Championship Section

Sunday 23rd January 2011
Venue: Centre Stage, Butlins Skyline Resort
Commence: 9.30am

Comments by Iwan Fox

What do we think today?

What an interesting contest. The quality, just as yesterday, varied a great deal, but what was so good to see and hear was also the varied choices of music — some very brave.

If they go for the playing it could be GUS — entertainment, Redbridge, inventiveness Woodfalls. The list of permutations is endless.

We'll stick out neck out on this one and opt for GUS today with Woodfalls second and Flowers third.

1. Virtuosi GUS
2. Woodfalls
3. Flowers
4. Desford
5. Zone One
6. Redbridge
7. Marsden
8. Thoresby
9. EYMS
10. Blackburn & Darwen

Overall winner

That means an overall winner for us of:

1. Flowers
2. Desford
3. Virtuosi GUS
4. Redbridge
5. Zone One
6. Woodfalls
7. Marsden
8. Thoresby
9. Blackburn & Darwen
10. EYMS

10. Flowers (Paul Holland)

Blimey — Tony Robinson could have unearthed 'Folk Festival' on 'Time Team' such is its age, and the scrappy playing was not a great start.

Tim Malpas is a suave, lyrical soloist on 'Misty', played with a lovely relaxed feel and style, whilst the following march is a real unknown — 'Underhill House'.

Sounds like a young offenders institution but is in fact a decent old traditional march — even though its played in the middle of the programme.

'Sleep' is a fine contrast complete with projected images, whilst Phil Green dusts off his best mid west midlander accent and superb tuba skills on 'Play that Country Tuba Cowboy' — thankfully minus the blokes dressed as big chested cowgirls.

The Puccini to end though is a mess — out of tune, error strewn and untidy. It sounds really tired to close things off.

Overall: Flowers have made it hard on themselves if they are to win this one. Some great stuff mixed in with some pretty average fare today and that finale may just have cost them £7,000.

9. Woodfalls (Gareth Pritchard)

A very inventive opener — Woodfalls take on 'Carry On Camping' via Torstein Aagard Nilsen's cracking 'Arctic Funk' — complete with darkness, cut out snow topped mountains and camp fire.

No Babs Windsor getting her thr'upenny bits frozen off though...

Kevin Darby shines in the 'Rhapsody on Scandanavian Folk Songs' which is substantial quality playing, although 'Vitae Lux' never quite sounds at ease despite bravura sop.

The finale from the 'Karelia Suite' was going so well until the comedy whistling insert, which was awful. Why oh why? Where was Dave Morris the champion exponent of the craft when you need him?

'Circius' to end is another brave choice and is given a thumping rendition, but its a bit of an odd selection here today.

Overall: The Scandanavian programme was a brave choice and hats off for trying it. Whether it really struck a chord here was debatable though as some of the execution was pretty average.

8. Thoresby Colliery (Melvin White)

An opening few bars that sound as if a bag of frozen peas has been spilt on the tuned percussion doesn't create the impression required on the Norwegian 'Hall of the Mountain King', which is scruffy in execution.

'Eventide' is so much better and lovingly shaped, whilst Claire Taylor is a facile and neat cornet soloist in the Goedicke 'Etude'.

'Saints Fantasy' complete with undertaker and mad monks just about comes off — but only just, whilst Richard Walker is a slick trombone soloist in the Carpenter's 'We've Only Just Begun'.

The Dean Jones 'Glorifico Aeternum' is tired and pedestrian though — and never really has the sparkle required to round things off on a high.

Overall: A bit of a mixed bag this — and fell between a few stools as a result. Not really out on a limb with the musical content or the entertainemt, it all resulted in a pretty bland programme.

7. Blackburn & Darwen (Nick Sheppard)

Blackburn borrow the old Brighouse opener 'All Night Long', which has its moments but just didn't need the young euph player to don a wig and impersonate Everton footballer Maroune Fellaini. Did Lionel Ritchie ever have a big afro?

The viking inspired bass trom solo 'Hall of the Mountain King' sees Jim Bone dress as a tranvestite troll punk for the lead role. Odd but well played. His mam's dress will need an iron though.

'Facinating Rhythm' feature is bright and full of brio, whilst the Garasi arrangement of 'The Prayer' is solid if lacking any real subtle emotion.

The band closes with the tiresome 'Seize the Day', which has more old rope in it than Albert Pierrepoint's garage. Well played but a little bland.

Overall: An intelligently picked programme by the MD to highlight the band's strengths and camouflage the weaknesses. Solidly done but not really an inspired mix.

