Leeds Silver Steel Sparows Open-Rehearse at City of Leeds School

Well, I am in the mood for gigging. There's enough pans still in my van to make this manageable. We unload under the trees at City of Leeds, as it turns out the heat and the sun have not yet abated. It's five in the evening, but still too hot for open country.

We are Natalie and me, Tim, Amy, Georgia E, Naomi, Claudia, Rameice, Bella, and Cameron [guest]. Not a bad turn out for the last practice of this school year.
 

Foxwood Steel at Beechwood

Debs, While you, no doubt. are having a lie-in after your own weekend gigs, I find that me and the gang are now treading the boards on Monday morning at Beechwood Primary School.


First off, Natalie's wonderful Beechwood Primary School Steel Band play, and then we hobble on stage. Sarah [newly made mum] has left Daniel with her mum [newly made grandma] who conveniently lives almost next door to the school. Bex has brought Mikey with her, but she shouldn't worry - Beechwood is getting used to Smalls on stage. My own Small is now in her early twenties, but she has left her own Smalls at school and nursery.

Anyway, Debs, this blog is meant to be about the gigs I play, not how many children we manage to farm out first! On the other hand, it's the only way we manage to play these gigs, so all power to all our elbows. We were me, Bex, Gig, Sarah, Natalie and Cameron [hitting the ground running on work experience][and turns out played with us for Grand Union gig two weeks ago]. 

I love the pics we get from Beechwood because of the background. It gives a proper alternative experience to a performance. [Also Beechwood has its own pans- standard layout, and drum-kit, so we can play what there is on stage already.]

Foxwood Steel on a roundabout on the Kirkstall Raod

We have barely recovered from Kirkstall Festival than we are standing, the following early morning, on a newly-formed and rather natty little traffic island on the Kirkstall Road, near the viaduct.





This is for the Jane Tomlinson 10k race. Half of today's band lives within a mile from said traffic island, so this is not altogether inconvenient.

We are Amy, Varshika, Sophie, Tim, Lizzie, Gig, Vicky, me and Bex [and the boys]. We play continually, constantly and without a break for nearly two hours. What a marathon! What a 10k!


We feature Chariots of Fire amongst our repertoire, and play it especially for Wanda in her new caterpillar suit! Also see Anthony zooming past. He will be relieved to know we missed photographing him. Also my friend, Joanne from the Russian class. And Christine and chums from the Leeds College of Music, running on behalf of YAMSEN:SpeciallyMusic [and we'll need it now we don't have our West Park home anymore].

East Steel Play an Open Rehearsal at City of Leeds School

The weather, as you know is nice. Steel pans are just made to played al fresco. Since the demise of the West Park Centre we practise at City of Leeds again. City of Leeds school has carpark area surrounded by woodland. It could be countryside. This is the place for a little gigette.

So, on Thursday we rehearse  outside. This counts as a gig [in my opinion]. Our audience is mothers and partners - WAGS for the steelband. But I like to think that, in this breathless weather the sound has sparkled its way round Woodhouse, and brought a little joy into the lives of the locals.

PS: This blog should have been in its chronological order, just before Huddersfield Carnival J'ouvert. My apologies if anyone is disorientated by this lack of attention to time.

Players were Karen, Alli, Wanda, Becky, me and Bex, Kirsty, Ruth, Katie,  Adele, Vicky.

Steel Bands at Kirkstall Festival.

So, Debs, back in the UK but you're playing Charlesworth while the rest of us take on the midday sun at Kirkstall Festival.

I guess the midday sun was everywhere in this heatwave of a UK July.

Anyway we were Foxwood Steel, Silver Sparrows, Oulton PS Steel Band, Baby Steel and some players from Blenheim, Sacred Heart and Allerton Grange.

Foxwood was me, Gig, Amy, Lizzie, Katie, Tim, Natalie, Bex, Gary [Gary!][so nice to have Gary back on board], Sparrows were George, Georgia, Ciara, Claudia, Naomi, Allerton Grange was Rowena plus George, Ciara and Claudia, Baby Steel was Martha, Mark, Ruth, Joint bands included Ben from Blenheim and Mikey from Sacred Heart, Oulton was led by Wanda, supported by Kirsty.


 In that heat packing away was hard. I had a fainting moment and Sarah E even brought me an ice pack for my neck from the ice -cream van.

Next!

Foxwood Steel at J'ouvert Huddersfield Carnival

Well Debs, it seems that your new school terms revolve around your old home Carnival dates, and here you are back again for Carnival in Huddersfield.

In some ways, sorry not to be here on Carnival Day itself, but actually, Kirkstall Festival has been knocking on our door for years, and only fair . . .

I drove Daisy over in the van. The others would have taken the 7 whatever train but it got cancelled. Only Karen and Alli, waiting on the Carnival Arts Centre steps. We hung around with van on pavement; then band arrives and we unload. Tonight we are Amy, Daisy, Varshika, Vicky, Katie, Charlotte, yourself, Natalie, Karen, Alli, Bex and myself.

A small sceptical group surrounds us, but in the end, a warm and supportive

one. As you know, Debs, and for someone newly arriving from Dubai, we are welcoming a heat wave here in the UK. And this: my favourite - playing in the centre of a northern town with the walls of some Victorian building rising up behind and giving out the tunes across the road. Buses and cars go past; some passengers and some drivers stare, and some just look ahead, like, no, that's not a steel band playing in the middle of town on  Friday night. That would be strange.

Jab Jab drummer stands in for Three Little Birds, and plays some cool rhythms on the old wood block. Katie buys some new specs. As we pack up the J'ouvert dancers arrive ready to celebrate proper Carnival style. Weather is all. I drive Daisy and Bex back to Leeds.

Next.

Drinking with Russians

Debs,

It's not all pans and teaching. I went for a drink with my Russian class in Arcadia, Headingley, Leeds. Here's some pics to prove it.