Following the success of Nathan Evans’ version of a 19th century maritime folk song – which has sparked a global ‘shanty craze’ – we thought it was time we dredged up our vintage film on the first Falmouth Shanty Festival – made for the Guardian travel pages back in 2011. The festival is back in June 2021 – the year of the sea shanty we are told. Could be worse.
In celebration of St Piran’s Day (Cornwall’s patron saint), we’ve unearthed a reel of archive footage from Cornwall visits – Helston’s Flora Day, Falmouth’s shanty festival, surfing, seafood and Oyster fishing on the River Fal. Gool Peran Lowen as they say round y’ere.
The results still hadn’t been called in the state of Georgia when Dave flew to Atlanta to cover the wake of the US election for Channel 4 Dispatches. In the five days spent filming in and around Atlanta, he found the time to create a photo essay that captures the essence of this diverse city during a pivotal moment in American history.
On a trip to Australia (pre-Covid), Dave spent time exploring rural and urban Victoria. From Melbourne to Ballarat, Birchip, Geelong, Port Fairy (the lighthouse) and the Great Ocean Road. This want-to-be-there little movie is shot entirely on an i-Phone6.
In the foothills of South India’s mountainous Western Ghats, life on Kerala’s rubber plantations is modelled on the old days of the British Raj. But things are beginning to change. Here, the local community get ready for a social evening at 100-year-old institution the Mundakayam Club.
GWR asked Dave to shoot a promo about the ‘Night Riviera’ – their revamped sleeper service from Paddington to Penzance – so he did the eight-hour journey. The service was temporarily suspended earlier this year, thanks to Covid restrictions, but overnight cabins are now available from 24 August 2020.
Founded by Comrade A. K. Gopala Krishnan and 2,000 members of the India Coffee Board Worker’s Co-operative Society, Kerala’s collection of Indian Coffee Houses formed one of the world’s first fast food chains when it opened in 1958. We go behind the scenes to see the preparation of their ‘delicious caterings’ in action.