Leeds Silver Steel Sparrows play Leeds Rhinos

It is our fourth gig of the weekend [fifth with Oulton at Oulton]; it could have been tricky; but our contact, Grace, solves problems as they arise, and everything in the end runs very smoothly.

We are me [Victoria] and Bex, Owen, Lucy, Kirsten, Alice, Claudia, Chloe and George with support form Wanda, Vicky and YiBai. Parents, some seeing a rugby match for the first time, Mark taking pics, Mick being stage crew when we needed a music stand.

The only thing that went wrong was California Girls, but it is nearly there. I am not giving up on it.

We were just into our two last tunes, when Charlotte appeared. It would have been rude of her not to do a guest tune.

The weather was great and we used the gazebos as protection against the sun, not the rain. Yippee!

Sparrows. The Stafforshire trip And then there were three

So Kathy heard the Sparrows playing at the West Indian Centre for the Virginia Woolf Conference. And before we knew it we, me, Millie and Chloe, were on the train to Tamworth, all wearing the turquoise.

There was a moment when Millie was back on the train looking for Chloe and Chloe was coming back off the train from the other end, having been summoned back by another passenger to retrieve her purse. Lol. And phew.

Taxi over to Whitemoor Lakes Activity Centre. Just in time to join in with the dance session. Kathy gave us half her session, wherein we taught The Road is Mine to a small group of teenagers with the RJC dancers playing the melody on glocks. Millie taught herself the tune, Chloe held up red and yellow chord cards.

Then we, as a trio  played Rolling in the Deep, dinner time, then M and C hit the road home. I taught Campdown Races to Rea, Raoul and Andrew. Got asked to move room - fair enough!






Did another workshop,  Then it was time to watch the outdoor activities and hang out with some swans. In B minor, of course.


Next me and the Gang [aka, I think National Steering Committee] carried pans to stage and got a little workshop in return for their wondrous efforts. Hilarious. They were still singing " Harry Doyle" ( which turned wasn't even his name) two hours later. This being the rhythm to a bar.



The Campton Races boys decided to don blue haired wigs and sparkly masks, and played their tune three times. Asked to be called the Blue Haired Brazilians, not Brazilian Boys as that would give away the gender. Sweet.  They were massive. Wonderful help as ever from Kathy and the Gang to load the pans back onto the RJC minibus.

Taxi booked for 25 to 9, just had time to see RJC dancers, and thank Sue and Kathy for inviting me.

Polly had attached herself to me, and we flew home together.

RJC dancers

I had booked my taxi way too early - for safety, but it took no time at all. Finding the platform took forever, never found the lift, then the Leeds trained was delayed "due to disruptive passengers" . I sat on Tamworth Station with the parrot and wrote this blog.

And then there was one - just me (and the parrot). Got back to Leeds v late, hideous queue for taxi in the station, encased self in ipod, and home for midnight and thirty. Braced for Sparrows next day at Leeds Rhinos? Not exactly.

East Steel at Woodlesford

While Millie, Chloe and I swan it with swans in Staffordshire,

Bex rocks Woodlesford Primary School with East Steel and Steel Rising.

Players ares Bex, Vicky, Trish, Anne, Lynn, Pippa, Wanda, Gill, Josie, George and Kirsty. It rains; they start inside; it stops raining, they move outside.



Moving  a steelband outside inside is not exactly like moving a choir from one place to another. Just mentioning that. It is no mean feat. One minute you are trying to feel the music, getting the buzz from the audience; the next you are a roadie, carting around several kilos of heavy metal [not the musical variety]. With our unpredictable weather these activities are inevitable, but it makes playing music hard. Just putting that out there.

Foxwood Steel at Late Learners Event Leeds Uni

Lisa saw Foxwood (and Sparrows) at Unity Day last year and asked us to play for the Late Learners Celebration Event.

Rain was forecast. We were inside. I arrived at the Uni bollards at 3.30. No. Wrong entrance, go down to the entrance on the left. I drove down to the back of  Refec, amongst all the building work, met Lisa and Tom. Wrong entrance , Lisa and I drove back to first bollards. Still wrong entrance, over to University Rd, right entrance fourth time.




So 1. We are now late setting up, and 2. It is Leaving Day for all student houses in Headingley and Hyde Patk. Gridlock and there is a big cricket match at Headingley Stadium. more gridlock. our players are in various traffic jams all round Leeds. Eek!

So it's me Chloe and Yi Bai, then Daisy and Lola appears, then Charlotte and Sheeks, then Vicky. Yi Bai runs back to my house for the hihat. The rest of us play an "acoustic set"; in comes Georgia and Patrick in gridlock recovery. She thinks six of us no kit sounds good. Phew.



Nice sandwiches and posh cakes, cups of tea.

Vicky leaves; Sophie appears. Last lap. Patrick plays one note; Lola plays one tune [Three Little Three Chord Birds]. Load van.



Andrina appears and carries out a pan. The selfie queens get a hold of my camera.

At home Daisy and I change the basses and the Foxwood pans for East Steel ones for tomorrow.

Andrina Tom Daisy

I pack my bag for Staffordshire and fail to concentrate on the recorded Wimbledon.

Foxwood Steel Leeds Waterfront

What could be nicer: canals, waterside, barges, pubs, architecture, viaduct arches, steelband, sunny skies! Changed the tenor basses for triple basses, saving space in the van. More pans in for this most popular of gigs.

Turns out we were alternating [sort of] with the dancers.

We were me [Victoria], Bex, Georgia, Natalie, Sophie, George, Yi Bai, Katie, Sheeks, Charlotte, Amy, Gary, Fehmina, Holly. Pics, ta, Matt.

East Steel at Rawdon St Peter's JUne 2016

It was sunny, with rain predicted. We put up the gazebos. Wanda and Maddie bought rabbits. Who was more pleased?

We were me, Bex, Wanda, Maddie, Lynn, Wendy, Sophie, Vicky, Pippa, Yi Bai.

Heather invited us earlier this year, then in March I played Rawdon St Peters with Rest of the Best. So much easier when you meet the organiser beforehand.

At the end people paid money to tape a teacher to a wall. This bizarre activity put me in mind of the Wicker Man.





Pippa came in shorts. As Charlotte once said to Morgan, That reminds me I need to buy some milk.





But the scariest thing was being invited to judge the headdress competiton. All the headdresses were awesome. Wanda, Maddie and I chose a winner and two runners-up. We still bear the mental scars.


The rain started the minute we put down the gazebos. In the end they had protected us from sunburn.

In my opinion, his was East Steel's finest moment this year. We played beautifully. Was very proud. We get better each year.