Forplay on the radio

That got your attention.....

This Monday (4th August) sees the return of "For-Play" They haven't played on the radio for a long time due to other heavy commitments.

Actually, they have changed their name now and go under the guise of Gentle Touch George.

Join me Monday night from 10pm live across Furness and South Cumbria from 10pm on 107.3 Abbey FM to find out why and here them live on the radio

Back to the late show

Back tonight from 10pm but you will have to wait til Monday to hear the Bradshaws and more website reviews of the day.

Last Morning Show for now

After covering the mid morning show for a while I am now returning back to my late night show. A lot of presenters don't like doing late night radio but I have worked nights most my life and on late night radio you tend to get your regular listeners and callers and hearing a human voice on the radio allows them to interact. Late night radio is interactive, fun and also gives me the chance to promote local musical talent so join me back on the late shjow from 10pm tomorrow night.

Videos of local talent live at Walney Park

Local acts that have appeared on the acoustic show played at the Walney Bridge Centenary and videos of them playing are below.

All these were recorded at the Centenary party. The recording quality of the audio isnt perfect due to background noise and other factors.


Gwen Hechle performing Masters of War.




Gwen Hechle singing Mr Tamborine Man (taken from the side of the stage)




The Mooncats





Fallen Leaves





Crissie Black

Local Bands at the walney Bridge Centenary

I had the pleasure of talking to local bands and introducing them on stage. Most have played on the acoustic hour before and photos are below. Double click to view full size.


43p Short

Black Sanitarium

Crissie Black

Gwen Hechle

Walney Centenary Photos

More photos of the crowds at the Walney Bridge Centenary


Publish Post

More photos of the Walney Centenary Event

More photos of the Walney Bridge Centenary celebrations. Double click to view full size

Walney Bridge Centenary Celebrations

What a brilliant day it was. The weather was extremely hot, thousands of people turned out to the event and it was a full day of entertainment. Abbey FMs John Little took to the stage for a few hours, there was a talent competition as well as local live music throughout the day and into the night.

I managed to get photos and videos of some of the acts that were playing and in the evening I was on the main stage myself bringing on different bands and performers

Photos below are mainly of the crowds that attended. Will post more photos in a seperate post.

A Busy Sunday

Its Sunday which means a busy day for me as I prepare for tonights late night topical debate but before that I attend the Walney Bridge Centenary Celebrations. Hopefully I will be posting some photos and maybe a couple of videos of some of the acts that are playing as most of them have appeared on the show in the past.

If you have a bit of free time then get down to Walney Park near to the Ferry pub from around midday.

The end of the week

Well, its Friday and I have been on the mid morning slot for a week now and a very busy week it has been. I now get one day off before I do it all over again as I`m back on Sunday night for the late night phone in and debate. Join me from 11pm for that

More acoustic slots available

I am back on the late show from 4th August and there are slots available for any artist who woiuld like to come into the studio and promote themselves and play acoustically on the radio. Get in touch with me on 01229 808222 if you are interested

Walney Bridge Centenary Celebrations

This Sunday (27th July) is the Walney Bridge Centenary Celebrations. Abbey FM will be at the celebrations and you can meet the team and spend a great day out with us. Abbey FMs John Little will be comparing a childrens talent show and there are also lots of different bands playing on the day. Most of the bands playing have been featured on Abbey FMs acoustic slot and now its your chance to see them live so pop along to Walney Bridge this Sunday for all the fun and an enjoyable family day out.

Local website about the Furness area

Whilst I am covering the mid morning show then maybe you want to while away a feww hours looking at a site dedicated to the Furness peninsula and it has a very busy message forum as well as over 2000 photos of Barrow and the area dating from mid 19th century to modern day and is updated regularly.

The site is at www.southlakes-uk.co.uk and whilst you're at it have a look at www.barrowpubs.co.uk which is a history of every pub and hotyel that has ever stood in Barrow In Furness

And why am I giving you these two sites to look at..... Two reasons....

They're local to the Furness Area
They are both my own work.

You guessed it. I am the author, creator and webmaster of them both.

More Pictures of Furness Fest

Photos of some bands who played at Furness Fest. For more information and photos check ut www.myspace.com/furnessfest and www.furnessfest.co.uk

43p Short

ATLAS

Damaged Angels

Acoustic sessions in picture

Take a look at www.abbeyfm.co.uk and click on the photo gallery and look at ACOUSTIC and see photos of most the acts that I have had in the studio playing live on the radio.

Mid Morning Show

My first mid morning show that I am covering was on Friday and a very busy show it was. Lots of interaction from listeners and it was that busy that time just seemed to fly by.

All this week I will be presenting the mid morning show whilst at the same time taking a break from my late night slot with the exception of Friday nights retro dance party and the Sunday phone in.

