Our final music played in 2019 (22nd December); a 2 hour set towards the exit at Morrisons where we performed festive tunes as well as more traditional carols.
Christmas hats (and antlers) were worn in the spirit of the season and many shoppers stopped by on their way out of the store.
Donations were collected in separate tubs for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance (https://www.wiltshireairambulance.co.uk/ ) and also for Chippenham Town Band (to help fund our rehearsals).
We played a 2 hour set at Morrisons near the exit (our band was too big to fit in the foyer!) Many a shopper enjoyed the tunes which ranged from music such as Jingle Bells and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, to traditional carols (Away In A Manger, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Come All Ye Faithful to name but a few). We only just reached the end of the carol book and were able to repeat a few of our favourites.
Donations were collected for our charity; this carol set was supporting BLISS: for babies born premature or sick (https://www.bliss.org.uk/).
Some of the band even wore festive jumpers or Christmas hats to mark the occasion and all were in festive spirit. If you missed us, please pop by on Sunday 22nd December when we will be playing in the afternoon.
A brilliant last of the summer concert season at John Coles Park, Chippenham; the sun shone as if it was the height of summer! There was a brilliant turn out of visitors to the park and the bandstand itself was filled nearly to bursting.
We played a variety of tunes, concentrating on the more well known big band and theme music – definitely putting our newest members through their paces as there were a few pieces they hadn’t rehearsed yet! Everyone played really well – more than deserving of ice-cream in the interval.
Hopefully when we start the summer season next year in May we will have some new songs in our repertoire. (We use the winter season to practice new tunes as well as maintaining the old ones).
What an incredibly hot day! We played two sets in the school yard under an unrelenting sun; thankfully the applause from the audience was a worthy reward for our trials. Many a fetching hat was worn, much sun cream applied and lots of water was drunk. Ice lollies were enjoyed in the interval too.
The fair was exceptionally popular and other local events caused quite some traffic build-up which meant that I and a few others were slightly delayed – thankfully this didn’t cause any disruption to the music.
We played a mix of music from Basin Street, Locomotion and Take the “A” Train to medleys including Disco Lives, Beach Boys and Ellington. Even our very worn copies of the Teddy Bear’s Picnic saw play (such a delightful tune). Tequila was another fun one played. We finished with We Will Meet Again; there were quite a few friendly faces in the audience – hopefully some of those we’ll see at our next event, John Coles Park on 15th September.
It was our first time to play in the Swindon Town Gardens bandstand; quite a stunning park (particularly the rose garden). Unfortunately there was a slight mix-up which meant the bandstand was double-booked so we were only able to play for the second half of the time.
We took shelter from the rain as we waited to be able to play, listening to the latin style music.
The other group were very helpful in packing up quickly for the changeover. We got through as many pieces as we could in our 45 minute set, all of us keen to play what we’ve been rehearsing.
The weather eventually cleared up and there were quite a few visitors to the park who listened to both bands. Definitely weather for a cup of tea instead of ice-cream despite it being August!
A delightful summer concert in the park, with lots of visitors listening to our tunes.
We were delighted to be welcomed back to play for shoppers at Leekes, this time for a Privilege Card holders’ evening 6-8pm. We were invited inside and upstairs to the cafe area to play as the cafe was closed from 4:30pm. Shoppers had some stalls on the ground floor for drinks and nibbles.
Quite a few shoppers paused to try out the settees whilst listening to our music which included a Beach Boys medley, Elvis Presley tunes, Moonlight Serenade, Basin Street and The Muppets to name but a few.
I was seated right next to a display of delicious cakes and biscuits – I simply must return when the cafe is open!
The hottest day of the year so far (not a cloud in sight) so we were grateful to have the shelter of a marquee whilst playing our 2 sets at the Biddestone Fete. We played 2-4 with an interval when it’s always a delight to wander the various stalls – my particular favourite is the Refreshments tent where the cakes once prizes have been awarded end up on sale!
Our sets included a great variety of tunes from The Muppets to My Way, Barnyard Castle to our Star Wars medley. Alan even opened the fete at 2pm with a bugle call.
A poignant afternoon with a mixture of playing more of our older pieces, viewing the memorial and listening to Dave Webber & Anni Fentiman sing. Alan Horner as well as conducting our band also played the Last Post.
Richard Lambert-Stiles’s research on the soldiers from the Causeway Methodist Brotherhood who lost their lives over a century ago has been arranged into a permanent display by Charlie Graham-May.
Norma had baked delicious cakes and was providing tea and coffee for all attendees. Overall a relaxed and thought provoking afternoon.
Whilst it was a bit cooler than some previous May concerts, there were smiles all round and quite a few audience members enjoying ice cream whilst others warmed up with hot beverages from the kiosk instead. It was fantastic to have such a supportive audience for the first John Coles park concert of the season and the bandstand was filled near to bursting as almost all musicians were able to attend. We played a variety of tunes including Shrek, Curly’s Airships (March 1919), Frank Sinatra’s My Way and medleys such as a selection of Robbie Williams, Viva Italia and Beach Boys.
Our next concert at John Coles park will be 14th July and we will be ending the season on 15th September. For other concerts in the park please follow this link.
