Report DCUK Finals

"There was a definite autumnal chill in the air as I arrived at DCUK Finals in Mansfield, but at least the rain was holding off and the sun was starting to break through. Unfortunately a hold up on the motorway meant that I missed Cadet Class, but arrived in time to see the exhibition corps, two A Class corps and the eight Open Class finalists." A report by Andy Hewlett.

"The Horizon Corps performed a standstill exhibition of music from the world of film and television. A small, young group entertained the audience and I particularly enjoyed the guards use of multi coloured flags in Somewhere Over the Rainbow and their closer of Star Trek.

The first A Class Corps Phantom Knights appeared at the back of the field in their familiar two tone blue uniforms with shakos, looking slightly younger than in recent years particularly in the guard. But this certainly did not hinder them as they set up in an interesting clock face formation for a show entitled As Time Goes By, with the guard as the hands of the clock.

With effective clock type sounds from the pit the day began with Oh What a Beautiful Morning, then into 9 â?? 5 featuring baritone and soprano soloists. With the horns in a 5 shape, a bell rang from the pit to announce Schools Out and the resulting park and blow got a good reaction from the audience. Night fall was conveyed by good use of scenery which lead into As Time Goes By, before the Clock reach 12 midnight and a return to the clock face formation. All in all a great concept show.

Revolution Show Corps took to the field in their tradition green and black uniforms and slouch hats. A brief case with "Top Secret" on the side set the scene for Mission Impossible with the guard appropriately dressed as secret agents. The strong Contra section got the show underway whilst the rest of the horns battled with effective laser beam streamers.

The guard moved from strong red and orange flags to plain black, which had a dramatic effect as the show moved on to Men in Black which featured good baritone and soprano solos. A medley of James Bond tunes brought the show to its conclusion with a reprise of Mission Impossible which saw the horn line finish on the front line, giving a strong end to the performance.

After the interval the first Open Class Corps made its way onto the field which now had the floodlights on and a larger audience in attendance. Spirit of Coventry set up in their blue and black uniforms with slouch hats, whilst the guard appeared in striking red costumes that contrasted well with the playing sections.

The show featured the music of the popular TV show Glee and began well with the familiar strains of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserable. Spirit captured the mood well with the guard using French tricolour flags and the Mellophones taking the lead tune, nicely accompanied by the tenor and bass percussion, before a full out section created a great impact. A change in mood saw a percussion feature before Don't Rain on My Parade. Home from The Wiz was well interpreted by a role playing guard member who stood outside of her "home" complete with toy dog. Some complex drill moves lead into a closer of Don't Stop Believing in which the percussion section could really let rip, rounding off a thoroughly entertaining show.

Nexus are a Corps that have been progressing well in recent years and I was intrigued as they set up with window scenery and a young lady lying in a bed. The pit played the theme from the popular BBC children's programme In the Night Garden, which created a lovely mood for the show entitled Dare to Dream.

The horns began with an interesting arrangement of Three Blind Mice as the guard performed with 2 tone green flags. This lead to the young girls birthday and as she opened her present, the music changed to a clever arrangement of Happy Birthday blended with Bolero. A strong low brass section took us into Fields of Barley leading to a soprano duet and Wonderful World, featuring great role play as a Paratrooper appeared, picked up the girl before leaving her crying. I Dreamed a Dream saw the horns and drums change into black hoodies and as the Grim Reaper appeared, the show took on a very dark feel with the guard on silver and black flags. Great sombre ending to a great theme show.

Poynton Commodores got off to a strong start in their crisp green and white uniforms with O Fortuna from Carmina Burana which conveyed the fear in their show entitled Emotions. The fear was palpable as the guard performed in black costumes with black flags whilst one member appeared in a sinister black and red cape. As the Corps moved into the percussion feature the guard used red poles and then red flags to covey anger. The battery percussion joined the pit and I particularly like the use of static bass drums and great tympani work.

Sadness and Hope come across as the horns formed the shape of the cross, playing a complicated arrangement entitled Marching Seasons before Hope sprang forth in Make His Praises Glorious which featured the guard of yellow ribbons and yellow flags. A well thought out powerful show.

Staffordshire Knights brought a complete contrast to the field in their black and white uniforms and guard in grey suits with a role player in a pink dress, presenting a show entitled Strangers in the Knight. A great start of Strangers in the Night lead into the ever popular My Way as the guard performed on effective white flags before moving on to 2 tone blue.

The lower brass did a great job on It's Alright with Me which lead into a lovely Soprano solo in What Kind of Fool. Come Back to Me began with the mid voices and baritones trading the lead melody very effectively, which lead into a strong baritone/soprano duet. The show concluded with the horns right up on the front line which got a good response from an appreciative audience.

