Foxwood Steel play Manchester Carnival 2017 on da Float Saturday

Earlier this year I gave a presentation on the Carnival Conference at Leeds Beckett on the Importance of steelbands at Carnival. I made four main points:

1. That Carnival is not Carnival without steelbands, and really this should mean not just the one.
2. That steelbands in the early days of the UK Carnivals (70s, 80s, early nineties) were more numerous, but today they are an endangered species.
3. Running a steelband is already a magnum opus, but combined with h and s rules (some sensible, some over the top), the marginalisation of music and the arts in education, the power of the sound systems, it is even more difficult.
4. And really the pay, if any, doesn't match the time and effort put in.

So, I take my hat off to Damien from Manchester who has, over the past decade or maybe more, fought for the inclusion of steelbands in Manchester Carnival. When he first contacted us and put us on a float, we were one of five steelbands on floats. The last few years it has only been us, and we have also played in the arena (as in the centre of Alexandra Park)

dragon deflated after leading the parade

I use the word "fought" advisably, but am not elaborating today. 

photographer being photographed

From my point of view, it is very hard, getting our bands together for these all important summer Carnival gigs. Besides players we need drivers. Besides transporting people we need to transport pans. As for getting together to rehearse, impossible. We have to use old core tunes, and add fresh ones where we can. 

easiest songbook

Way back in the 80s and 90s I devised this system of notation; I named Foxwood Songsheets after the school where its need became apparent and I dedicated it to the late and astonishing Jan Holdstock who pointed me in this direction.

With the songsheets the less able are able, and the amazingly able can sight-read amazingly hard tunes. (Or, in Gary's case, sight-read the bass lines for Wings of a Dove, and on triple basses that he has never played before!). In short, for a band on the road, a big repertoire, and all the more interesting to play for all that. 

Where's Sophie off?

This year we have our same lovely driver, Tony; we are the only steelband; we are the lead float. Tony asks, have you got a full complement this year? What does he mean?

in the park waiting to set off

We are a full band this year including Number One Drummer [and Number Four, or whatever she is in the rankings this week]. Nine players. Luckily not a big truck. Unluckily Unison is not able to be with us today ( and that's a long story not for here).

posing in the sun afterwards

on the A62. Lol

So I come over in the van with Fehmina and Gary taking the A62; Wanda setting off an hour or so later (lol) can zoom along the M62 with Sheeks, Sophie and Natalie. Pippa lives in Sale and brings herself on the bus. Debs is on the train from Huddersfield. 

It's all about the Money, Money, Money!

Half way along the parade we lose a laminated copy of MoneyMoneyMoney; next minute Sophie has jumped off the truck and gangling along the road to retrieve it. 

We get filmed for this, as we always are, and Pippa later finds the footage. It's not too bad at all. Recording a moving band from a distance with half the band facing the other way . . . 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GNmjHsxzPw

The dragon extended to lead the parade

This parade takes 3 and 1/4 hours. OMG! No tune gets played more than three times. We had decided to drop Clocks till it is revamped, but towards the tired end of this route, I shout It's 3 o'clock and point to my watch. Clocks? Shouts Sheeks, and we do it in relief that this is only the once.

I stand next to Gary so that  for any song that he has absolutely never played the tune for before, he and I can swop. Well, he played bass at school, and you can tell! And I loved the change.

Everyone else goes back to Leeds (and Huddersfield); I take my precious cargo and stay with Pippa, so we will ready and fresh for Round Two in the arena on Sunday. We write out tunes and pan and piano all evening. Ace.

waiting for the lights