Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows Play St Paul's Cathedral

Well, a few years ago, the adjudicator at the Wharfedale Festival handed the Sparrows a Festival winners sticker. The next thing I knew we were being to ask to play a Barnado's Event at Leeds Town Hall, consisting of us and other Festival of Festivals winners. Then another one, and then we play in Harrogate for the International Festivals Adjudicators Conference. Wherein I am asked to go teach in Sri Lanka. [Alas became ill, and that not happened - yet!] And now here we are at St Paul's, at the Gates of Death. [V dramatic].

first arrivals

Well, not so simple. We have to get players, staff and students out of schools and universities, time and book all trains from Leeds, Derby, Huddersfield and Manchester to arrive simultaneously in London [in one case, George only found out at Stevenage that he was actually on the same train as the first Leeds contingent! Lol!].

I go down a day earlier with van full of steelpans and drum-kit so as to make sure our instruments are southerly in place, and have also to stay over in London on the day itself. That is three days devoted to this one little, but lovely, performance. Has to be treated as an adventure.

We need also to plan our repertoire and rehearse our chosen pieces. Alas again. We have lost our rehearsal space of the last seventeen years, and not able to get into the next one without jumping through a few bureaucratic hoops. Luckily Shire Oak School Leeds offers us a rehearsal venue  [thanks Jane and Liz], and we are also able to hire a space at All Hallows [thanks Beanz and co], Hyde Park [Leeds].

Rehearsing at All Hallows with East Steel

Alas again. These come too late for the uni Sparrows and so some of them are about to sight-re-read some of the tunes at St Paul's in London. Just as well they are such excellent players, and the others are able to practise. East Steel agrees to support the Sparrows rehearsals by playing the tunes-in-common with them.

Finding out from Jane at the reccy that quiet playing will just get lost, I ask Varshika, Amy and Vicky to join us [me-Victoria, Bex, Millie S, Millie C, Chloe, George, Georgia. Claudia, Alice, Bella, Natalie]. Sophie appears as a carboard cut-out - literally! Lol!

Simon L tells me there's an eight second delay, and just to play to play and hold our nerve. Eight seconds. We can't imagine how that will sound. In the event, we love it. Finish the song and listen to it roll on.







Diane comes as support. Parents and other relatives are Jenny plus her mum and sister, Sarah and Rosie, Judy. Grafton, Charlotte and Skye come from London. Grafton makes and tunes our pans, so great for him to hear them in action.

I am just driving to Clapham Junction when George phones from Euston; I pull over [not easy when you're on the red route!]. He has two choices: leg it down to Kings Cross and join the Leeds contingent, or stay in Clapham Junction. Diane gets him another ticket and he survives to get to Uni the following day. I don't have to share the wine. And it needs more than one glass to celebrate an event such as this. Thanks to Jen for asking us, thanks to the schools who let staff and students out, thanks to Sparrows old and new] for being so wonderful.

Sparrows, Oulton and Clapgate Steelbands at Wharfedale Festival 2016

Pleased to say that Ash and Millie have been practising and have perfected not smiling. [Okay it come natural]. And Lucy is doing well. [Everyone else is too blurred a picture to be able to tell.

Every year I think Ilkley and the Wharfedale Festival is a train journey too far, a van load too far, a journey too far, and an extra practice too far, and then Blanche and Liz and her friends make us feel like royalty. And Craiglands or Kings Hall - both such lovely, formal, old-fashioned venues. And so grateful that they have moved the festival out of SATs week, but of course, GCSEs, AS and A levels still take their natural toll.

Adjudicator Steven Roberts makes us feel like pan royalty and in his [let's be frank] eulogy to us all, he never mentions no smiling! In pan adjudication heaven! Thanks to the usual suspects.

Here's mine, Millie's and Deangelo's phone satnavs fighting for supremacy on our way home. [Mine won. It fell over less often].

Best quote was from Deangelo [to Bex as she brought him over from South Leeds to Ilkley] recently come from Turks and Kakos: "This such beautiful scenery. Where I come from all you can see is white sands and sea." How awful! Not!

Bands were Oulton, led by Wanda, Clapgate led by Bex and me; Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows, led by me and Bex. Sparrows were Ash [who melted the adjudicator's heart], Millie, Lucy, Kirsten, Deangelo, Owen, Alice. Adults making up for the GCSE, A level and first year uni losses were me, Bex, Wanda and guests: Vicky and Natalie [who also melted Stephen's heart!].

Leeds Massed Steelbands Amazing at Wharfedale Festival, Ilkley

Well, there comes a point every year when I wonder if carting all this metal out of Leeds and into Ilkley is worth it, and whether arranging the adventure that is the 4.32 to Ilkley is worth it, when nearly half of them nearly always don't show!

