Northern Star shine brightly at Academy Brass

A large field of 21 bands and corps made their way to Barnsley in the North of England for the last BYBA show in the first half of the season. It was also the first time that the DCE system was to be used in the UK as a trial for Division 1 and Associate Class.

A report by Andy Hewlett

"11th Northampton BB Juniors were the first band on the field as the Junior Class got underway. Dressed in traditional Boys Brigade uniform, this young unit performed a military style show with B flat valve less bugles, which sadly is now rather rare. An excellent solo Xylophone player stole the show whilst the bugle players doubled on Cymbals and got the day off to an entertaining start.

Blazing Brass Show band began with the horns lying on the ground and produced an interesting combination of traditional and progressive styles. A young horn player held aloft in Superman was a nice touch, and I enjoyed the drum solo where the entire band put on baseball caps backwards and jammed on the front line. Another very young band who gave a confident performance.

Spalding BB/GB made a striking appearance in blue and white uniforms with red Stetson hats. A slightly older group produced the strongest program so far, with the 3 mallets working to good effect, whilst the horns produced entertaining versions of familiar pieces including Down Town, King of the Road and the Sound of Silence.

The quality of the first few bars from Atherstone YMB announced the start of Division 3, with a nice laid back feel that was complimented by some good effects and cymbal rides from a strong Pit section. A well balanced Wind Section were complimented by 3 saxophones, and I particularly enjoyed the classic "She's not there" featuring an excellent baritone solo, whilst the guard showed their versatility on both flags and sabres. The brass again showed their quality with some tricky parts in a "Medley of Boys Will be Boys", and the finale of "I Predict a Riot" brought a good response from the audience.

Revolution Show corps produced one of the best concept shows of the day with a performance entitled "Dreams of Summer". The show began with the corps sat on the floor doing their sums aloud dreaming of summer, before breaking up to "Schools out for Summer". Complete with blue T shirts and kaki Knee length shorts, the corps had a real Velvet Knights feel about it, whilst the guard provided real colour in bright yellow tops with Red, Orange and Yellow flags. The party feel continued with "Best Years of our lives" before the summer was over and they were all back in school again doing sums. Great Visuals, great ideas and a worthy contribution from a Contra player who more than compensated for the absence of bass percussion.

Lanesfield BB/GB looked sharp in smart blue and white uniforms with white slouch hats. Another interesting blend of traditional and progressive styles, with traditional bugles and an excellent mace bearing Drum Major. Yet the marching show was demanding, with the horns performing dance steps at one point. In many ways Lanesfield reminded me of some of the great BB bugle bands of the 70s and 80s with touches of the Pacemakers and Somerford Sound (ala Rock around the Clock) in their show. Definitely one to watch out for in the future!

The familiar tones of Phantom of the Opera heralded the entrance of Halifax BB/GB. A more progressive unit, without a guard but with a pit section, produced a well balanced entertaining show of this classic musical. Despite being all brass, the flute solo from the pit was a nice touch, as was a well performed trumpet duet in "Masquerade". A lovely down ending to "Music of the Night" worked well, and I look forward to seeing how the show develops before Finals. Another excellent mace bearing Drum Major, but I wonder if he'll be tempted to conduct more in the years ahead?

Resplendent in crisp purple and black uniforms, complete with the "Fleur De Lie" symbol, Doncaster Danum Scouts opened in a strong spread out formation and produced a good version of Danny Elfman's "Batman". Another young band, Doncaster entertained the crowd with an original woodwind quartet of Poison Ivy, as well as the Can Can and Rocking Robin. Another group without a guard, but made good use of the field in a demanding marching programme.

T S Superb NTC looked superb as they entered the back field in smart SCV style red uniforms and black slouch hats. Opening with the Classic "In the Stone", the horn line made good use of playing front and back field which gave good dynamic contrast. Further DCI influence was again noticeable in "California dreaming", before the show reached its climax with "Appalachian Spring", in which a series of well worked solos and duets lead to a dramatic push and a down ending with the mallets. This was the first time I had seen this unit and I look forward to seeing them again.

