That's it from Butlin's — but hopefully that won't be the last time that will be said from this competition.
No event in 2023 but hopefully back in 2024 — and if it is you can be assured that Flowers will be back too. A very fine band has made this contest their own over the years — and this victory was so well deserved.
They will be enjoying the rest of the evening for sure before they head back home £12,000 better off and with plenty more silverware to polish.
Thanks to Butlin's too for the way in which the weekend was run — very welcoming but with clear instructions on what you should do to keep safe. Hope everyone returns home as safe and well as they came here on Friday.
Sunday 9, 21:14:39
Result:
2022 Champions: Flowers Band
Championship Section
Adjudicators: Steve Sykes (music) & Stephen Roberts (music); Chris Dean (entertainment) Set Work (music) + Entertainment (music) + entertainment* = Total
*In event of a tie the higher placing in entertainment only takes precedence
Butlins Most Entertaining Performance: Flowers Winner of Set Test Piece: Flowers
Highest Placed Mining Band: Desford Colliery
Geoff Dove Soloist Challenge Shield winner in Entertainment category: Jamie Smith (Cornet) — Flowers* Outstanding Soloist in Set Test Piece: George Bruce (Euphonium) — GUS Band
*Desford principal cornet Gary Wyatt was initially awarded the Geoff Dove Soloist Challenge Shield This was later confirmed as a mistake of the contest organisers and corrected.
The initial news item of Monday 10th January has since been amended.
Sunday 9, 19:06:50
British Open Solo & Ensemble
Results:
Adjudicator: John Doyle
2022 Junior Solo Champion: Skye Stokes
Junior Solo:
1. Skye Stokes 2. Millie Davenport 3. Robert Davenport 4. Rhys Stokes 5. Rowena Findlay Ashfield 6. Vivien Findlay Ashfield
2022 Youth Solo Champion: Jordan Ashman
Youth Solo:
1. Jordan Ashman 2. Edward Culpin 3. Jake Humphrey 4. Leonie Tissie 5. Rowena Findlay Ashfield
2022 Open Solo Champion: Stephen Lomas
Open Solo:
1. Stephen Lomas 2. Jordan Ashman 3. Jake Humphrey 4. Edward Culpin 5. Andy Harris
2022 Youth Ensemble Champions: Shirland Youth Band
Youth Ensemble:
1. Shirland Youth Band (Evelyn Trow; Leonie Tissie; Millie Davenport; Robert Davenport) 2. Shirland Training Band (Izzy Owen; Jocelyn Trow; Emily Toyne; Jack Toyne; Evelyn Hill)
2022 Open Ensemble Champions: Shirland Band
Open Ensemble:
1. Shirland Band (Colin Davenport; Dave Hill; Luke Newbrough; Jack Newbrough) 2. Witney Town Band Ensemble (Sarah Ashfield; Rowena Findlay Ashfield; Vivien Findlay Ashfield; Luther Findlay Ashfield; Stuart Findlay)
Images: Craig Chapman
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Sunday 9, 16:33:06
Now the wait for the results
Now there is a bit of a wait before we get the results — so please be patient and we'll get the full results as soon as they are given out.
Sunday 9, 16:25:21
Championship Section: Entertainment Round Up
It's been an entertaining day in Centre Stage, with six well thought out programmes, all of which offered something different in concept, but above all in quality.
As with yesterday, there were two bands that stood out — Flowers and Desford.
Below that the minor placings could prove to be intriguing, but the consensus around the venue is that Flowers should be heading home with the overall title come the results this evening. In a contest that is so dependent on consistency, their brace of performances amounted to real top quality playing.
Chris Thomas goes for entertainment placings of: 1. Flowers 2. Desford 3. Skelmanthorpe 4. Redbridge 5. GUS 6. Haverhill
A band that has come such a long way musically, if not geographically in respect to their rivals today, is the last contender of a highly enjoyable afternoon to take to the stage.
What they will bring will be interesting (as they did on their last appearance here in 2019), but as we heard yesterday, they are certainly playing with confidence.
Programme:
Cut to the Chase (Larry Barton arr. Paul Filby) La Vergen De La Macarena (Rafael Mendez arr. Mark Freeh) Cornet Solo Tim Pannell Grand Central (Jim Parker) Wild Mountain Thyme (Trad. Irish arr. Tim Pannell) Rondo A La Turka (Mozart arr. Tim Pannell) Nightingale Dances (Manning Sherwin arr. Matthew Hall)
Paul Filby's arrangement of Larry Barton's 'Cut to the Chase' gets things off to an upbeat start, featuring various players and with the trombones across the back, big band style. It makes for a good opener, so well delivered.