Website reviews and The Bradshaws will return in August to the late show but meanwhile its Mid Mornings til and including next Tuesday.

Late Night Debate

I know I`m covering the mid morning show this week but the late night phone in and debate goes ahead as normal so please join me tonight from 11pm. Chat about anything you like.

Furness fest Live music event

Been back and forth to the fest over the last couple of days and managed to grab a few photos

My Schedule

So as not to confuse things (and I`m good at that lately). I said in an earlier post that I was going on mid mornings for a while and Denis was looking after the late show.

In fact, in addition to the temporary move to days I will still be presenting the retro dance party on Friday nights as well as the Sunday night phone in.

First Mid Morning show

Well, to be honest, it isnt my first ever mid morning show as I have covered this in the past mainly on Bank Holidays.

It was a busy, (very busy) show, lots of texts and interaction from the listeners. Not sure if that is the norm for this show or whether it was because it was the weekend coming up.

Lets see what Monday's show brings

Furness Fest starts today

Its a live event over a 3 day period and it starts today from midday. More info at www.furnessfest.co.uk I will be there at some point so if you see me then pop up and say hello.

Holiday cover

Thats it for me now on the late show as I take a break from it as I move onto the Lunchtime show for a little while. Join me later today from 10am and all week next week from 10am as well as the Monday and tuyuesday the week after.

Denis Horan will be looking after things on the late show for me and I will be back on the late show from Wednesday 30th July.

Furness Fest [Setting it all up]

Today I spent a little time on the site of Furness Fest. Work is going on round the clock to set everything up and in its early stages I took the following pictures of the site.




The location sets the scene for a backdrop of the beautiful Furness Peninsula with some magnificent views.



Double click any photo to view full size

David Duffin

Live tonight from 10pm David Duffin, acoustic guitarist and vocalist in the studio playing and chatting about the upcoming Walney Bridge Centenary.

The session can be downloaded Here

Tongue Tide

Jodi and Ali (Aka Tongue Tide) back on the show to promote their upcoming "Twisted cabaret" gig at Ulverston Sports Club on Friday 25th July. More info at www.myspace.com/tonguetideuk

The full session is available for download HERE.

A video of Tongue Tide peforming "The Irish Ballad" live in the studio is below.

Crissie Black

Live tonight from 10pm Crissie Black talked about her music and was joined by Carl Hallows to talk about Furness Fest.


The session can be downloaded by clicking HERE.





Double click the photos to view full size and you can find out more about Crissie at www.myspace.com/crissieblack

ATLAS

Atlas had such a good response last time they were on the show that they have been invited back to play and talk about the upcoming Furness Fest.

They played live on the show, talked about their influences and we linked up live with Carl Hallows who was on the site at Furness Fest preparing for this weekends big events.

Double click the photo for full size. A download of the full session is available HERE and a video recorded live in the studio is below.

Late Night Debate

Tonight from 11pm join me on the phones, text and by email for more topical issues to be discussed as well as anything else you would like to add.

Furness Fest [1 week to go]

Tune in all week this week coming as we have local live acoustic sessions in the studio from bands performing at Furness Fest. One week to go and more information can be found at www.furnessfest.co.uk

Holidays

Starting next Monday (21st July) til Tuesday 29th July Denis Horan will be looking after things on the late show whilst I move onto the Mid Morning Show during this time, so that means if you want to hear me then you need to tune in between 10am and 2pm Monday to Friday.

The Sunday Night phone in and debate will continue as normal and so will the Friday Night Retro Dance Party

Back on the late show on Wednesday 30th July with a new look to part of the show.

Note that all the usual features on the late show will be suspended until I return

43p Short

43p Short back on the radio promoting themselves and Furness fest on the acoustic slot


Double click the photo to view full size. Download the session recorded live in the studio from HERE. A video of them performing one of their songs called "If I Were You" is below.

Jonny Regan

Hes back, very popular with listeners and will be playing Furness Fest.

Jon did a live acoustic session in the studio and chatted about the "fest" which is getting nearer the date. 18th 19th and 20th July at Sinkfall Farm.


A video of one of his songs performed live in the studio at Abbey FM is below.

The full acoustic session is available for download from HERE

Double click on the photo for a full size image

The talented Jon Byrne

Tonight from 10pm live from Abbey FM studios, Jon Byrne made a welcome return to the airwaves playing acoustically. The last time he was on Abbey FM was April 2007 and since then he has gone from strength to strength playing all over the UK, more notably in the London area.


He is now signed to a record label and the whole session live on Abbey FMs acoustic hour is available for download HERE.

Double click on the photo to view full size.

A video of one of his songs recorded live in the Abbey FM studios is below.

