Tredegar Town Band

Conductor: Ian Porthouse
Music on the Patio
Blaenavon Big Pit National Coal Museum of Wales
Sunday 22nd July

Although great swathes of the UK have been suffering with some terrible weather of late, thankfully the skies have remained clear enough in some places to allow for the occasional appearance of an open air brass band concert or two.

South Wales has had its fair share of rainfall in the last couple of days in particular, and although that has meant the cancellation of quite a few concerts in park bandstands, one that did manage to escape was to be found at the Big Pit National Coal Museum in Blaenavon – and that because it was able to offer the bands the opportunity to perform indoors if the weather turns a bit damp (which in these parts is about 11 months of the year).

The Big Pit National Coal Museum attracts over 100,000 visitors to the World Heritage Town to enjoy the authentic experience of an underground tour of a real coalmine. In 2005 the museum won the prestigious Gulbenkian Prize as Museum of the Year and in the last couple of years its has added further attractions and exhibitions on its site. The brass band concerts, which form part of its ‘Music on the Patio’, each Sunday in July and August have been a successful venture and provides the visitors, (and this Sunday they were from as far afield as America, France and Sutton Coalfield) with a musical backdrop to their visits.

Tredegar Band under their MD Ian Porthouse enjoyed the opportunity to entertain the small but appreciative audience at the Pit Head Baths – many of whom took the chance to pop in and listen to a few items before taking the 300 foot drop down to the bottom of the mine shaft and their tour in the dark, dank conditions at the pit face.
The music provided was light, bright and breezy with an emphasis on showcasing the bands soloists and the ensemble’s ability to play in a variety of different styles. A few marches, plenty of Gordon Langford, touches of Goff Richard’s, a couple of Welsh themed items and a solo or four made for enjoyable listening – something particularly appreciated by an American family from Pennsylvania who were thrilled to hear a brass band in the flesh.

For Tredegar also it was a chance to show that the hard work of recent months has been worthwhile with a clutch of new signings making their debuts. Tredegar has gone through a sticky time in the last couple of years, although they have maintained decentish form on most major contest stages. The appointment of Ian Porthouse however has heralded a real upturn in fortunes and there is currently a sense of optimism in the ranks especially since the signings of new faces such as Steve Barnsley on soprano, Andrea Lewis on flugel horn from Parc & Dare and the appointment of a new Composer in Residence in Gavin Higgins.

Although they know that they will have to play to the very top of their form to once again register a real mark at London later in the year (just four years ago they were runners up at the event) the feeling is that they are moving in the right direction.
 
Even though it would be foolish to suggest that a high placing at the Royal Albert Hall is a dead cert on the evidence of a blow through on the top of a Welsh pit head, the sense of confidence in performing under their new MD was apparent for all to hear. Not even the rain could but a damper on that.

Iwan Fox

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