East Steel, Oulton Bands, Sparrows at Rothwell Festival

It's Friday evening, March 23rd, and we are on the road to Rothwell, to the Blackburn Hall to be precise. Wanda has organised for the steelband section to take its place for the first time ever at Rothwell Festival, and here we are in this lovely Victorian concert hall.



The Federation of Festivals doesn't allow photography at its festivals. This doesn't usually deter our parents but it does stop us getting some good action shots. We got special permission for this posed joint band picture at the end, and we invited this lovely adjudicator to join us.

At the end of the Friday school day it seemed a massive effort to get to Rothwell, but really it is only what the Oulton parents do every Tuesday to get their Sparrows to Sparrows, if you see what I mean.

In the event, the event was totally worth it. All the bands sounded great and Wanda's effort to arrange this totally paid off. Here are some pictures of the bands in rehearsal or gigging elsewhere.

East Steel at YAMSEN:SpeciallyMUSIC Town Hall Concert

If it is the first Wednesday in December, it must be The YAMSEN:SpeciallyMUSIC Leeds Town Hall Lord Mayor's Christmas Concert. East Steel has now become an established regular fixture at this event.

From humble and awkward beginnings perched on the risers, East Steel now stands proudly stage right [or is that stage left?] at the front. Once it was two tunes; now it is a half hour of Christmas tunes as the audience assembles, two slots, and incidental music during the prize-givings. And even communal songs, though that has yet to work properly.

This year Bex arranged Pure Imagination by Leslie Bricusse and The Power of Love by Holly Johnson. Simon Linley, former Leeds City Organist and our compere commented on how much hard work has to go into such arrangements. A compliment indeed!



Players were Bex, Trish, Joyce, Lynn, Wendy, Anne, Vicky, Wanda and Sophie with Natalie on drum-kit.

Foxwood Steel at Vintage Vinyl at the Primrose Leeds Carnival Sunday 2017

Foxwood Steel at the Primrose 2017

Primrose 2017

Since our services were no longer required at the official Carnival, our contribution to the activities in Leeds [and beyond] have been a series of adventures.

Lionel Nostalgia at Notting Hill 2013

Notting Hill 2012

Notting Hill Nostalgia 2012

RowenaGarvinAnne-MarieMe 2013

The first year [2011] it was rather short notice, so we played the Malt Shovel in Leeds where Georgia and Lizzie then worked. I love playing in pubs, well we all love playing in pubs. Not just the booze, but the lack of pressure, the intimate relationship you can develop with the audience; the band gets to see each other socially, and it strengthens our relationships. Just all good. Pubs are good.

Foxwood at the Malt Shovel 2011

Second year [2012] Sophie and I did London, marching with Nostalgia. The first day we had to be Greeks. Then Sophie [wisely] left. Second day, exhausted beyond belief.

Savile Park 2013

Third year [2013] Annette asked us to play in Savile Park for her as she waited to join her troupe. So we kept it all really quiet, then we popped up. It was great. however I had already agreed to play Notting Hill again on the Sunday, this time with Rowena
[who also only ever played it once!]

We were grateful to Annette for pushing us in this direction, so . . .

Savile Park 2014

Fourth year [2014] we popped up again. This time it was pouring, but then we got filmed for the official video. Lol.

Carnival Village 2015

By the fifth year [2015] we were beginning to feel a bit stressed about all this popping up, and then Hilary found us [through Ash] and put us on at Carnival Village. We met owner Peter, and played Sunday and Monday, and as this was an official venue we were able to invite East Steel and Sparrows to join us again.

Carnival Village 2016

For the sixth year [2016] we played at Carnival Village again, and again including the other bands, although it must be said that Sparrows were short on the ground [well the under-18s were non-existent].

This year [2017] on Sunday we played for George and Hilary's Vinyl Night at the Primrose. We were me, Vicky, Debs, Charlotte, Gary, Sophie, Wanda, Natalie, Bex [unexpected nice surprise!]. We were able to leave the pans overnight, and the Primrose is en route for Chapeltown for the following day, so,

What are we having? Cheers! Now follows some band bonding.

We also played on Chapeltown Road on Monday, only able once again to bring Foxwood.  But that is for the next blog.

East Steel at Mirfield Arts Festival

It's Sunday 16 July and it's Mirfield Festival. Marina and Glenn are here with their costumes and their troupe. Jose is here playing in the brass band, and East Steel are here.

Today we are Me and Bex, Wanda, Emma, Trish, Vicky, Sophie, with Bart on kit, and Pippa has winged it across the M62 from Manchester.

East Steel divides itself between those who have to be in the shade and those who have to be in the sun. We are positioning ourselves against a hedge of flying ants, watching what we think are the sun's plans to hide behind St Paul's Church, and at what o'clock this might happen.

sun and shade

Jose and the Brass band

Our contact here is Jenny T, and this is Mirfield's second festival and it is glorious.

