The joint forces of Leadhills Silver Band and Whitburn Band treated the audience in South Lanarkshire to a wonderful evening of both serious and more lightweight entertainment.

It came after a full day of workshops, as the Scottish Champion provided tutors to inspire Leadhills players with some fantastic tips for improving performance and technique.

Centre-piece

The centre-piece for the hosts was a fine rendition of the specially commissioned work, ‘Music for Distant Hills’, composed by Alan Fernie, which the band would play under his baton at the Scottish Championships in Perth the following month. 

A wonderfully evocative composition, it drew on deep emotive issues in a celebratory manner - the performance echoing its sentiments in full.

Whitburn performed a varied programme worthy of their status as Scotland’s premier band; ‘When Thunder Calls’ by Paul Lovatt-Cooper, followed by ‘Balkan Dance’ by Etienne Crausaz and fantastic Laurel & Hardy inspired, ‘Another Fine Mess!’, featuring the comedic talents of euphonium soloists Scott Kerr and Chris Shanks.

​A wonderfully evocative composition, it drew on deep emotive issues in a celebratory manner - the performance echoing its sentiments in full.

Seascapes

The band closed with a fine performance of ‘Seascapes’ - the work on which they were to defend their Scottish title in Perth. 

The reading of Jon Masefield’s poem ‘Cargoes’ helped enormously in bringing the detailed score to life for those in the audience unfamiliar with the requirements of a major test-piece work. 

The concert finale was a rousing rendition of the march ‘Blaze Away’ played by both bands in a way that left everyone totally uplifted. 

Christine Izzard