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Saturday 26th June
Test Piece: Eden — Professor John Pickard
Split Draw: 9.30am and 11.15am
Commence: 11.30am
Adjudicators: Derek Broadbent, David Horsfield, Kevin Wadsworth
What do we think?
A short and sweet day — and the playing wasn't too bad either: quality rather than quantity.
The press corps all think that four bands stood out today — Black Dyke, Foden's, Fairey and Leyland, with the rest a little way behind.
It's Dyke for us though by a very narrow margin from a rejuvenated Fairey (Geneva), Foden's just a touch behind in third and Leyland in fourth.
Rothwell should get into the picture in fifth, with Hammonds fine effort in sixth for us.
1. Black Dyke
2. Fairey (Geneva)
3. Foden's
4. Leyland
5. Rothwell Temperance
6. Hammonds Saltaire
Best of the rest: Reg Vardy, Skelmanthorpe, Pemberton Old Wigan DW.
Live comments by Iwan Fox:
9. Reg Vardy (Ray Farr)
Start: 2.34pm
Opening — G:
Another health & safety decision sees an opening with Adam & Eve protected by a divers suit of muted camouflage. Why or why? It's such a cop out.
Takes time to find its bare feet this — with some poor tuning issues. Fine eup and solo cornet whilst trom is a classy and devious snake in the foliage. Eve takes three trips to fall prey but it is done with a neat sense of style.
G — EE:
Controlled be-bop style sees a ragged descent into the depths. Not quite the sense of overwhleming greed inspired desperation that is required here, but it holds its pace.
Trips and tumbles almost over the edge but is held back three times — just. A touch prosaic this — again safety first, although Cape Fear ending is a touch manic in its forcefulness.
EE — End:
Nicely done this with almost a catholic sense of redemptive pleading to start. Grows well too — this is musically shaped with care and appreciation.
Now it has found its form — bold and colourful, tinged with hopefulness too. Just scrappy to end but closes with a flourish.
Overall:
Not a bad one, but it wasn't one that will last long in the memory banks either. Just needed a touch more risk taking in places.
8. Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Mark Bentham)
Start: 2.10pm
Opening — G:
Just a hesitant step or two from the naked leads to start, but it retains its dignity despite the little flash of trouble.
This sounds hard work despite fine euph and solid solo cornet. The snake is on the endangered species list though and it would take a dose of rohipnol to entice Eve into trouble here.
This didn't work at all.
G — EE:
Better stuff if a little light on the real detail in the descent to Hell. It's a scruffy old ride this not quite redolent of that dark rapacious feel of greed and destructiveness.
Second wind in the build to the final teetering steps, but these again feel as if option to jump wouldn't be too bad at all — the menace behind it is missing.
EE — End:
Again — brave efforts but it's not really got that feel of redemption and hopefulness. Fine euph again shines, but its all so bland. Sounds a tired band as we get to the close — a very prosaic Eden.
Overall:
Sounded hard work this — from start to finish. Had its moments but moments they were and nothing really substantive.
7. Fairey (Geneva) (Russell Gray)
Start: 1.49pm
Opening — G:
What a wonderful start — as naked as intended by Milton and the score and played with real tasteful security. It continues too with Adam soaring on euph and the old wily snake goggle-eyed at the beauty in front of him.
So well delivered this — inticed to her doom poor lass after three tries to stop herself.
G — EE:
More drama and dark edged greed as the band takes huge chunks of bebop inspired rapaciousness from the score. You can sense where this is heading — and it is not to a welcoming place. The MD has really inspired great atmospheric playing from his charges.
Lordy, Lordy — its teetering on the edge in more ways than one — but it's so exciting and really does have that malicious feel of Max Cady inspired lunancy to close. Breathless.
EE — End:
Now comes the hard part — and again they are not found wanting.
Lovely redemptive feel that starts with pleading voices and grows into a choir of hopefulness. Little blips do not detract and the musicality now flows.
Glorious stuff to close.
Overall:
A super performance this — top drawer playing. Not without its errors but so well laid out from a superb reading of the score by the MD.
6. Leyland (Philip Harper)
Start: 1.25pm
Opening — G:
Just the lttle hint of a naked toe being stubbed to open as the garden gates open — but full marks for doing it in the buff lads.
Just the odd moment of unease, but trom is a persuasive chat up merchant and Eve is finally tempted to take the bait after three well measured goes. Good quality playing this.
G — EE:
More quality in a free for all bebop inspired trip down into the depths. Greed is good as someone once said — and highly enjoyable too it sounds (great trom).
Just needs that darker hint of rapacious menace perhaps, but this is played with real bravura — but with bonkers percussion. Wowee Lucifer — a fast paced trip to the edge of the abyss this, but perc are losing the plot in volume. Even Evelyn Glennie would have earache.
Certainly an exciting one though.
EE — End:
A little bold in emotion to start — not really growing in redemptive spirit, more grab it and go.
It's become very over wrought now — too much too soon despite the emotional power on display. Gets very harsh but closes with a flourish.
Overall:
A typical Harperesque one this — full of excitement and drama, but also lacking a touch of technical security and detail. Up there though.
