8 October 2022
Earlier in the summer of 2022 the sad news was announced of the passing of musician Andy Coleman which, it was instantly apparent, had a profound effect on many in Guernsey’s music community which he had been a part of for several decades and so it wasn’t long before a pair of events paying tribute to the different sides of Andy’s musical life were announced.
On Saturday 1st October St James hosted an event featuring a multitude of the island’s jazz scene paying tribute to his work on trombone with many jazz bands and then on Saturday 8th October the focus shifted to his more ‘pop’ orientated work, specifically with The Risk, King Rat & The Soul Cats and Sons Of The Desert.
Things began with mod band The Risk with whom Andy had played trombone since the mid-1980s and wrote the brass sections for all their songs since.
Launching into their set with long time favourite Norma Jean the band put on one of their best shows in a long time with Mark Le Gallez and Colin Leach leading the charge.
Ozzy’s drumming sounded particularly powerful here, driving it all forward while long time saxophone player Garrick Jones was joined by Nick Peters on trombone for the start of a marathon effort that saw Nick barley leave the stage all night while stepping into Andy’s shoes in fantastic fashion.
The punchy and powerful power pop of The Risk brought a few onto the dancefloor, though it felt like many were saving themselves for later, but nonetheless they got big positive reactions throughout with highlights coming with the likes of State Of The Union, Twilight Zone, Work and Jobs For The Boys while Good Times closed the set on a positive but poignant moment, making for a great start to the night with a celebratory tone.
King Rat & The Soul Cats are one of those bands who’ve taken on something of a legendary status in Guernsey’s music scene having made their names in the late 1980s as the band to see if classic soul music is your thing.