Leyland Band and Haydock Male Voice Choir

Conductor: Nicholas Childs

Southport Theatre
Friday 9th November 2001

We've been keen to follow the fortunes of the Leyland band of late, especially as 2001 has seen something of a revival to a band that just twelve months before seemed to be on the edge of extinction. A series of fine contest performances this year has seen the band come back to the type of form that we have habitually expected of them, so it was good to be able to hear them in concert at Southport and to see and hear if the revival has not just been confined to the contesting stage.

Fresh from their acclaimed sixth place at the recent National Championships, the band started off in fine form as they led off with the march Under the White Ensign. Written by Sir Vivian Dunne and adopted by the Royal Naval Association it made for a top class opening. Nice to report it was a bit different as well.

Nicholas Childs had the baton as guest conductor for the concert and he whipped the band through a very confident Festive Overture by Shostakovitch . The technical stuff was well handled and there was a fine warm and rounded sound coming through the middle of the band – echoes of Leyland at their very best ten years ago.

The first soloist was Donna Lewis on tenor horn who delivered a stunning bit of nifty playing that thrilled the audience with Bellstedt's Caprice Brilliante. No messing, top class bit of horn playing. This was followed by Quodling's Delight by Kenneth Hesketh, the last of a set of four settings derived from 17th century tunes under the overall title of Danceries, the whole of which can be heard on Leyland's latest CD release East Coast Pictures. Well worth the plug this - not your average run of the mill stuff.

Shelley Ball played the Hamlisch hit The Way We Were, with a quality of sound and phrasing that showed that she remains very much up there in the flugel playing stakes, whilst the band finished off their solo spot with an up tempo performance of the Finale from the Ballet Music to Faust. A few blips and blobs, but a cracking pace and plenty of style.

The first half concluded with a joint item with the Choir. Some time ago, Goff Richards, who was in the audience, made a special arrangement for the Choir of Let There Be Light.

Recently he has added a band accompaniment and this was the first public performance. Different again and worth a second listen if you get the chance.

Seventy Six Trombones was an appropriate lively second half opener to lead into the next soloist. This time it was young Andrew King who rose to play Bluebells of Scotland as written by Sousa's Principal Trombone and Assistant Conductor, Arthur Pryor. Andrew had, just days before, successfully defended his title of British Open Solo Champion with this piece and his complete mastery of it was something that only those present could appreciate. It's an old war horse of a piece but the beast still takes one heck of a player to bring it under control. Just seventeen eh? Bloody Hell.

Being just two days before Remembrance Sunday and two months after the terrorist attack, the next item from the Leyland Band was particularly appropriate and well thought out. Catskills are mountains located in up-state New York, approximately 100 miles north-west of New York City, and encompassing over 6,000 square miles of mountains, forests, rivers and farmland. The mountains are an extraordinary combination of tranquillity and power, peace and majesty. The composer realises all these moods in a piece, which gives an immediate picture to the audience. Leyland controlled the dynamics and Nicholas Childs let the soloists take the lead in a thoughtful performance.

By complete contrast the next two items were Leyland Band having fun. Carl Davis's Keystone Cops, arranged for band by Phillip Littlemore came off well and preceded an the exciting xylophone solo, Helter Skelter, played by Jocelyn Robinson. Very nifty indeed on the old timber and one the audience gave a resounding applause.

The concert came to a joyful conclusion with a Leyland Band and the Haydock Choir presenting a Last Night of the Proms medley, which involved much flag waving, hat twirling and general xenophobic delight from a largely English audience. (Can't see the attraction in it for me, but then this reviewer is Welsh!) The large audience had heard a top class band on the night and one that had reinforced the general opinion that Leyland are back on the road to success. They have a quality feel about them again, be it with the band sound or the soloists and it's nice to report that the white jackets are still going strong.

They can still pull a crowd as well and on this occasion the audience had the added bonus of substantially contributing to the funds of the Southport Spinal Unit, a local centre of excellence in the field. Atop class night all round.

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