People who, like myself, follow the progressive rock scene closely undoubtedly know who Andy Glass and Howard Rankin are. Glass is the founder and guitarist of the British band Solstice, a band that has released several albums since the early 1980s. Namely Silent Dance (1984), New Life (1992), Circles (1997), Spirit (2010) and Prophecy (2013). After that, things became quite quiet around the band until a new impetus was given to them around 2020. This was mainly caused by their new lead singer, Jess Holland, with whom the band released the following three albums: Sia (2020), Light Up (2022), and Clann (2025), the so-called Sia trilogy. Rankin is known to many as the amazing photographer who takes perfect photos at many concerts of progressive rock bands like Mostly Autumn. But he was also the one who captured the new lineup of Solstice during concerts from the very beginning. He followed the band for years during the various tours of the Sia Trilogy. This resulted in amazing concert photos that have already been used multiple times for live releases. But what to do with the many beautiful photos that almost no one gets to see? It is a shame that no one actually gets to see them except the photographer himself, the band, and a few of his acquaintances. This is probably why the idea arose to make them available to the many fans the band has gained over the years. You can, of course, place them on a website. But what could be better than compiling a beautiful photo book and making it available to everyone? And this is ultimately what happened; recently, the first real Solstice photo book has been released, titled A New Day: The Sia Trilogy In Photographs. I count myself lucky to have already been able to take a look inside this beautiful book. There's a forward by Gregory Spawton of Big Big Train. He had previously expressed his admiration for the band during the release of the live album Return To Cropredy. After all, he has been following the band since they started performing. He says he saw them in 1983 at the Marquee in London, but also years later, after most neo-progressive rock bands had faded into the background, with the exception of Marillion. In 2024, he found himself in Chepstow to see Solstice headline the Winter's End Festival and found himself dancing again, just like in the old days. Likewise, Jerry Ewing (editor Prog Magazine). He too has followed the band from the beginning, when they were still opening for Marillion. That was at the Marquee Club on London's Wardour Street on the evening of December 29, 1982. He thinks that you cannot witness a more enjoyable experience than a Solstice live show because for him the sense of fun and positivity that emanates from the stage is truly something to behold. Furthermore, Martin Kielty and Oz Hardwick have some nice words about the band along with quotes from both the famous and infamous people! Like the following words from Steve Rothery: "Never Trust A Hippy". But of course, this book isn't about what everyone thinks about the band and admires them. No, the most important part is yet to come. The beautiful photos by Howard, which are the focus of this magnificent book. Photos placed in chronological order, interspersed with explanations of the three studio albums and the live albums. Photos in colour as well as in black and white to further emphasize the atmosphere on stage. Photos that primarily convey that the band is having a lot of fun on stage and enjoying the songs they get to perform for their fans. The band, and especially the singers, radiate the feeling that it is a big party on stage. Nothing but happy faces, and no one who is depressed or downcast. The photos of Solstice show that life is a big party and that you should enjoy it while you can. We should, of course, be very grateful to Howard and his lens for capturing all of this so well. Anyone who has ever held a camera knows how difficult it sometimes is to take a good photo and to capture the right moment. Especially of people on stage who don't stand still and move around a lot. I used to take a lot of concert photos myself, and believe me, not every shot turns out well because there was too much movement. That is why all praise goes to Howard, who presumably has the patience, and waited for the right moment to press the button during the many concerts he attended! It might be interesting for some to know which concerts Rankin attended and photographed. Perhaps you were there and can relive the memory as you browse through this beautiful book. Here is the list of concerts as an extra. Cambridge Rock Festival June 17th 2022 Queen Victoria Hall, Oundle October 1st 2022 MK11 November 6th 2022 Colchester Arts Centre July 22nd 2023 The Cropredy Festival August 12th 2023 The Stables September 2nd 2023 MK11 April 20th 2024 The 1865, Southampton April 21st 2024 The 100 Club, London June 1st 2024 The Soundle Festival, Peterborough June 2nd 2024 The Solstice Festival , Stonehenge June 22nd 2024 A New Day Festival August 17th 2024 The Stables September 7th 2024 Nene Valley Rock Festival September 8th 2024 Trading Boundaries November 1st 2024 Fusion Festival, Kidderminster March 9th March 2025 Queen Victoria Hall, Oundle April 5th 2025 The 1865, Southampton April 9th 2025 Colchester Arts Centre April 17th 2025 The Dome, London April 20th 2025 The Stables August 30th 2025 Howard likely had to make a very large selection from his many photos taken during the 21 concerts mentioned above. After all, he only had 144 pages at his disposal, in which he used the very best for us to admire. And with this number of pages, you have a book that is neither too thick nor too thin. Simply perfect. A book in which this colourful band is beautifully captured in vibrant colours and stylish black and white. I am absolutely certain that anyone who receives and looks at this book will acquire a beautiful historical document and reference work in which a top band is beautifully depicted over a four-year period. Something that few bands achieve. I can therefore only recommend this beautiful book to all fans of this amazing band. And it is also highly recommended for those who enjoy beautiful concert photos. Well done Howard Rankin, and hopefully we can enjoy your beautiful photos for a long time to come! **** Henri Strik (edited by Dave Smith) |
