I’ve passed this building many times on the way to and from Bilston Robin 2, but this was the first time I’ve been able to take a photo without a parked car blocking the view.

It reminds me a little of those Entrances to Hell, except this has to be one of the very poshest ones. Is this the one The Devil uses whenever a blues musician who sold their soul at the crossroads at midnight is playing a gig at The Robin?

Is this deep in the mysterious Withywindle valley, or is it really the Thames path near Goring? Perhaos Tom Bombadil is a distant relative of Old Father Thames, or perhaps J.R.R.Tolkien used to walk this way and it gave him the idea?

Here’s another picture from almost the same spot.

I’ve already reviewed the event as a whole here and here, Here are a few more pictures of the weekend. starting with the opening act, Alex Cromarty, with a guitar rather than behind a drumkit.

Si Wright and Pete Harwood playing as Morpheus Rising Acoustic.

Matthew Powell fronting Shadow of the Sun.

Every gig I go to seems to have this guy on bass. He was playing bass for Dave Kerzner in March, and the Heather Findlay band in April. Here he is again with Halo Blind.

Anne-Marie Helder joined Halo Blind on stage for The Dogs, the one song they played from the first album when she was a member of the band.

Dave Ormston assumed the role of master of ceremonies, announcing the headline act of the day.

Yatim and Anne-Matie rocking out during their barnstorming set.

Sarah Dean on Sunday as the opening act.

Anne Marie and Sarah with Luna Rossa.

Dinet Poortman with the Dave Foster band.

Luke Machin shredding with Kiama. Do they make left-handed air guitars?

Panic Room’s closing set blew the roof off. This picture sums up why “I Am A Cat” is so great live.

“The Dave” as he is known has more than made his mark as Panic Room’s guitarist now.

All good things must come to an end, and I travel home from Bilston so many times that, to quote the Marillion song, This Train Is My Life.

A rather appropriate photo taken on the way home from Rebecca Downes‘ album launch gig. The23:45 Paddington to Penzance, The Night Riviera, hauled by 57603 “Tintagel Castle”.

A few pictures of The Deen Street Brothers, the six-piece band who supported Chantel McGregor at Dorking Halls.

They’re a local cover band based in Dorking, playing 50s rock’n'roll and 60s blues-rock standards, and though they don’t don’t play any originals they’re very good at what they do.

Their set went from Elvis to The Spencer Davis Group, and given their youth it wasn’t so much their parents’ music as their grandparents’.

Their set was energetic enough to get a significant proportion of the audience on the dancefloor by the end. They don’t have their own website, but they do have a Facebook page.

If any prog band want this as an album title they can use this photo for the cover art…

A few photos from my recent visit to north Wakes. This one’s of a floodlit Conwy castle taken at about ten O’clock at night.

As well as the castle, Conwy has two historic bridges as monuments to two of the greatest engineers of the industrial revolution. On the left is Thomas Telford’s graceful suspension bridge, which used to carry the main road along the north Wales coast. To the right is Robert Stephenson’s tubular bridge which still carries the main railway line from Crewe to Holyhead.

Another dusk view, looking across the harbour towards Llandudno.

Moving south, Aberglaslyn pass just south of Beddgelert. I took this while trying to find the idea location to photograph the northbound Welsh Highland Railway train coming up the pass from Porthmadog.

Clough Williams-Ellis’s neo-Italian village of Portmerion is always photogenic when the sun shines. I took plenty of photos last year, but don’t really need any excuse to take a few more.

And finally, what is this on Portmerion beach? Is it a shoggoth, or has somebody let all the air out of Rover?

The Ouse at York, looking west from the Ouse Bridge at about 11:30pm at night.

Happy Father’s Day!

Photo of Dad (and mum) from their Golden Wedding in September 2009

Taken on Good Friday 2014. Just occasionally I do take photos that contain either prog musos nor trains.