To my mind, Stafford Lancers were the first out and out Drum corps of the day, and despite dropping a class from last year, they looked strong in all sections, with a great production of "Fiddler on the Roof". A well trained guard performed on purple "Star of David" flags, before changing to sabres. It was only when the horns came to the front at the end of "To Life" that I noticed how young these performers actually were, and what a mature performance they produced. The show peaked with the legendary "Bottle Dance" and clearly it won't be long before the Lancers are back in Division 2.

Final Division 3 band of the day were Upton Youth band. Talking to their staff before the show, I knew that they had been disappointed with their score on their previous outing and were out to prove a point today. They did just that, with a dramatically improved performance that had to be one of the most demanding so far. A supernatural theme was evident in the show which opened with "Thriller", as a strong guard performed with vampire style cloaks/wings, accompanied by a solid percussion line. A blood curdling scream kept the crowd on the edge of their seats, and this is another show that will develop greatly before September.

Am I getting older or are Cadets getting younger? Black Knight Cadets must have had an average age of about 8, yet got one of the best crowd responses of the day with a show of tunes by cult English pop group Madness. Some great Madness style dances by the horns worked well, especially the robotic solo by the smallest member of the line. The guard used double flags, whilst a trumpet soloist created a nice effect in "it must be love". If you get a chance to see this corps, watch them, you'll love it.

An equally young group, Atherstone Cadets showed that they could be just as entertaining as their older counterparts. "Home on the Range" got the crowd clapping before "Yankee Doodle" brought them to their feet. With solid basics clearly being taught, it looks like Atherstone's cadet program will produce some fine players for the future.

Division 2 got under way with a group I hadn't seen before, namely Centurion Show band. In a smart modern red uniform with black shakos, Centurion had a large horn line and pit, but no guard. The Class divide was again noticeable as a well tuned and balanced horn line did a great job with "Autumn Leaves" that was complimented by an effective drum line. Interesting use of Saxophones instead of mellophones produced a nice Wind band sound, although a flugel solo in Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez" was a match for the famous "Grimley" version. A good mood change with "Jonnie One Note" and effective park and blow made for an all round entertaining show. Another group that I look forward to seeing again

Dressed in their traditional black uniforms with pink trim, Staffordshire Knights are another young corps in the process of rebuilding. Presenting a show of James Bond music, and set in front of the famous James Bond tunnel, the Knights began with a mallet intro before the horns went into "Live and Let die." It was good to see the progress the corps had made since the Cheltenham show some 5 weeks previous, and again I was particularly impressed by a precise Colourguard, who used flags, sabres and JB style pistols in effective poses. The battery and pit percussion worked well together, and the young lady on the tympanies did a great job, adding much to the overall program.

And now for something completely different. As 11th Northampton BB set up in traditional Boys Brigade uniform with B flat valve less bugles; I was waiting for a military style show of counter marching. How wrong I was!

The show began with a drummer running across the field as the vocal announcement exclaimed "War has broken out, your country needs you!" A series of bugle calls and military drill created an excellent war time feel, before the Drum Major told the bugles to get their rifles and then made the smallest member do press ups, whilst he held him down. A light infantry style run worked well as the bugles came back in, whilst still holding the rifles in one hand! Then an air raid siren and the sound of gun fire. The Last Post sounded and the bugles hit the ground. As they got up they announced their name & rank, saluted and left the field with a cross marking the spot where they had fallen, only to re-enter carrying a battle torn flag. Fabulous, emotional ending to one of the most original shows I have ever seen. Can't wait to see them again.

If there was any group who could follow that, it was Trinity School Show band. Probably the biggest band of the day, Trinity are similar to the High School bands of the USA with a full brass and reed section, complete with 4 Sousaphones, and a Cavaliers style green and black uniform. They took us around the world, starting in America with teasing little snippets of the National Anthem, America, America and Dixie, before whisking us of the Vietnam and Miss Saigon. The Colourguard performed a great show with strong yellow silks and sabres, before changing into Spanish style dresses, as the mood changed again, complimented by castanets from the pit. A competent show designer had the woodwinds constantly in front of the brass which created a rich full ensemble sound as Trinity finally reached home with Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. Great entertainment.