 

 

And then we get there, but this year especially. This year we had four separate pan teachers, four separate schools plus Sparrows, and this year too, New Sparrows.

 

Wanda agreed to kick the proceedings off with Oulton. As it is SATs week, Oulton bring their Year 5s, so these wonderful children have been playing for just two terms. They play Frere Jacques, and Lazy Coconut, with Wanda percussing with claves. Superb.

 

Next Bex brings a Yr 5 and a Yr 6 group from Clapgate, South Leeds. They play Come and Sing Together and The Surprise. They too have been playing for two terms and both group use chime bars as well as pans. Absolutely beautiful.

[pic to follow]

 

 

 

 

Next are my Allerton Grangettes. They are tackling Land of the Silver Birch, Michael Jackson's You Are Not Alone and Westlife classic, You Raise Me Up. Here, we are putting together for only the second time the after-school club and the daytime class. Not all were able to make it so Bex and I stand in. They make it through some tricky chords and song structures. I was very proud of those who had made the effort to get there and play.

 

LS14 Steel is Natalie's contribution from Beechwood and Beyond [ie Yr6 and ex-pupils]. They include Daniel the wonder-drummer who plays from the floor while the rest of the band is on the stage. Amazing. They play Candy, All of Me and Cecilia. Mind-blowing!

[pic to follow]

 

Friends, we have not finished. Next is Bex's and my New Sparrows. Principally they are two ex-Oultoners who have joined Sparrows this year and are on a frantic catch-up curve. We play California Girls and Under the Boardwalk. So proud.

[pic to follow]

 

Penultimately the Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows themselves. Well, actually out of a twelve strong band we are down to three! We have cornered the market in A, AS, and GCSE students. But instead of them being a pale reflection of themselves two months ago, we decide to present what they would have been like and we volunteer ourselves: staff and Foxwood Steel players to stand in as best we  we can!

 

 

So actual Sparrows present are Millie S, Ashley and Claudia [Yr11 and mid two exams. Yo. [Claudia. She deserves a medal and good grades. Did her revision on the train.]. Bex is Millie C, Vicky is Naomi and Georgia, I am Chloe and Bella, Yi Bai is George and Sophie is the rest.

 

 

We play our Music For Youth set of The Entertainer, Don't it Make My Brown Eyes Blue, Hips Don't Lie, Morning and In the Hall of the Mountain King. Forgot to take pics so here's one we took earlier of Sparrows at Harrogate.

 

 

 

And then everyone gets up for the massed band. And all play the Horn Concerto and In the Hall of the Mountain King [very easy version]. House down, adjudicator called it a proper celebration, said he knew how difficult pans were to play, how we should be better known, and . . .

 

.  .  best of all he didn't ask anyone to smile.

 

So we did.

 

And thanks to Liz, Blanche and co from the indefatigable Wharfedale Festival Committee, and Robert Marsh for his kind comments. These steelbands are funded and run from Leeds ArtForms and from Oulton and Beechwood Primary Schools.

 

 

Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows, SILC Unleashed, Allerton All Stars, Leeds Steel United play Wharfedale Festival May 2013

Allerton All Stars

Well, I arranged for us all to meet at Leeds Station in plenty of time for us to be desperately early for the King's Hall. Just as well.

I brought the first half over on the 4.32 and Natalie and Tim brought up the rear on the 5.02. Vicky had already met Rick with the van, and most pans were on the stage. And, let's face it, it was easier setting up with half the players than with all.

SILC Unleashed

Xanthe appeared with her wonderful SILC Unleashed at about the same time.

Allerton All Stars didn't like their name, but that's it till they come up with a better one [they didn't like Grangettes either]. They played One More River, Sledging and El Condor Pasa. They were Polly, Claudia, Sophie, Josie, Ciara, Eva, Rameice. I played the melody with Josie. I was rubbish. Sorry, Josie. [Have since found out that Ciara knew the melody. That makes me double rubbish].

SILC Unleashed [now that is a good name] played Unnatural Selection by Muse. They were Xanthe, Jake and Dan. And they brought their fan club! Yo!



Sparrows

Sparrows played their Festival 2013 set. Which they have called,  Dreamed a Bridge Over Always Hearts. Actually sometimes it's I Dreamed a Bridge over Loving Jars.




Leeds Steel United

Then all of us together as Leeds Steel United played Next to Me. Ace.

We had chips [they had fish and . . ] and then caught the 8.21 back to Leeds. To say that Lawnswood and Allerton Grange bonded even more would be an understatement! What a racket!
{thanks as ever to Vicky for loading and pics beyond the call of duty.]