Whitburn Band gave an imposing display of musical quality in winning the Fife Brass Band Festival title at Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall on the weekend.
The recently crowned Scottish Champion warmed up for its forthcoming trip to Blackpool to compete at the Grand Shield contest with a clear victory over championship rivals Kingdom Brass, with Scottish First Section champion Bo'ness & Carriden carrying on their own fine run of form by securing the final podium slot.
Busy time
Victory for Whitburn comes at a busy time for the band which recently performed folk singer Martin Green's new audio drama 'Keli' at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. Conductor Bryan Allen thanked the band for their efforts saying: "Thanks for playing so beautifully today. From where I was standing it felt very calm, expertly controlled and super classy."
Eleven bands took part in the new-look entertainment contest, each providing a 20-minute programme of varied music, for adjudicators Andrew Duncan (music) and Susan Chown who awarded the separate 'Most Entertaining Band' accolade to Coalburn Silver.
Section awards
Section awards on what was an excellent day of brass band entertainment went to Bo'ness & Carriden, Clackmannan District, Shotts St Patrick's and Dundee Instrumental.
Speaking about the success of the event, a spokesperson said: "Our congratulations go to all prize winners, and to all competing bands. Our thanks are also extended to our adjudicators and to Alasdair Hutton for kindly stepping in to act as our compere for the day, as well as our generous supporters and volunteers..
We were delighted to see friends from bands across the country take part in the contest today, and we look forward to welcoming you all back warmly next year."
Result:
Adjudicator: Andrew Duncan
1. Whitburn (Bryan Allen): 97pts
2. Kingdom Brass (Paul Drury): 94pts
3. Bo'ness & Carriden (Charlie Farren): 92pts
4. Bathgate Band (Craig Anderson): 91pts
5. Coalburn Silver (Gareth Bowman): 90pts
6. Clackmannan District (Ross Brotherston): 88pts
7. Lochgelly (Paul McKelvie OBE): 87pts
8. Dalkeith & Monktonhall (James Chamberlain): 86pts
9. Shotts St. Patrick's Brass (Andrew Shaw): 84pts
10. Dundee Instrumental (Bob McDonald): 83pts
11. Whitburn Heartlands — Stephen Duncan — 82 points
Most Entertaining Band: Coalburn Silver.
Best Championship Section Band: Whitburn
Best First Section Band: Bo'ness & Carriden
Best Second Section Band: Clackmannan District
Best Third Section Band: Shotts St. Patrick's Brass
Best Fourth Section Band: Dundee Instrumental
