Cole Stacey at Bristol Folk House

Photographing musical events is where my professional journey as a photographer started.

As much as I love it, I really only cover gigs as a hobby these days. To be honest, it’s quite nice not having the added pressure of having to grab “the shot” that used to accompany paid assignments.

Nevertheless, I will always be grateful for those early days in my career. Along the way, I crossed paths with some amazing people, including the wonderful Cole Stacey. Cole was one of the musicians I photographed way, way back, when I volunteered as an event photographer for Bristol Folk Festival. Fast forward a few years (let's face it, it’s more like 15 years!) and I am privileged to call him a friend. I even photographed his wedding a couple of years ago!

I digress!

On his latest solo tour, Cole was to be performing at the Bristol Folk House, and so I got in touch to ask if he would mind if I brought my camera along. Cole not only allowed me to take photos during the show but also let me sit through soundcheck to grab some additional images whilst there was no audience. Always such a privilege.

Here are a few of the images I came away with.

I’ll be off to photograph him again soon when he performs alongside Midge Ure so keep your eyes peeled for those images. In the meantime, if you fancy checking out Cole and his back catalogue, head over to his website.