On a glorious afternoon, Cinderford Band began their eclectic programme with a terrific arrangement of Duke Ellington’s ‘Caravan’, arranged by Steve Sykes, quickly followed by the ‘Brassed Off’ march ‘Death or Glory’.

It set the tone for what was to follow, with a vibrant overture ‘La Gazza Ladra’ showcasing their sound and technique. It was stirring music expertly played, whilst the same could also be said of horn soloist Barry Watkins on ‘Variations on a ‘Welsh Theme’ by Peter Kneale in a performance of substantial virtuosity.

Contrast

Pleasant musical contrast came with ‘In Perfect Peace’ by Kenneth Downie, before a complete change of style (much to the obvious delight of younger listeners) with ‘Roar’ and ‘Firework’ by one of their idols, Katy Perry. Soprano cornet soloist Andy James was a classy lead on ‘Solitaire’, before the first half concluded with Gordon Langford’s bucolic ‘West Country Fantasy’.

The composer’s ‘Carnival Day’ opened a spirited second half which saw a cracking rendition of ‘Zelda’ by principal cornet Matt Kibble and the thought-evoking ‘A Quiet Moment’ by Darrol Barry which kept listeners rapt in attention.

Highlight

A real highlight though came with 14 year old euphonium player Louis Thomas on ‘Come back to Sorrento’, played from memory and displaying such a rich, warm tone.

‘Cranberry Corners USA’, led into the fun of the trombone trio of Darren Walding, Kim Sumner and Rosemary Butson on ‘Frolic for Trombones’, before more easy listening with band member Clive Lewis’ arrangement of ‘Classics a-go-go’ in which one well-known tune quickly led to another and then another! 

The Madness hit ‘Our House’ was a witty change in style before a touch of Coldplay and the National Anthem rounded off a quite splendid afternoon of bandstand entertainment.

Derek Wells