This weekend saw 81 bands descend on Stevenage for the London & Southern Counties regional contests, competing for National gradings and qualification to the finals of the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. Several members of the scaba team were there working with the LSC regional team behind the scenes and playing in competing bands. Thanks to LSC Secretary Dave Hobbs, his team and all of the competing bands on a successful and thoroughly enjoyable event.
The weekend opened with the 3rd and 1st sections on Saturday. Huge congratulations go to Thundersley Brass and their MD Nigel Taken who became the new LSC First Section Champions with a brilliant and powerful performance of Howard Lorriman’s Cry of the Mountain. Thundersley qualify for the 1st Section National Finals at Cheltenham in September and have secured promotion to the Championship section from January 2015.
Sunday saw the 4th, 2nd and Championship sections take centre stage and fantastic success for the Wantage organisation. Brighton & Hove City Brass under the baton of Matthew Hackett qualified for the fourth section National finals with their confident and stylish reading of Three Spanish Impressions by Alan Fernie earning third place. Wantage ‘B’ and Danny Dulforce came second in the second section with a confident and detailed rendition of Michael Ball’s Chaucer’s Tunes. Its wonderful to see so many youngsters on stage, and we’re sure they will enjoy their trip to Cheltenham in September.
Wantage ‘A’, led by Philip Bailey, went one better and won the Championship Section with some simply stunning playing of Kenneth Downie’s St Magnus. They will make their Championship section final debut at the Royal Albert Hall in October. Wantage will be joined by Friary Guildford who qualified for their second trip to the Albert Hall in 2 years with a musical and technically assured performance under the baton of Chris King.
Congratulations to all of our member bands on a successful weekend, and we wish the best of luck for the National Finals to all the qualifiers from the LSC region.