Report: Kidsgrove take 1st place at Eastleigh

As the Sun dawned on Sunday 6th September it looked as if this could be the first DCUK show day in the British Isles this season with a reasonable chance of avoiding any rain. With the Arklow and Warrington shows both falling victim to torrential down pours I set off towards England's South Coast looking forward to good day of drum corps.

Report by Andy Hewlett

The show was held at Eastleigh Town Football Club, a cosy stadium with a reasonably high stand which was filling up rapidly as I arrived. However the staff of the host corps, Senators, were just starting to mark out the field which clearly meant that there would be some delay before show. We were told later that this was due to a football match taking place that morning on the pitch, much to the surprise of the show organisers.

Unfortunately Senator Juniors were unable to perform so the show got underway with the only Junior Class entry 6th Hove Scouts B.

6th Hove Scouts B are a small corps comprising of just 13 members, 5 horns, 1 snare drummer, 3 guard and 4 pit, but despite their size and age, which was quite young, they produced an entertaining show of music from James Bond films. The musical sections were well balanced, whilst the guard clearly pushed themselves using two flags each at one point. I particularly liked 'Diamonds are for Ever' where the smallest guard member held up a huge 'diamond' to good effect.

The Open Class was opened by a corps returning to DCUK for the first time since 1982, the Pacemakers from Bromley in Kent. The Pacemakers were founding members of DCUK back in 1980 but have spent most of the intervening years competing on the BYBA circuit. They entered the field to the sound of a catchy cadence, looking very smart in their crisp white and purple uniforms with black trousers and bush hats. As they warmed up on the field I realised that the Drum Major Stuart Barker was conducting from a wheel chair. He was then wheeled to the box and helped up, much to the appreciation of the crowd, as it looks as if he has broken his foot.

This did nothing to spoil the show as the corps got underway to the familiar strains of the percussion intro into Queens 'We will rock you' followed by a baritone feature, accompanied by sympathetic bass drums. A mellophone solo led into 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with the horn line building to a crescendo before turning to the back field to good effect. Baritone and mellophone solos began 'Who wants to live forever' before the horn line turned on the front line for another effective impact.

The show concluded with 'Don't stop me now' with drum kits and tambourines in the pit providing an interesting effect. A rousing ending brought a good response from the crowd and the Pacemakers can be proud of their first performance back in DCUK. They have improved greatly over the last few years and I was left with the impression that they are now ready to 'step up a gear' especially as regards their visual program.

Staffordshire Knights warmed up on the field in a new largely white uniform and whilst the horns played an excerpt from the 1812, the percussion adapted an intriguing position right on the front line.

A mellophone solo began the old favourite 'Pagliacci' which made a great opener as the small but effective guard of 4 members performed with brown and yellow flags. Tubular bells backed by Contras led into the ballad piece as the guard changed to white flags featuring a musical notation symbol.

At this point I must apologise to the Knights on behalf of a group of spectators who decided that this was the moment to return to their seats in the stand, complete with chips and cups of tea, thus obscuring my view of the corps. Whatever happened to that old rule about not moving around during a corps performance?

By the time the chip eaters were safely back in their places, the Knights had moved on to the opening of their third and final piece. The 1812 Overture began with a well performed brass quartet followed by pit member playing a solo snare drum. As the piece built this relatively young horn line handled the demanding parts well whilst the guard changed to rifles. The show was completed with a rousing climax, helped by good effects from the pit including a gong and concert bass drum. However I got the feeling that there is more to come from the Knights before the season is over and the 1812 gives them the scope to do it.

With a blood red floors and a barbers chair on the field, 6th Hove Scouts set the scene wonderfully for their show Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Despite having no guard, it was clear from the start that 6th Hove had a strong visual show, with a great opening drill move accompanied by a good marching style. A soprano soloist played from the barbers chair and was picked up by a block formation of horns moving across field building to a fine opening hit. The second piece features two Contras around the chair, which was again used to good effect when two snares 'killed' a third.

