Foxwood Steel play Leeds Pride 2017 and nearly march it too

2013

Well, this is our/Foxwood Steel's third gig at Blayd's, and our second time there in blazing sun for Leeds Pride. And what an honour to be asked.

And in honour, I found some rainbow ribbon, and added forever to our banner [originally made by Trish at Foxwood in the late 80s].

I won't go on about what Pride means in general and what Pride means to me. Let's just say that celebrating this event means the world. . . .

2013

2015

2016

Me and Sterling Notting Hill 2004 - just saying

2015

2016

As Leeds Pan Central and Friends we have also marched twice for Leeds Pride, both times for a local business. I myself have marched pan de neck quite a few times - with Nostalgia at Notting Hill [once even alongside Sterling Bettancourt!, the significance of which I did not realise at the time!],

Sparrows marching for Harrogate International Festival. Oh happy days!

with Sparrows at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and for Harrogate International Festival,

Sparrows at Little London Lantern Festival 2008

for the Little London Lantern Festival, and other times I can't quite recall.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park 2010ish

Also six of the Sparrows did put on pan de neck and go into the audience at the Royal Albert Hall. Awesome, until I realised they had stayed down there too long and I had to go down and get them back on stage. Lol!

Leaving the stage, pan de neck Royal Albert Hall

2017 -for a minute there we were six

However just about nobody liked pan de neck, so today, August 6 2017 we are 4: me, Wanda, George and Lola. But we are good, careful in our choice of repertoire and industrious in collecting percussionists form out of the other marchers.








Sadly, as we aren't officially part of the march, we get chucked off it [health and safety, lol!] as we are about join on the end. Just as well really as now we need to leg it down to Blayds.

me and Luke

And if we hadn't been chucked off, we would never have heard the tinkling sounds of another steelband coming from the Courtyard. Yay, it's StClair and Paradise.

Paradise Steel Band

After interfering very publicly with StClair's set we head off back down to Blayds and only just get there before it is
almost too chokka to walk through the crowds with or without a pan round de neck.




Vicky Bex and the rest have set up the static pans at Blayds. Georgia is still sorting out babyminding.

But now the parade is all in and people, including our players, can't get past the stewards. Then with twenty minutes to go here is Natalie, ten minutes to go here are Sheeks and Diz, then woeful cries for help from Georgia on the old social media.












Now Bex climbs the white charger and goes off to rescue the fair maiden. My stress levels . . . . .  And she is here just as Natalie gets a few extra minutes before the start.

Ginger added some percussion

In all we are me, Bex, Katie, Natalie, George, Vicky, Daisy, Georgia, Amy, Varshika, Wanda, Fehmina, and Lola [stealing the show! Hmm!].


I sneaked Wings of  Dove, Swan Lake, Rolling in the Deep, Tragedy and Money Money Money into the set. And got Dancing Queen back where it belongs. Especially after the nervous start, this was enormously pleasurable. But a few drinks were in order afterwards till we were all out of order!