Black Dyke’s demanding concert schedule includes a number of mid-week appearances at venues within reasonable travelling distance of their Queensbury home.

As a result, a four-year Tameside hiatus was broken with the Yorkshire champion taking to the stage in Mossley, right on the edge of their bi-annual Whit Friday stamping ground of Saddleworth.

Although the audience was smaller than anticipated due to the sultry weather and the attractions of a high profile  athletics race, those in attendance fully appreciated the band’s usual mix of polished presentation and high class playing, especially with a commitment of a return visit that could include a couple of classy marches synonymous with ‘Jiggs’ Jaeger's colourful conducting tenure in the 1960s.

Light and familiar

The choice of repertoire was light and familiar; giving the audience exactly what they wanted to hear and the MD the chance to engage in some relaxed, humorous interaction.  

It was cruise control playing with the occasional well timed touch on the V12 throttle; a swaggering 'Liberty Bell' and operatically hued 'Nabucco' warmed things up before Richard Marshall delivered Curnow's 'Concertpiece’ with startling alacrity.  

The popular 'Black Dyke at the Movies' set paved the way for Siobhan Bates’ excellent rendition of Philip Harper's 'Celtic Promise', before 'To Boldly Go' took the audience to the interval with a touch of warp drive energy.

It was cruise control playing with the occasional well timed touch on the V12 throttle; a swaggering 'Liberty Bell' and operatically hued 'Nabucco' warmed things up before Richard Marshall delivered Curnow's 'Concertpiece’ with startling alacrity.  

Lyrical attention

The second half was typical Dyke: 'When Thunder Calls' neatly segued into Brett Baker firing on all cylinders on 'Rhapsody for Trombone', whilst Katrina Marzella's touching account of 'His First Breath', kept the listeners wrapt in lyrical attention. 

Daniel Thomas was in showcase mood with 'Endearing Young Charms', before the James Bond inspired ‘007’ musical montage, played with a touch of suave coolness heralded Tchaikovsky's 'Marche Slave' and the shamrock fun and games of Peter Graham's ‘Gaelforce’.

Given the reception they gained on the night, it surely won’t be another four years until they return to Tameside again.

Malcolm Wood