Very pleased to be asked back. Thanks to Glen again for pictures from all angles, especially that demonstrate that sun and shade!

East Steel play New Wortley May 2017

Saturday 6 May finds East Steel setting up under someone else's gazebo. Nice change. We  were on the play area outside New Wortley Community Centre on Tong Road. This was thanks to Emma from Cherry Bee and was a lovely little local gig.


It was a bit nippy, so we kept our coats on. We were me, Bex, Vicky, Wanda, Anne, Emma, Lynn, Sophie with Natalie drumming [now that was a nice surprise!]. Didn't find the buns till after we had packed away, but I did find them and bought a lot. Mmmm.

This is a very short blog because it was a lovely gig with no exciting disasters, and also I am writing this two months later, and we have trod a lot of playgrounds since then.


Next!

East Steel at Bilton Gala 2017

Stuart assured us that it wouldn't rain this year but we took the gazebos anyway. We were me [Victoria], Bex, Anne, Lynn, Trish, Joyce, Vicky, Sophie, Wanda. Bex was our kit-player.

There were exotic animals and people diving over vans on motorbikes, and off towers in flames into water.

The weather was mostly lovely with a just a couple of drops of rain. And we were the welcome party, greeting the mayday revellers at the entrance, but then they walked past us and into the main body of the show. Don't know which I would prefer: having too many competing sounds, or having less audience.

Only one pix of Bex as she was drumming, and I forgot to ask, so here is a couple of her, one from last year at Bilton, one from Woodlesford.

We introduced Singing the Blues and massacred Locomotion twice.

And after that the Blue Van expired!

So now the question is how Tardis is my Skoda?

East Steel practises at Swarthmore school term-time on Thursdays. Always room for new members.

East Steel play the YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic concert at Leeds Town Hall

Prejudging

Final judging

This is my second year coordinating the YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic Concert and Art Competition. So, in between rehearsing with Bex with East Steel, I, with the rest of the Christmas concert team, am sorting out 352 art competition entries, prizes, tickets, framing the winning pictures, booking Father Christmas, and all the rest.

Accords rehearsing at St Chad's

Tony and Tinker framing the pics

Yorkshire Post Band rehearsing

Pinning down Father Christmas! Very hard. He is so busy at this time of the year.

Joanna

Sue was whizzing round so fast!

Alyosha with Yorkshire Post Band

The Minster Choir

display by the back doors

The YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic Christmas concert committee: myself, Mavis, Pat, Anna-Marie, Diane C, Diane P, Sue S, Joanna. Framing the winning pictures were Josh and Tony from St Anne's Road Framers. Judging the competition were Anna-Marie and Cath. Special guest was Alan,

Sophie T

David H

Shirley from the Box Office organised the tickets. Making the mince pies was Val; buying the wine and generally doing the sums was Anne; rattling buckets, selling tickets and cards on the day were Liz, Chloe and parents and sister,  Barbara, Colette, Irene, Elsie, Emily, Pat, Margery, Lyn, Ann; Nativity scene was from Lucy and the kids from Queensway. Liz from the Town Hall administered us; Olwyn stewarded us safe; Eric, Steven, Michael, Mark and  Robert rearranged the furniture on an industrial scale!

Off the Cuff were Philip, Alex, Michael, Alice, Bart, Joanna, Diane. The Yorkshire Evening Post Band were Diane, Rebecca, Matt, Tom,  Samantha, Paul, Steve, Glyn, Julian,  David, Steve, Kathryn, Alyosha.

Father Christmas just to right of the pillar

Leading the Accords were Joanna, Sophie and Clare; leading Off By Heart were Mavis, Alosha and Joanna; leading East Steel were myself and Bex. Conducting the Yorkshire Evening Post Band was Alyosha, with Diane C organising it. Leading Off the Cuff was Diane.  Simon compered, and conducted when Alyosha wasn't; David played the organ, and conducted the Minster choir.

Queensway rehearsing their Nativity

Prize-winners were congratulated on stage by Lord Mayor, Cllr Jerry Harper.




Meanwhile, really this is a blog for steelband concerts, so back to East Steel: For our featured tunes w e played Dance of the Hours by Ponchielli and Rolling in the Deep by Adele.

East Steel were Bex, me, Lynn, Wanda, Joyce, YiBai, Anne, Trish, Maddie, Josie, Vicky, Sophie. Gill, alas, ill on the night.

East Steel is a Leeds ArtForms Music Centre band, who rehearse Thursday evenings at Swarthmore College, Park Lane, Leeds. Followed by a beginners class, beginning January 12th. Beginners welcome.