Tim Pannell picks up his trumpet for his own colourful arrangement of Mendez's 'La Vergen A La Macarena'. It's a bold choice and not everything quite comes off, but it's a great inclusion in the programme.
Jim Parker's 'Grand Central' doesn't quite seem to get going in its evocation of American steam train travel complete with vintage visual imagery various train effects from the band.
It's one of those odd moments where programme momentum can be quickly lost, although the melting, evocative strains of the Irish folk melody 'Wild Mountain Thyme' that follows are given both warmth and emotion, despite occasional moments of insecurity.
Featuring an Eb bass duet of Michael Dawson and David Minchin, Mozart's 'Rondo A La Turka' provides a light hearted interlude, although once again there are elements that don't quite come off.
Matthew Hall's 'Nightingale Dances' is an effective conclusion and there is a touch of renewed energy about this, but not without the odd lapse.
After a strong showing in the set test yesterday, Haverhill has been a touch under par in the entertainment leg after a promising start. A somewhat erratic programme and playing that at times, struggled to maintain consistency.
Chris Thomas
Steven Mead:
Total out of 140
Performance: Technical Accuracy: 6.5 Variety of Expression and Moods: 7.5 Ensemble Precision: 7.5 Tuning/Intonation: 7.0 Sound Quality/Balance: 7.0 Quality of Featured Soloist(s): 8.5
Entertainment: Ability to hold audience attention: 12.0 Professionalism/Marketability outside the regular brass band genre: 13.0
Total: 92.0
An interesting and enjoyable performance from Haverhill, and whilst it was well presented, and had some fine aspects, overall, it was just a little bit uneven to really make a mark against the best here.
Mozart for two basses was definitely a brave choice, much appreciated by the audience, and there was plenty of interesting repertoire well played.
It rounded off what has been a very enjoyable afternoon!
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Sunday 9, 15:11:59
Championship Section: Entertainment
5. Redbridge Brass (Chris Bearman)
Another former champion returns to provide their brand of entertainment to see if they can reclaim the Warwick Vase trophy for a second time.
That 2009 victory seems a long time ago now, but they will surely have been boosted by their encouraging performance at the Brass in Concert Championships a couple of months ago.
Always a band with an innovative outlook with a great feel for dry wit, can they hit the funny bones of the audience here and the serious cash prize bones of the judges?
Programme:
Battle of the Planets (Hoyt Curtin arr. Philip Harper) The Crusaders of Pskov (Prokofiev arr. Chris Bearman) Wired (Lucy Pankhurst) Nature Boy (Eden Ahbez arr. Chris Bearman) Flugel soloist Alan Roberts Tetrominoes (Nekrasov/Bach arr. Eddie Morgan)
To the best of our knowledge, American composer Hoyt Curtin is no relation to Foden's euphonium star Gary, but whatever the relationship, this is a great opener.
It gives an immediate, uplifting feeling of interplanetary velocity and excitement from the off.
Prokofiev's 'The Crusaders of Pskov', drawn from Prokofiev's cantata 'Alexander Nevsky' and set to images from the classic movie 'Metropolis' displayed to either side of the band, casts an eerie yet intriguing spell.
It's different that's for sure, and it certainly creates an atmosphere, but what the audience (and the judges) thought could be reflected from the slightly sombre applause.
Lucy Pankhurst's 'Wired' is a piece for the digital age, and it's given highly rhythmic, dynamic treatment. This is so much better than what we heard from Redbridge yesterday in a piece that for all its brevity, really takes some playing. And that's what they did.
Made famous by Nat King Cole, Anders Edenroth's arrangement of 'Nature Boy' sees a solo flugel horn with an accompanying quartet of flugel, horn, baritone and Eb bass. It's an evocative, gently atmospheric vehicle for the relaxed style of classy soloist Alan Roberts.
The finale of 'Tetrominoes' is an odd one….based on J. S. Bach, it has brought the programme to something of a spluttering close, but nonetheless, there were elements of Redbridge's programme that were thoroughly engaging.
