Well, Hannah seemed quite taken!

Well, ’tis 3.13am, and I can’t sleep.  Five and a half hours of M5 and M6 on the way up to Blackpool, and 3 hours back down in the wee smalls, all for what….Well, there’s this bloke called Howard….And had I have already known that Howard’s wife Sam was so beautiful, we would have hurried up the M6 a little more.

Tonight, hold on, sorry.  Last night, Howard sang his own special brand of crooning at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, and Hannah and I were there to record the event.  Now, Howard is a bit like that Michael Bubble bloke, but from what I saw there’s also more than a bit of the genuine smooth ‘rat pack’ about him.  A good looking guy in his black suit and waistcoat, and we’ll forgive the crocodile skinesque pointy shoes, he delivers ‘Fly me to the moon’ and ‘Mr Bojangles’ with a twinkle in his eye (primarily reserved for anything vaguely female from 18 to 80, sorry Sam!), and a smoothness that you could polish velvet with….Yes, I am a fan!

Waiting in the wings like a 4 year old at 5.30am on December 25th

To be asked by Howard to photograph his performance turned out to be a special night, call me mercenary but I don’t mind being associated with people on the up, and tonight’s shoot together with a further staged photoshoot in September is for a big publicity push that Howard’s starting, including new website, agents, stardom, etc, etc.  And the fact that the guy would never consider lowering himself to ‘X Factor’ level for the sake of 30 minutes of stardom impresses me even more.

When I go into a shoot, there’s a rush of adrenalin, excitement, apprehension, and pure joy to be doing what I have so long wished for.  However, when you see someone, peeking through the stage right curtains, hopping from one foot to the next, doing the soft shoe shuffle and getting totally lost in the moment before he is called on stage, then you realise you’re not alone in having a passion for doing something you love and trying to do it well.

Howard was sharing the stage with Maxine Barrie, who sings as ‘Shirley Bassey’, and won ‘Stars in their Eyes’ in 1990 or so….She was pretty good too, she did the Bassey lip quiver thing very well…But really how can you resist the sheer fondue (a blend of very smooth cheese!) of this…

If you’re interested, then Howard’s current site is www.howardswing.co.uk,  and bear in mind that you should return in a couple of months to watch it change….And Howard has been known to sing at the odd big wedding too, celebs, film stars etc etc.

So, this week, we’ve shot Little Miss Muffett, a heavily pregnant avicularia amazonica, a pair of Jimmy Choos, and a guy who can sing a bit…And we have to go the beautiful Florence and Beatrice and their Mummy and Daddy, and then the lovely Kayleigh…..See, why I’m happy! Enjoy the Bank Holiday, stay off the motorways!….R

How can you not love a guy that does this, on his way OFF stage!