After last year’s win and a good result at the National Finals in September, confidence was high as we set to work in January on Philip Wilby’s ‘A Little Light Music’. Featuring ‘Cardiff Bay Ice Cream’, a technically difficult movement that would challenge bands in the Second or First Sections, we knew we had our work cut out if we were to even come close to repeating the success of 12 months previous. Luckily, hard work is something this band is not averse to, and over the following weeks the piece started to come together. If there’s one thing that the band has in abundance it’s imagination, and this was proved once again as ice cream, clog dancing, seagulls, sprinkles and Mr. Whippy all played a part in our story-telling approach to contest preparations! With rehearsals having gone well, we left for Torquay early on Saturday morning hopeful that we would be able to put in a good performance on stage. Not only were we looking to try and book our place at this year’s National Finals, but we also knew that a placing in the top 4 would guarantee us promotion into the Second Section in 2012 - a feat that hasn’t been achieved by the band for over 60 years.
Not long after arriving at our rehearsal venue, we learned that we had been drawn to play 10th out of the 11 bands competing on the day. With several hours to go until we would play, we had a short practice before heading to the Riviera Centre to do something else that we are good at - waiting! You could argue that our approach to waiting is not the most conventional (just ask the bands who are within earshot when our ritual humming begins...), but that time spent together is proving to be an important part of our pre-performance routine. With the waiting and humming over, it was time to take to the stage. Although there were odd bars here and there that we knew we could play better, we came off stage very happy with our overall performance. With only one band left to play after us, it wasn’t long before we were back in the hall awaiting the results. If we thought we were nervous before we played, that was nothing compared to the nerves we felt sitting and waiting for the top 6 places to be announced. With finger nails getting increasingly shorter, it came as a huge relief when those words we had dreamt of hearing - “ In first
place, the band drawn number...ten!” - were read out. Our cheers, grins, and a few tears were a good indication of how delighted we were with the result! Congratulations must also go to Downtown Band, who claimed second prize.
Being crowned West of England Third Section Champions for the second year running is a fantastic achievement for the band, and we very much look forward to returning to the National Finals in September to see if we can equal or better our result last year. The icing on the cake (or in this case the sprinkles on the ice cream) is gaining promotion to the Second Section in 2012 - the year that the band celebrates its 150th anniversary. This achievement is a testament to the tireless enthusiasm and ambition of Adrian, our Musical Director, and the hard work and dedication of the entire band.
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