So we were back in Bristol once more for the superb Wassup Nerds!? 2 Show - much expanded and in new BIMM Institute Venue in the Stokes Croft area of that city. Said area, is a little way out of the centre of the city, and consists mostly of take-away restaurants seemingly, a few pubs, and is heavily saturated with Vegan and Vegetarian options - so will likely suit the more fussy eaters!

Unusually for me, I hadn’t done any research on that area in advance - where for my lunch break - I ...

It was quite the deliberation - deciding which image should be the cover shot for this feature - on balance I think I made there right decision by picking the very first photo of the day - where Hello Sailor Effects certainly delivers that Technicolour Rainbow which looks so appealing. Moreover I snagged a one-off pedal from that stand - a few minutes before the show was officially opened - but more of that later!

Showrunner extraordinaire Phil Steere above (at the show entrance), AKA PedalPatch Head Honcho.

What a wonderful show!

Just as good as the inaugural one, in fact by several measures even better!

These shows are really like family reunions for me nowadays - I know most everybody on the pedal scene now and seemed to be mostly warmly welcomed into their company. I was up really early on the Saturday - in fact when I walked in at 08:15 only Boss and NRG Effects were close to having set ...

So the second time we’re at Fat Lil’s, thank you to all the helper elves that made all this happen - of course UK Chase Bliss Ambassador Doug Tolley and team - including Jonny ’Guitar’ Davies, Nick Rees, and Fat Lil’s owner Paul Spink.

Cover star on this occasion is Holy Island Audio’s Gwion Christmas - that photo just came out the coolest with those light-flares - it’s often just about the aesthetic hit - I also feel that said visual gives you a good flavour of the venue too!

I picked ...

I’m a huge advocate for supporting any kind of grassroots endeavour happening within the guitar industry - obviously the pedal side in particular. So it was a foregone conclusion really that I would attend the very first Alternative Guitar Show and lend it my support - held this time at the wonderful Fighting Cocks Bar / Pub / Live Gig Venue in Kingston.

I loved the venue - which was accesses behind the main bar / pub - and the whole vibe of the space really reminded me of my student years....

Where the Birmingham Show was a little sprawling and chaotic for me, I very much felt more at home at the Studio 9294 venue for this year’s London Synth and Pedal Expo. As Media Partner for the show, the second year in a row, I was of course in for the entirety of both the day, and actually in very early in particular on the Sunday.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two days -I love having the #90 Bar & Kitchen next door - for some very decent lunches - superb burger on the first day, and Sunday...

NOTE : FREE TO ATTEND!

Great news! - the London Synth & Pedal Expo is back for another year on 16th & 17th of March (tomorrow Saturday and Sunday!) - bigger and better than last year’s fantastic inaugural event. And in a larger and easier to access venue that I’m really very familiar with!

As before you are encouraged to bring an instrument along for trialling new products - please be careful how you handle your axes at the show - as last year’s event proved difficult to ...

Wow, The Guitar Show was certainly a rollercoaster of an event with the busiest crowd I’ve witnessed to-date. At times it was quite a struggle to make your way through the packed waves of attendees, which did though start to peter out just a little after 3 o’c. For me it was fast and furious from the start - and I found it a little awkward navigating around the hall - as the stand layout seemed to have all kinds of little nooks and crannies - which made some booths incredibly easy to overlook ...

NOTE : FREE TO ATTEND!

Great news! - the London Synth & Pedal Expo is back for another year on 16th & 17th of March - bigger and better than last year’s fantastic inaugural event. And in a larger and easier to access venue that I’m really very familiar with!