This was the first time I had seen The 6th since their reincarnation from a previous group and I was impressed with their smart black uniforms with blue trim and shakos, and guard in pink dungaree type costumes. As they set up under a now completely dark sky, the floodlights really brought out their impressive new image and with an intriguing pyramid structure back field, I was looking forward to seeing what The 6th would produce for their show entitled The Dark Trinity.

Interesting rotating gate formations built towards a big hit in the opener Alice from Alice in Wonderland and with good use of horn dynamics it was soon clear that this show was going to be a step up from anything we had seen previously. What's This from Nightmare before Christmas changed the mood as the guard performed on black and orange flags whilst a strong percussion section shone through with a particularly good bass drum passage.

Ice Dance from Edward Scissorhands featured a nice baritone trio as the guard moved to sympathetic silver and white flags, concluding in a dramatic hit. The percussion feature again show cased this strong section with some difficult passages from both snares and tenors, whilst the horns performed some great dance steps and the guard used plain silver poles to good effect. Another effective mood change as The 6th moved into the world of Batman with wind chimes and tympani's working well from the pit. The Corps moved into a block formation as the show reached its climax and concluded with an unusual but well performed Contra solo. To me, The 6th were the surprise package of the night and defiantly one to watch for the future.

As Black Knights marched on they looked like they really meant business in their black and grey uniforms with shakos and guard in brown Macintosh's. An impressive horn line warmed up whilst a large guard took photos of each other for a show entitled Knights, Camera, Action!

A strong start of Paparazzi by Lady Gaga saw fast moving complex drill, whilst the strongest guard yet seen performed with red and black flags and rifles. A baritone solo in Hay Ya worked well and featured some great horn dynamics before a strong percussion section took over for a drum feature, which produced a scatter drill from the horns and some effective dance moves. There was a real energy coming off the Knights as they took off their shakos for a great park and blow which brought the crowd to their feet.

The back field scenery changed to Family Portrait, a picture of the Corps, and a young girl appeared with her teddy. The strong horn line again took centre stage with a powerful but controlled arrangement of Adele's Make You Feel my Love which concluded with a soprano soloist who put his arm around the young girl. The scenery moved to CCTV for The Watched, a medley of music from Billy Clyro, Eminem and James Bond as the horns and drums put on masks and the guard performed well on rifles. I particularly liked the horns drill as one member dropped out of the form and then another and another. The show concluded with the battery percussion at the front, producing another great audience response. To my mind this was the Black Knights best show yet.

The Company set up in black and white uniforms and white head bands rather than hats with the guard in unusual all white costumes. As they warmed up, a bass guitar and synthesisers in the pit announced that we were in for something completely different.

The large guard looked good as Company began their show entitled Cold "A Winters Tale" and I was impressed from the start as they looked incredibly clean in all captions. Each segment of the show was linked by voiceovers from the pit and as a radio announced "blizzard like conditions for tonight" the brass section went into a complex passage featuring some great 16th note runs from the upper voices whilst the guard performed on complimentary aqua blue flags and rifles.

With the battery percussion back field, a singer appeared in an all white costume and angel's wings for Snow Angel which created an excellent effect as the guard moved onto white flags and sabres. The Festive Finale was superb and included Joy to the World and Tis the Season and saw the corps move into a large X formation with blue lights flashing out from the bass drums. As the show finished I was in no doubt that I had just watched the most progressive show in the UK.

Kidsgrove Scouts looked big and impressive as they entered the field to great applause in their white, red and black uniforms with slouch hats. They warmed up front field and their 45 horns oozed both quality and confidence, whilst the guard appeared in brown and yellow mountaineering costumes for a show entitled The Summit.

The Ascent began with an expanding horn formation which lead to a big build and hit which blew the stand away as Kidsgrove dominated the field with demanding horn passages and excellent rotating, expanding formations. In The Clouds was conveyed well as the upper voices played back field and the horns moved into clusters before reforming into a hit formation which produced a wall of sound into the stand.
Then an Avalanche befell our climbers as the snow, a white sheet, covered the guard who gradually freed themselves from it. A baritone solo produced an interesting effect as the battery percussion march military style from back field, pushing the guard back as they went. A strong closer of The Summit featured the excellent guard on yellow and brown flags as the horns went into a crowd pleasing company front, before turning back field. Another strong push to the front brought the house down with a standing ovation and left me wondering if I had just seen the best ever British Corps.

The retreat assembled and the results were announced. As I got back into my car I noticed that the temperature had dropped to just 9 degrees. Autumn was well and truly here and this excellent DCUK Finals sets the scene nicely for DCE Finals and the show down with the mainland European Corps."

Andy Hewlett