Craig

Hi, this is me.Those of you that know me know what I do. But for those who don't...I moved down to Brighton 5 years ago (fuck, that long?!) to pursue a career in music, and spent three of those years in a no-brainer record shop shop. Listening to records all day and insulting customers - brilliant, but it couldn't last!
I've spent the past two years at the superb Brighton Rock School, a music school set up for kids aged 8-15 yrs. Started out as a tutor two years ago. I now manage the school full time.
(www.myspace.com/brightonrockschool)I also play guitar for the awesome RETURN OF THE BUMP SQUAD - an 8-piece funk band influenced by the legendary George Clinton / Parliament-Funkadelic. We play regularly at Casablanca Jazz Club and The Joogleberry Playhouse, where we usually play to sell-out audiences.
We are currently half-way through our debut album, should be available by the mid-summer.
(myspace.com/returnofthebumpsquad)
I play once a week with Matt "Fingers" Maloney and his brother Pat, writing and rehearsing a country-blues-soul set, hopefully to be getting out and playing soon. This is a collaborative effort, where we all bring songs in and fuck around with them, beating them into shape until (a) we're happy with it, or (b) we piss off down the pub. Nice.
I also have the great pleasure of working and recording with the hugely talented Anni Williams, one of the finest singers on the London music circuit.
I also spent the last 10 months playing drums with (the rather fucking excellent) Strange A - a melodically complex 5-piece, revolving around two vocals, guitar, bass and drums. Sorry I had to leave you guys, best of luck and I'll miss ya!
(myspace.com/strangea) PHOTOS! PHOTOS.
MUSE
Wembley Stadium, 17th June 2007.Bloody awesome! Me, Lara, Rebecca and Chris went to see Muse put on a pretty fucking spectacular show at the spanking new Wembley. The bill also included My Chemical Romance, Biffy Clyro and Shy Child.
LAURA'S 30th BIRTHDAY PARTY
Hull, Saturday 2nd June 2007Me and Andy travelled up North to celebrate Laura's 30th. Friends of hers who weren't there might notice from the pics that the usually tee-total Ms. Gibson appears to have drank a vat of gin. That would be a pretty accurate summation I reckon. Thanks for having us Gibbo, you drunken fool! x
STRANGE A. Recording in London
Atomic Studios, London, 12th - 16th February 2007Strange A spent a week in London recording tracks for a new EP / single demo. Japes abound. Here's some pictures from the studio sessions.
Go to myspace.com.strangea to hear the tracks online!
33rd BIRTHDAY NIGHT-OUT
Biscuit Factory, 6th January 2007OK, so I just turned 33. But that's no reason to not go out and get completely trolleyed in the Biscuit Factory with a bunch of mates, now is it? This was one hell of a night, with a great bunch of people, lots of free drinks for me. Including several rounds of tequila slammers (courtesy of Simone - bitch! ;). Anyhoo, here's the birthday roll-call: Holly, Rebecca, Chris M, Jim, Claire, Gary, Sal, Rich, Dizz, Fran, Danny, Deborah, Simon Topping, Tom, Laurence, Matt, Patrick, Taz, Chris V, Rob & Lizzie, Sarah, Simone, Si-Mark, Ryan, Ish, Ali and fella, Brad, Mountford, Steve Baker, Shaggy and Jo.
BABY ELLA
Hull, 29th December 2006My brother Darryl and his wife Helen became parents! I just missed it, as Ella was born the day after I left Hull to return to Brighton. So I'm an uncle now. Weird. Anyway, congratulations!
BOXING DAY NIGHT-OUT IN HULL
26th December 2006I recently travelled up to Hull to catch up with some of my mates - Andy, Laura and Dave, Major Maddock, Rob, Whitehand, Rebecca, (+ Jenny & Helen), Diane + her fella Paul, Paul Rawlings and Paul Bevan. We hit the William Wilberforce (formerly Lloyds Bar) in Ye Olde Hull Town, before making our way to a very pleasant evening of japes at The Lamp.
RETURN OF THE BUMP SQUAD
Casablanca Jazz Club 2006, 16th December 2006This is our most recent set of 'BumpSquad photos, taken at Casablanca Jazz Club last December. Thanks to Ben for the photos.