5. Rothwell Temperance (David Roberts)
Start: 1.03pm
Opening — G:
A few naked toes are stubbed on the brambles at the start, but at least they entered the garden with just the right sized fig leaves for protection and not bucket mutes.
A few more little accidents but there is neat sense of growing menace and trom does a fine bit of snake oil salesmanship on the girl. This has improved so much from that edgy start.
G — EE:
Big, boppy, heavy metal feel that really does have that grasping, rapacious greedy ethos of 'I want it, and I want it now' stamped all over it. Trom — nearly a corker.
It's a scruff of the neck trip to the gates of Hell — a real dark power ride. Not a nice place to be this — but just what was required.
You are left in no doubt by the trio of peeks into the abyss that this has been a journey to the edge of insanity — even Max Cady will have had a squeeky bum.
EE — End:
Still shaking in places it seems and takes time to recover that essential feel of growing redemption.
Just gets a little over wrought and full of emotion too soon? Great close — heart on sleeve stuff this. It bleeds raw passion to close.
Overall:
A big and bold one this — very big and bold in fact. One that certainly had the elements required even if it was right on the edge at times.
4. Skelmanthorpe (John Roberts)
Start: 12.41
Opening — G:
A proper naked opening starts well, but the naive duo are taking a fast paced trip through the garden of possibilities here. Snake does his best to entice a wary Eve, but it works — just.
Too many little erros spoil things, but this is sensibly laid out by MD. Some neat moments but it all lacks real detail and that fearful sense of things to come.
G — EE:
Hard graft this — greed through hard work if that's possible. Doesn't have that sense of crepusculor dark edged menace and sense of impending doom. Boppy, but a well mannered descent to the pits of the earth.
Good effort in peeking over the edge, but the de Niro Cape Fear feel lacks that mental sense of lunacy of what horrors have befallen mankind.
EE — End:
Recovers well with a growing sense of optimism that perhaps lacks that pleading religious feel, but it is well handled nonetheless.
Just loses focus in the closing sections but a rousing climax is well managed.
Overall:
Brave effort this — well managed by the MD. Lacked the real detail and sense of atmopshere required perhaps, but it was a hard worked performance of merit.
3. Fodens (Dr James Gourlay
Start: 12.19
Opening — G:
Another Adam and Eve cover up to start — its as if Trinny and Suzannah where in the bleeding garden! Recovers with atmosphere and edgy drama though through solo lines and cracking hissing snake trom (thanks to great cymbal effect) — riveting.
G — EE:
Real jazz inspired boppy trip down to the bowels of the earth with snappy trom and edge of the seat excitement.
MD really does take us on a wickedly dark and dangerous descent to the edge of Hell — with a real hint of rapacious evil greed. Three little looks over the edge with Max Cady ready to push Jim Boy over — scary, brilliant stuff.
EE — End:
MD sees the light and redemption with lovingly shaped pleadings and growing anticipation of new Eden salvation.
We are drawing from the emotional well here in bucketfuls — a little over wrought or simply irresistable? A bit of both maybe. What a fine finish though.
Overall:
A real top notch one this from Foden's. A couple of question marks over the beginning and some over wrought moments, but its right up there.
2. Black Dyke (Dr Nicholas Childs)
Start: 11.55
Opening — G:
Eden sees a proper naked opening from the sop and a real sense of naive atmosphere to start. Slight sense of nerves in the odd solo line but a wonderfully low bellied snake tempts Eve and it all becomes dark and dangerous.
G — EE:
Dark satanic mill stuff — Lucifer on LSD — all led by wicked trom. This really does have that boppy feel of rapacious fat cat greed and exploitation of the workers.
Now comes the descent into the abyss — hold on for the ride! Great playing this right to the trio of final tempting steps to the very edge and black hearted de Niro Cape Fear bonkers climax.
EE — End:
Hope springs eternal with pleading voices of hopefulness. Cultured musicality this — building with restorative powers led by fine tuba.
Drama and pathos now to close, but with sense of control too. Quality shines through with awesome thumping build to final chord.
Overall:
A top, top class performance this — so well put together and delivered. Beatable though, but only by a real corker.
1. Hammonds Saltaire (Morgan Griffiths)
Start: 11.32
Opening — G:
The muted opening is wrong — its like Adam and Eve wearing balaclavas and welding gloves instead of fig leaves. Why do it?
It recovers with atmosphere and the snake entices Eve to her doom, but its done without real detail or sense of menace.
G — EE:
Boppy feel and fine trom does his theatrical bit of overacting as the snake, but the racous greed and rapacious feel of dark forces is not really dramatic enough.
The trip to the edge of the abyss is bravely done if not quite as frightening as you feel it should be. Cape Fear ending is dark but no Max Cady gibbering mentalist.
EE — End:
It finds its purpose and style in the closing sections — pathos and warmth lift things with a sense of restoration. Nicely shaped this and leads to a growing sense of anticipation to close.
Overall:
Not a bad one from Hammonds — bravely done in fact if all a little lacking in true detail and drama.