A well controlled horn line showed good use of dynamics and the drum solo featured a crisp sounding snare line. But it was 6th Hove's visual program that did it for me with excellent visuals from the horns, expanding blocks and a superb ending where the whole corps 'died' on the field as a mellophone soloist played to different positions on the field before kneeling down to conclude the show.

As 6th Hove left the field I wondered how much their visual program would have been enhanced even further if they had had a guard? It seems a rather ironic that two of today's units did not feature a guard, at a time when the Winterguard activity seems to be as strong as ever. However, as 6th Hove and Pacemakers are Scout and Boys Brigade units respectively this may explain the problem, although they have both had guards in the past.

The stand was starting to get very crowded as Kidsgrove Scouts setup in their familiar red, black and white uniforms with black boards providing a back drop to the pit. The guard looked great in their red suits with blue trim and formed the centre of the opening set as the corps created a heart shaped formation, setting a superb picture for their show appropriately entitled 'The Heart'. As the show began with an entry from the pit, the heart began to beat as the form expanded and contracted. The guard performed with ribbons as the music built to the opening climax, before picking up two large red flags creating an excellent musical/visual moment.

The second piece saw a flag change for the guard before half of them picked up rifles, whilst a well tuned horn line handled tricky 16th notes runs with ease, accompanied by a latin feel created by accessories players in the pit. To me, the whole show had a hard hitting feel to it, driven by a strong percussion section. The musical selections were not recognisable but the overall effect was captivating and I loved the Contra feature which was nicely accompanied by the pit. The horn line was well exposed on a number of occasions, especially when they came right to the front line, but handled the pressure well. I also loved their familiar company front on a 45 degree move which Kidsgrove do so well.

The show concluded with the guard performing on pink, red and white flags before suddenly changing to yellow and white ones, seemingly without stopping which was very effective. The whole corps then returned to the heart formation as the show ended with the heart still pulsating, completing a great performance for the Scouts.

As Kidsgrove left the field, home town favourites Senators were already raring to go and entered the field to great applause in their traditional cream, purple and black uniforms with black shakos. The opening formation dominated the field with the horns in an interesting pairs formation as Senators prepared for a show entitled 'Reflection' to mark their 25th anniversary.

The show began with the guard performing front field with effective white flags as the horn line handled a challenging score well. A soprano playing whilst accompanied musically and visually by the snare line was a good effect whilst the strong guard look comfortable as half of them changed from flag to rifle.

As the show unfolded the Senators demonstrated the best of their entertaining tradition with such favourites as 'On the Waterfront' and 'Red Pony'. I particularly enjoyed 'Unforgettable' which featured a lovely soprano/baritone duet, creating a nice smooth feel. As usual the mallet section was outstanding; projecting well into the stand with parts that complimented the show, whilst a large battery section was much in evidence yet never overshadowed the rest of the corps.

An interesting version of 'Virtual Insanity' with a soprano solo and guard dance worked well before a drum break. Unfortunately one unlucky drummer appeared to catch his foot in one of the yard line tapes which had been laid between the front side line and front hash. This caused him to fall to the ground and in doing so, take a number of his fellow percussionists with him. However they were soon back on their feet and appeared to be none the worse from the accident.
This incident distracted somewhat from the ending of the show, but I think that there may be more to come from the reigning British and European Champions before the end of the year.

So with the performances complete, the corps prepared to line up for the Olympic retreat. My wife and I decided it was time to go and get our own chips, which I have to say were excellent, whilst we waited for the results. As we waited, the judges for the contest made their way back to their room for the critique and I noticed that there were quite a few Dutch judges amongst them, plus one from Ireland, giving clear evidence that the European judges are really coming together as one unit.

The corps came back on to the field and the scores were announced. The big news was that Kidsgrove had beaten Senators by over a point, setting up a fascinating climax to the season. The best DCUK finals (Sept 19) line up for years could also see Northern Star challenging for honours, whilst DCE finals the following week will see England's best face the cream of mainland Europe. Whatever you do, don't miss it!