Wollongong City Band, Around the World in 80 Minutes

Around the World in 80 Minutes
Wollongong City Band
Sunday 17 June 2007
Anita's Theatre, Thirroul
Musical Director: Phil Eades

The Aunty Jack Show version of the famous song I've Been Everywhere only included 2 destinations – Wollongong and Dapto!  Last Sunday the Wollongong City Band expanded their boundaries a little and presented a concert titled Around the World in 80 Minutes.  It was a very clever concept put together by the band's conductor Phil Eades.

The concert was held in the newly renovated Anita's Theatre in Thirroul (just north of Wollongong) in what I'm sure will become a very popular venue for concerts of all types. A very enthusiastic audience of around 350 people turned up on a fairly bleak (weather wise) afternoon and was still calling for more when the band had run out of music on their stands!

The concert was a musical journey following the steps of the Jules Verne classic Around the World in 80 Days.

Wollongong City Band and MD, Phil Eades

The afternoon commenced with the band playing Rule Britannia. A large screen above the band showed video footage of all things English and also signified the trip across the English Channel to France. The DVD projected images were used numerous times during the concert to great effect.

Straight into the theme from Around the World and then into the Can Can complete with footage from Moulin Rouge! Phillip Sparke's Orient Express took us on a journey which ended up in Egypt so of course the next number was the Grand March from Aida from Verdi's opera.

Phil Eades arranged a special "Indian" version of the jazz standard Caravan including a sitar part and a snake charming flugel soloist!

It's pretty hard to find brass band music from some of the destinations featured so Phil had to improvise a little! The Hong Kong part of the itinerary was portrayed by the Hong Kong fireworks scene from Revenge of the Pink Panther complete with Peter Sellers on screen! Peter Graham's Hinode rounded out the first half as we reached Japan.

The second half commenced with Langford's Fantasy on British Sea Songs to signify the long trip across the Pacific to the USA. Ray Farr's novelty piece The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly was next. It featured Clint Eastwood (The Good), the Mexican Bandit (The Bad) and …..Phil Eades!

Hogarth's Hoedown and Goff Richard's New York, New York completed our visit to the USA and we were then off to Ireland. Peter Graham's Gaelforce was played at great speed to keep up with the Irish Dancers from the Wollongong Irish Dance Academy.

Our trip around the world was completed with the Finale from William Tell.

The audience was terrific all afternoon and at this point demanded some more music! Always willing to please, Phil announced the band would play Langford's Famous British Marches. The audience still demanded more and the last number was Barrie Gott's arrangement of I Still Call Australia Home complete with DVD featuring famous Aussie icons.

This was a very well presented concert and it was obvious a lot of hard work had been undertaken behind the scenes to ensure its success.  The audience really enjoyed themselves and the band had a great time presenting the concert.

Well done to Phil and the Wollongong City Band!

Stephen Williams

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