Regis and. . . .Ian Gillan. . . . . .

Guitars on the beach!!

Simple as that!

Most people think of Lyme Regis as a quaint, seaside resort.

Well, on Saturday September 6th, things were a little different.

Very early in the day, things looked like this, still very quiet
and still very sleepy.

Then, as the day wore on, there were the beginnings of the crowd.

With guitars in hand, more and more turned up.

Until we had a full house!!

Darren Redick, from Planet Rock, was a guest presenter, who
set about whipping the crowd up.

He was also caught jamming along to the bands on stage - here
stood next to Lars Mullen.

There were plenty of characters - this one was backstage with
Jimmy Fingers, in the background and a guy who had a load
of tombstones on his hat, with Janis Joplin etc, all inscribed
on the stones. Priceless!!

There were some great artists and musicians during the day
but one band really caught my eye - Dead Ground.
What a great three piece!!

These guys put on a great show and would be someone to
keep an eye on for the future.
Here are a few words from Ollie.

"We only started in June, trying out a couple of songs in rehearsal
rooms at college, where I'd met Frazer and Jake two years before. 
The opportunity to play Guitars On The Beach was very lucky, as a 
friend of mine Brian Street put a word in for me. 
He said he could get us a slot so we began devising a set, and the
originals kept coming, so we ended up not needing any covers,
which was fantastic. 
I'm influenced a lot by bands like Incubus and Muse - thy inspire
me to play honestly and with real feeling. 
But what I think brings out our bands sound is that Frazer, 
for example, listens to solo bass players such as Victor Wooten, 
so a lot of funk grooves and almost jazzy lines fit their way in. 
Jake listens to music more similar to me, so we click really well, 
but I find that mix of genres really easy to write for.

The debut gig at Guitars On The Beach was such a great 
opportunity to discover what we were like on stage and I really 
look forward to our recording being finished, which will be
released on iTunes before the end of the year".

Frazer had such an unusual technique, I almost couldn't take my
eyes off him.
He had a "well used" Ibanez ATK, which I have asked him to send
me a shot of.

As the crowd had swelled, it was time for the record attempt.
All together now, for Rave on!
I think the total was just over 3400, all playing together!!

Just Brilliant!!

Next up was my mate Lars. . . . . doing guess what. . . . . .
A Quo number - you'd never have guessed, cue Rockin' all 
over the world!

And finally, Ladies and Gentlemen. . . . Mr Ian Gillan!

Lars said it was more than a little surreal - On stage with the 
legend himself!

Two, three four. . . .  G  Bb  C. . . . . you know the rest!! :)

All in all, a truly great weekend.

Cheers. :)