Pirates Invade Tenerife – To Launch a New Radio Station

After a hectic day which involved photographing restaurants in the south of Tenerife and a Tenerife Magazine meeting with a whopping 20 point agenda which left us all a bit glassy eyed by the end of it, the road north looked very tempting.

But instead of heading away from the sunset, we headed into it and toward a lighthouse, overlooking the beach, which had been invaded by pirates. In this case it was the pirates of Tenerife’s newest radio station, Pirate FM who were holding their launch party at El Faro Chill Art Bar in San Eugenio.

Andy and Clare Harper from Pirate FM

We hooked up with Colin Kirby at Los Cristianos bus station and headed to the pirates’ lair. Like Andy, Colin had read the bit on the web which advised that black and white attire was the pirates’ order of the day (he was in black pants and white shirt – Andy had opted for the slightly less camarera look of white pants/black T-shirt).

The second you walk through El Faro’s doors, it’s easy to see why Pirate FM would want to invade it for the evening. El Faro (the lighthouse) occupies a commanding position overlooking Fañabe beach on one side and Puerto Colón’s marina the other. At around 8pm, the setting sun cast an exquisite light over the bar’s mock lighthouse and über stylish décor making it what must be one of the sexiest spots to enjoy a sunset glass of cava on Tenerife.

As Andy chatted to Paul Lennox from Crossley, Morfitt and Lennox (who are working in association with the station) and Colin sought out Clare Harper (head of marketing), I took the opportunity to wander round snapping a few shots before the sun pulled the bed covers completely over its head, whilst a mix of smooth blues and soft classic rock (Pirate FM’s key sound) added to a pleasantly chilled ambience.

Unfortunately some of the key people involved with the new radio station had fallen foul of the fickle whimsies of  the volcanic ash cloud and were stuck back in Blighty, so interviewing options were curtailed somewhat.

Still every ash cloud has a silver lining and all that, so instead Andy quizzed the DJ about his music and then we did

Super Cool Seating Area in El Faro

what the sign for El Faro suggests, we chilled-out and shot the pleasant May breeze with Joe Cawley and John Beckley for a while.

By 10-ish we decided to head for home, stopping for a few moments to listen to note-perfect guitar riffs from Soundchaser in the bar below (Note for diary – a return visit definitely on the cards)

I’ve got to say, I was quite seduced by that little spot between Fañabe and Puerto Colón, musically speaking. By the DJ in El Faro who set the sunset scene perfectly; the band doing a sound check for a reggae tribute taking place in the downstairs bar later and then by Soundchaser rocking the beach. All good professional stuff and not quite matching a lot of folks’ views of the south of Tenerife.

On our way home we dropped Colin off in Los Cristianos. As we waited at a traffic light we were exposed to another face of Tenerife south’s nightlife. In front of us about 15, let’s say ‘mature’, visitors were line dancing to the strains of Dolly Parton. Not my scene and a million miles away from the cool vibes in El Faro, but they were enjoying themselves.

You can say what you like about Tenerife, but you can’t deny that musically, and in numerous other ways as well, what it has to offer is about as diverse as you’ll find anywhere.