This has been a different Redbridge to the one we heard yesterday, with infinitely more focus, commitment and energy to the playing. The programme had its idiosyncrasies but with much to enjoy.
Chris Thomas
Steven Mead:
Total out of 140
Performance: Technical Accuracy: 7.0 Variety of Expression and Moods: 8.5 Ensemble Precision: 8.0 Tuning/Intonation: 7.0 Sound Quality/Balance: 8.5 Quality of Featured Soloist(s): 9.5
Entertainment: Ability to hold audience attention: 13.0 Professionalism/Marketability outside the regular brass band genre: 13.0
Total: 106.5
An impressive and varied showing from Redbridge, that just seem to fall away slightly at the end.
Some original thinking here, a fine soloist by and large, very well delivered.
Sunday 9, 15:04:35
Soloist and ensembles shine
Andy Harris
Stephen Lomas
Shirland Training Band
Shirland Youth Band
Shirland Band
Witney Town Band
Images: Craig Chapman
Sunday 9, 14:30:15
Championship Section: Entertainment
4. Desford Colliery (Michael Fowles)
The only band with a direct colliery link to the mining industry in the top section is next to take to the stage.
Desford has enjoyed considerable success here over the years — winning the resurrected contest way back in 2003, and then again in 2007, 2008 2010, and 2019.
Can they add to those successes again this year?
Programme:
Living Power (Tom Davoren) Ar Lan y Mor (Trad. arr. Leigh Baker) Euphonium soloist Jim Fieldhouse Root Beer Rag (Billy Joel arr. Svein H. Giske) Through the Darkened Streets — John Barber Not to be forgotten (Pat Metheny arr. Jacob Wilhelm Larsen) The Firebird (Stravinsky arr. Ray Farr)
The sound of the band immediately hits home with the energetic driving force of Tom Davoren's 'Living Power', played with a force of nature energy and dynamism that immediately engages the senses.
What a glorious euphonium soloist Jim Fieldhouse is in Leigh Baker's arrangement of the beautiful Welsh folk tune 'Ar Lan y Mor'. This is so wonderfully delicate, imbued with a sensitive feel for line and lyricism that casts a quite magical spell.
The contrast with Billy Joel's 'Root Beer Rag' could hardly be more pronounced; played with an impish, infectious sense of fun that positions the piece like a scherzo at the heart of the programme. The playing is so precise in its technique, displaying terrific accuracy with an impressive lightness of touch.
John Barber's 'Through the Darkened Streets' might conjure up the notorious Jack the Ripper, but the image created is arguably at odds with that, in an upbeat number that takes us back into big band stye territory.
As with the opener, it's got an invigorating, bracing energy that is admirably taut.
It's Ray Farr's classic arrangement of Stravinsky's 'The Firebird' that brings things to a close — the 'Infernal Dance' hitting you between the eyes!. The 'final hymn' radiates a majestic apotheosis that makes for a thrilling conclusion.
Polished stuff from Desford. Technically commanding and delivered with bracing dynamism, unbridled bravura and a fabulous band sound. Not the most adventurous choice of programme perhaps but who cares with playing like this?
Chris Thomas
Steven Mead:
Total out of 140
Performance: Technical Accuracy: 9.0 Variety of Expression and Moods: 9.5 Ensemble Precision: 9.0 Tuning/Intonation: 9.0 Sound Quality/Balance: 9.0 Quality of Featured Soloist(s): 9.5
Entertainment: Ability to hold audience attention: 16.0 Professionalism/Marketability outside the regular brass band genre: 15.0
Total: 119.0
Most enjoyable from Desford. Some sublime sounds, especially in the finale, 'The Firebird' which harked back to glory years of the band at its very best. Jim Fieldhouse also excelled in his exquisitely controlled euphonium solo.
More of a traditional programme, but still packed full of contrasts of colour and mood.
Great brass band playing that made its mark here with the audience.
April 6 • Musical Director required. We are a friendly and welcoming 2nd section band looking for a MD to continue on our successful musical journey.. We are a forward thinking, progressive organisation who are passionate about performing at our concerts and contests
April 4 • We are a friendly & sociable Second Section Band with an exciting and varied summer season ahead of us. Due to an employment relocation, we have an immediate vacancy for a FRONT ROW CORNET player.
April 4 • Bedworth Brass, Midlands 1st Section band are looking for a talented and enthusiastic soprano player to join the ranks of our hard working and social band.