A short interval followed as the show moved into Division 1 and Associate Class, the latter being for units who were Open Age, as the judges changed systems and prepared to use the Drum corps Europe sheets. Whilst all 4 of these corps have been regular participants in DCE for some years, this was the first time that they were to be judged by this system in Britain.

Distant Thunder and 6th Hove Scouts have both progressed immensely in recent years, and I was looking forward to seeing if they had maintained this improvement. I was not disappointed.

Distant Thunder warmed up back field, with the horns lead by one of the activities great characters Steve Allan, who seems to have now aged out!!! An interesting on field set up with scenery that included some large wheel half's and a clock with a witch set the stage for a show called "Wicked".  A tremendous horn hit blew the crowd away, and it was clear that Thunder had been working hard over the winter. A smooth ballad was equally well played, with the guard on soft white double flags, and with a fast moving intricate drill. All in all it seemed to me that this corps has now come of age and are giving the big guns of Europe plenty to think about.

6th. Hove Scouts set up in their two tone green uniforms with the pit players in black. A big expansive opening set, the show began with a mallet intro into a powerful horn hit from a solid horn line with a particularly strong bass line. Some excellent solo and duet horn pieces were complimented by an experienced looking guard on warm red, orange, pink and yellow flags. A Flugel solo backed by a sympathetic pit started the finale piece, and was complimented by and old style snaire, plus a bass line of 5 highly competent players, as the corps finished in the same positions as they started. Look for a big end to the season for 6th Hove in September.

The anticipation was high as local favourites Northern Star D&BC marched smartly around the arena and set up off the field on Side 1. With the corps in smart black and red uniforms with the familiar Star emblem, a large pit section and interesting rose wallpaper scenery, I got the feeling that we were in for something special with a show entitled "Labyrinth".

The corps entered the field with the guard dancing, as a role player appeared as a 1950s young women who looked rather lost. A fabulous horn line created an uncomfortable feel as the scenery changed to doors and then back to wallpaper, as the guard performed on purple flags and rifles, before the role player backed nervously into a mirror and the guard changed to dramatic red flags.

Then, a dynamic mood change as the percussion left the field and Star took us into a lovely ballad. Somehow the clouds seemed to lift as a happier atmosphere flooded the arena and at last the long suffering role player danced merrily within the corps. The drums re-entered the field with some smooth running passages, and with the guard now on yellow flags, the show built to a tremendous finale which brought an appreciative audience to its feet. Star have come on in leaps and bounds since Dordrecht, clearly aiming for both the BYBA and DCE crowns in September.

The atmosphere was electric as the finale corps Kidsgrove Scouts entered the field. Looking big and impressive in their red and white Madison style uniforms and marching 6 Contras, the horns warmed up facing front field and as usual their quality shone through.

With a show that is divided into 4 sections, Part 1 - Promise of Living (Aaron Copeland) began with a Brass quintet that were gradually joined by the ensemble whilst the Guard performed in unusual brown and yellow uniforms with multi colour flags. Part 2 - Concerto for Jazz Guitar and Rodeo (Both by Paul Hart) continued the Western feel before The Gunfight - based around Young Guns II and The Aftermath - Red Pony (Aaron Copeland). With a solid percussion section and a horn line that made a difficult book sound easy, the Scouts were enhanced by a "rootin, tootin" guard in bandanas performing barn style dancing. Kidsgrove performance concluded with an exciting formation with the horns right up on the front line, and it was clear that their performance level was up considerably from the Tottenham show.

Congratulations to Paul Cartwright and his team on a well run competition, to the judges who seemed to have no problem with the new system, and to all the performers who entertained us all day long. At the moment it looks as if Northern Star will be England's best chance of winning the European Championships, and after being DCE runners up for the past 2 years, it looks like this could finally be their year. But there is still a long way to go and everything to play for."

Scores can be found at www.byba.org.uk.