SOUTH OF FRANCE HOLIDAY
August 2006Following a recent 'BumpSquad wedding gig in Tours, Holly and I travelled further south for a holiday, spending a week at her Dad's villa in St. Pierre. Includes trips to the reservoir at St. Laurent and Termes gorges.
RETURN OF THE BUMP SQUAD - FRENCH WEDDING GIG
Tours, France August 2006We were asked to play at Tom's wedding (now our bass player). The snag was it meant seven of us travelling over to France to do it. All except for drummer Lance who forgot his passport... Anyway, we got the ferry from Newhaven to Diep, then on to Tours for some wedding funk...Get Your Own! | View SlideshowWIRELESS FESTIVAL, LEEDS
Sunday 25th June 2006A trip up north to Leeds with Holly, Rebecca and Rich. We were really there to see The Who, but were blown away earlier in the day by the magnificent Flaming Lips. We just made it in time to see The Zutons too...SPIDERS NIGHTCLUB, HULL
Saturday 24th June 2006The night before, Rich, Rebecca and I managed to squeeze in a quick Hull visit. This meant the obligatory night-out at legendary Hull nightspot 'Spiders'. Carnage ensued...Get Your Own! | View SlideshowHOLLY'S SURPRISE 21st BIRTHDAY, HOVE
Wednesday 21st June 2006We set up a suprise party for Holly's birthday. Holly thought we just going for an after-dinner drink, only to find lots of familiar faces waiting for her in Snafu. There are only a few pics, possibly something to do with the number of drinks I had that night.Get Your Own! | View SlideshowBRIGHTON ROCK SCHOOL (End Of Term Gigs)
March - April 2006Here's a selection of pictures taken at our End Of Term gigs. These events are for students to perform in front of a live audience, many for the first time. Students range from 8 to 15 years old.Get Your Own! | View SlideshowBIRTHDAY NIGHT OUT, HOVE
Thursday 5th January 2006I celebrated my 32nd birthday out with friends at local bar Snafu. Guilty parties: Jim, Rebecca, Holly, Gary, Matt, Si-Mark, Taz, Lance, Sal and Ollie. One blackout, an hour of old school hip-hop and several cocktails later...Get Your Own! | View SlideshowNEW YEAR 2005
Hull, 31st December 20052005 was my first Christmas spent down South, so Rebecca and I travelled up for New Year. We included visits to Rebecca's folks in Welton, Laura's new house, and ended up watching a jazz-funk band at Pave Jazz Club on Princes Avenue. We also managed to visit Mark and Karen, as well as the latest addition their family...Get Your Own! | View SlideshowELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS
Birmingham Symphony Hall, Sunday 29th May 2005This was the second time we'd been to see Elvis Costello concert that year - we'd seen him a couple of months earlier in Brighton. Sarah and Levon put us up for the night.Get Your Own! | View SlideshowROYAL PAVILLION, BRIGHTON
Brighton, 2005OK, this one's for the tourists. Just a few pictures of one of Brighton's most extravagant attractions, the Pavillion. You can't quite tell from these pictures, but it really is quite spectacular when you're standing next to it.Get Your Own! | View SlideshowON HOLIDAY IN SPAIN with Rebecca, Jim and Jill.
Almadeina, Spain, April 2005.Jim's girlfriend Jill owns a villa in Spain, an hour away from Alicante, so we all went over there for a holiday. We hired a car for the week - my first time driving on the 'wrong' side of the road...Get Your Own! | View SlideshowPARACHUTE JUMP!
Huntingdon Airfield, 16th October 2004.This was the day I got to I got to realise one of my lifetime ambitions, and jump out of an aeroplane. Pretty mad considering I don't really enjoy flying much at all! Levon jumped with me. We had to wait 8 hours to jump, as the weather was so bad. We were just about ready to give up and go home when the sun came out. An amazing day!Get Your Own! | View SlideshowNEW YEAR 2001.
Mark & Karen's, HullNew Year + beer + fancy dress = stupid photos. As was the tradition, some of our folks dropped by after midnight to join in the japes and get even drunker than us lot. Now that's good parenting.