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On Saturday morning, the Sidmouth Town Band left for their long coach journey to Leeds, heading for the National finals for the first time in 16 years. Only 3 members of the band – Chris, Harold and Roy – were with the band at those finals in 1990, and for 2 other players, Joel and Jenny, it was their first ever contest. There were some sleepy faces and many excited ones, but all were determined to do their best and enjoy the occasion.
That night, in the Queens Hotel in Leeds, the rehearsal went very well, and the players and their supporters enjoyed a quiet evening, relaxing and trying not to get too nervous about the big day. For many thought, it was impossible to control the nerves and at 4 am on Sunday morning some players who couldn’t sleep were up polishing shoes and checking for the tenth time that their music and instruments were still in their cases. Finally, the time came to leave for Harrogate, and after arriving and finding out we were drawn to play number 13 (!), we had to wait for another 4 hours before we took to the stage – plenty of time for the nerves to get even worse!
On stage at last, the band anxiously waited for the adjudicators’ signal to start, and 12 minutes later it was all over. The band came off stage feeling proud of their achievement and delighted to have competed in the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. Although our performance was enjoyable, we knew it was a little too untidy to be considered by the adjudicators as a contender for the title, and playing against the best 4th Section bands in the country means the slightest hiccup can make all the difference.
Coming 15th out of 22 was a very respectable result at such a big occasion, and we cannot wait to qualify again and see if we can do even better! Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 16 years, as the weekend (particularly Sunday night!) was fantastic. We would like to thank everyone who helped us on our way to Harrogate, including the supporters who travelled with us; it’s been a wonderful experience, and one which has strengthened not just the band’s playing but also its team spirit.
For photos of the trip, see the Gallery.
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