Allan Hannath returns to the studio

His second live session on Abbey FM due to demand from listeners from 10pm on the acoustic hour. Allan came to the studio from Ambleside where he currently lives.

The full radio session is available for download by clicking HERE and if you double click the photo you will then see it as full size.



A video of one of his songs performed live in the studio is below

Help Stop Bullying.- Late Night debate

This weeks late night debate and phone in attracted a very large number of comments, especially when we got onto the subject of bullying and I did promise to look into it a little further and see where help is available.

First of all a big thankyou to the young girl who came forward to tell her story on the radio. I promised you anonymity and it will stay that way. The discussion sparked a large response and other people contacted the show saying they were vistims of bullying and telling their stories.

Now, I want you to read on and see if this helps you.

Bullying can be a complex issue for parents of children with special needs. Things like language delays, academic frustrations, motor-skill problems, lack of understanding of social cues, and sensory-integration issues can make kids bigger targets for teasing, but they can also cause them to set themselves up for teasing, as well as do things that are perceived as bullying to others.

Check out www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov

One thing I like about the Stop Bullying Now! site is that it regards all aspects of bullying and offers suggestions equally to those who bully, those who watch bullying, and those who bully. The lines between those groups are often not as rigid as many anti-bullying programs make them out to be, and the videos and other resources on this site work to help students think these issues through and understand what others may be feeling.

Hope this information helps

Walney Carnival

Walney Carnival was a good turn out but the weather was mixed. Dry, wet and very wet. People still turned out to watch and it was a good day all round.

Friends of Furness Fest 2008 Live Music & Arts Festival,

More live acoustic acts coming on the show. promoting Furness Fest which is not too far away now and also promoting the live acts that will be appearing live at Furness Fest. Tune in Monday to Thursdays for the next 2 weeks for local live music

The weekend

Busy weekend for me. Starting tonight from 10pm with the retro dance party and on Sunday it is Walney Carnival so hope to see you there.

A change to the advertised line up.

With Furness Fest on the way and the walney Bridge Centenary celebrations some artists have found it hard to play on the radio whilst other gigs are on and this means a lot of swapping about but we finally got there.

The current line up is detailed below:-

ACOUSTIC SESSIONS JULY and AUGUST 2008

Mon 7th July ALLAN HANNATH
Tue 8th July JON BYRNE
Wed 9th July JONNY REGAN / CARL HALLOWS
Thu 10th July 43p SHORT
Mon 14th July ATLAS
Thu 15th July CRISSIE BLACK
Wed 16th July TONGUE TIDE
Thu 17th July DAVID DUFFIN
Mon 4th Aug FOR-PLAY

Local Bands on Abbey Acoustic tonight

Tonight from 10pm features a host of local talent playing on Abbey FMs acoustic hour between 10pm and 11pm. Listen out for Tongue Tide, 43p Short, The prophets, Gwen hechle, Louise Mary Martin, jon Regan, Atlas and Crissie Black

Jon Byrne returns to the airwaves

A special one off acoustic session live on Abbey FMs acoustic hour with Jon Byrne.

Jon Byrne's live performances have to be seen to be believed; with exuberant foot stomping, anarchic personality syndrome and broken strings. He then cleverley whisks you off into a seemingly tranquil state that leads you into a false sense of security by giving you soft tones, fragile heart strings and emotional roller coasters, before slapping you in the face once again with the honest realism of social degeneration and urban cataclysm. Jon Byrne is a 'finger on the trigger' zeitgeist troubadour.

Check out his website at www.myspace.com/jonbyrnemusic and tune into Abbey FMs acoustic Hour this Tuesday 8th July from 10pm

Jon has been living and playing down in London and is back in Barrow for a very short time and its a pleasure to have him back on the radio to talk about his life and loves of music as well as playing his songs.

Louise Mary Martin

Louise Mary Martin made their 2nd appearance on the acoustic slot, talking about their music and playing live on the radio. Chatting about Furness Fest and other upcoming gigs. Find out more at their website www.myspace.com/louisemarymartin .

Double click the photo for full size.



The whole session can be downloaded by clicking HERE.

A video of one of the songs performed live in the studio is below.

Various local acoustic acts on the show

Thursday (3rd July) acoustic hour will showcase local talent and you can tune in and hear songs from local musicians, Tongue Tide, Gwen hechle, Louise Mary Martin, 43p Short, Atlas, Codejak, Crissie Black, Jon Regan and The prophets between 10pm and 11pm.

Gwen Hechle

Gwens back on the radio and she loves every minute of it. Live from 10pm she sang, played, chatted and performed very well.

Double click on the photo to view full size

Check Gwen out at her myspace site which is www.myspace.com/gwenhechle


The full session can be download by clicking HERE and a video of "The Old Lady" song is below.