This time last year Black Dyke made a return to Mossley in Tameside after an absence of over half a century. 12 months on and they popped back with a display of familiar repertoire under conductor Philip Goodwin in support of the local Whit Friday contests.
Appropriate then that the iconic sounds of the march ‘Queensbury’ opened proceedings, with a ferociously paced ‘Force of Destiny’ overture to follow - one that evoked memories for some in the audience of the great CWS Manchester approach under Alex Mortimer.
Slickness
Richard Marshall was the first soloist on Herman Bellstedt’s quirky ‘The American Boy’ - a pot-pourri of snippets of turn of the century American tunes, before taking a back seat for his colleagues to deliver ‘Cornet Carillon’. The popular ‘Movies Set’ showcasing excerpts from ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘James Bond’ was delivered with comfortable slickness.
Zoe Lovatt-Cooper was the lyrical lead on ‘By Treverne Bay’ before the first half concluded with a bold rendition of Peter Graham’s ‘Shine as the Light’.
The generosity shown by the Queensbury outfit extended to St John’s Band (Mossley), who took to the stage to open the second half with proud delight.
The popular ‘Movies Set’ showcasing excerpts from ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ and ‘James Bond’ was delivered with comfortable slickness.
Relaxed
Former MD Stephen Corbett listened intently at their brief, well drilled set that included ‘Prismatic Light’, ‘Eventide’ and the Whit Friday favourite ‘Viva Birkinshaw’. It was also a memorable night for Robert Sykes (father of presenter and brass band fan Melanie Sykes) who was acknowledged for his 60 years of dedicated banding commitment earlier this year.
Black Dyke returned for the trio of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’, ‘Lil’Darlin’ (featuring the band’s new sop player Connor Lennon with Dave Smith), before ‘Ol’ Man River’ fizzed at a torrent.
‘1812’ Overture and the obligatory encore ‘How Great Thou Art’ rounded off a relaxed, enjoyable evening.
Malcolm Wood