6. EYMS (Alan Morrison)

Another band that makes an underwhelming entrance and follows it with an equally underwhelming opener — 'And the Band Played On' with choreography that make Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers look like hoody breakdancers. Nobody surely swings back and forth in their seats anymore?

Neil Day displays fine lyricism in the atmospheric 'Ebor Glas' complete with projected images, before another take on the Ella Fitzgerald 'Cry Me A River' in ensemble mode, which doesn't quite work in terms of style.

'Rolling Thunder' is whipped through will classy precision but didn't need the 'comedy' messing about — the good band playing was more than enough.

'1712 Overture' is cleverly done though — good solid playing backing the right mix of visual comedy to close on a high.

Overall: A curious mix and match approach this — the good band playing was sometimes lost with the desire to add comedy to just about every item. A solid musical performance but a less secure entertainment one.

5. Zone One (Richard Ward)

An underwhelming start sees the band traipse on stage like London commuters waiting for the next train from Chiswick.

Thankfully it all gets better with a neat take on the old 'When the Saints' theme that has more light loafered whistling apostles than a gay pride march through Brighton. Fun though.

The Kamen 'Tribute' is an intelligent contrast, whilst the 'Manhatten' march is brisk, bright and precise.

Not too sure with the Somerset funk inspired 'The Chicken' — although it was well played. You could feel elderly eyes glazing over in the hall.

Charles Ives 'America' finisher is a classy bit of musicality though — a neat arrangement and well delivered.

Overall: Interesting programme this — aimed at the cerebral rather than the comic part of the audience brain. Perhaps a bit too knowingly clever for Skeggy on this occassion, but certainly different.

4. Desford (Russell Gray)

Russell Gray dips into his well worn Norwegian goody bag of allsorts for the Dirty Dozen meets Eikanger 'Blackbird Special', whilst the East European 'Wedding Dance' is all 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' stuff without the crazy dresses for the brides.

Euph solo 'Neath Dublin Skies' doesn't come off at all and the following 'Sunrise over Blue Ridge' was in desperate need of projected images or something else to create atmosphere.

As for the Peter Graham cut and paste 'Giants' finale — come on. A 21st century version of the march from 'Epic Symphony' as a choice to close a programme? Decent playing but boring.

Overall: A programme based on lack of real rehearsal time one suspects. Some good playing, but the lack of inventiveness and the prescribed elements will surely cost them a chance of the title. Disappointinlgy one dimensional.

3. Redbridge (Jeremy Wise)

A bold statement of intent to start with 'Chaos' from 'Music from Epcot' — it also features a bass drum the size of a World War 2 spotlight. All that was missing was the Batman image to be projected into the night sky.

The cornet solo to follow, 'Before the Cross' is OK but doesn't quite release the emotion, but the 'Aristocratic Tarantella' is so swish and just has that right hint of snob appeal. Classy.

The 'Pipework' feature is well worth the re-run from The Sage and works better too. Not sure with the tuned perc take on 'Scat' from 'Cats Tales' but the Arnold 'Grand Overture' finish is boldly delivered with a superb soprano.

Overall: Can't fault Redbridge and their desire to provide something innovative and entertaining. Not everything quite came off but there was plenty of classy well thought out stuff on show here.

2. Virtuosi GUS (John Berryman)

Cracking opener from GUS with Chris Jeans dressed as Uncle Sam to lead a choreographed 'When the Saints' meets the 'Halleluiah Chorus'. Clever and well done.

Not so clever though was to then feature the trombonist as the soloist straight after — despite a superb bit of playing on 'Cry Me a River'. Too much of a good thing?

The Mandela inspired 'Distant Lands' is a lovely contrast with well chosen images to compliment, and the 'Comedian's Gallop' is short, bright and sweet.

The 'Organ Symphony' runs out of puff way before the end though — sounding tired and strained to close the programme.

Overall: A different band today. A good programme that just needed a touch more care on the running order and the closer, but there was a lot of quality playing on show. Back in the hunt for a podium prize on this showing?

1. Marsden Silver Prize (Glyn Williams)

A real up beat start with Coldplay's ubiquitous 'God put a smile upon your face' is bold and bouncy for 9.30am.

Jason Evans is a solid soloist in the cornet feature 'Eyes of a Child', whilst the march 'On the Quaterdeck' swaggers like the bell bottomed trousers of a sailor on shore leave.

The 'new' Grandfather's Clock' goes down a storm, although making it a band ensemble piece seems a bit odd given its previous incarnation with Glyn at the helm.

The 'Stardust' film music (the fantasy 2007 effort not the tripe David Essex one) is full of the usual popcorn efects but rounds things off well.

Overall: A prescribed programme in content but one that tapped into the audiences likes. Good solid playing and nothing much wrong — it perhaps needed a touch more adventure.