Last week I photographed my first gig at a cathedral when Carlisle band, Hardwicke Circus, organised the A Night For Ukraine fundraising event.

Fun fact: the band took their name from a roundabout in the city near the Civic Centre.

I took the time to chat with the lead singer and my Ukrainian friend Alla Stoica, who I first met during an event to mark the anniversary earlier this year of the Russian invasion of her homeland at Carlisle Castle, before the gig.

Hardwicke Circus recently did a tour of the Czech Republic and Ukraine and they are planning to return to the war zone next month for more gigs and they were hoping to raise enough to buy an ambulance that they could take an ambulance with them.

As with any gig I got a few shots of the performance and the audience and later found what I thought was a decent vantage point, the top of the steps of the cathedral’s pulpit, but it was a classic case of wrong place and wrong time.

Little did I know but the band’s special guest, Texan guitarist Joe ‘King’ Carrasco, left the stage and started making his way through the audience towards the pulpit. I thought nothing of it until he started making his way up the steps towards me. Needless to say it was a bit tricky when he tried to get past me as I could not move, as I had my bag on one side and the camera with the 70 to 200mm lens on the other, but his perseverance paid off and was able to preach to the converted.

I have to thank my Ukrainian photographer friend Veronika Zolotoverkha, who arrived in the city following the invasion and will be documenting the forthcoming tour, for taking the photos of me on the steps and I think my expression is a classic.

READ MORE: A Night For Ukraine at Carlisle Cathedral

It was my first introduction to the band’s music, believe me there were plenty of opportunities to catch them live, but I was suitably impressed and I am definitely hoping to review their Xmas gig in the city in December.