Flowers Band become National Champions of Great Britain
After our 2nd place at the British Open and qualification to represent England at The European Championships, we thought this year couldn’t get any better for us. How wrong we were!
Following qualification from the West of England Regional Championships in March this year, the Flowers Band set upon Kensington to compete at the National Brass Band Championships, held at the iconic Royal Albert Hall.
Who would add their name to these legendary trophies?
Twenty of the finest bands in Great Britain were set the task of performing Peter Graham’s “Harrison’s Dream”, a highly popular piece within the brass band community but a fearsome test at the highest level. The band had an aura of confidence around the stands following our 2nd place at the British Open Championships, but there are so many variables on contest day that can make the task of claiming the trophy more challenging, most notably the draw on the morning of the contest.
As part of the contest morning, the band’s percussion section travelled across to the Royal Albert Hall at 8am to test the instruments that they will be performing on later in the day. Simultaneously, the draw was made to determine the order of play. Statistics show that bands drawn between 14 and 17 have historically placed the best, so the band waited eagerly to see how the day was due to unfold.
At 8:20am we had the message through to say that we had been drawn to play number 17, making for a happy atmosphere in rehearsal!
Our Solo Cornet Team in rehearsal.
As much as this felt like a great draw for the band, it did mean that we had a long period of time to wait until playing on the famous stage. The band is a close-knit group of people, so a large portion of the band went for lunch together before returning for our afternoon rehearsal. The band sounded in fine form, and the bus journey over to the hall was full of laughter and excitement. Credit to our bus driver, Barry, for pulling off one of the most impressive three point turns you could ever wish to see on the busy Kensington Gore!
As the band walked on stage and took in the sights of the magnificent hall, the generous welcome from the crowd turned to silence as our musical director, Paul Holland, lifted the baton ready to start the performance…
The opening of the piece starts with rhythmic percussion and technically demanding semi-quaver runs in the cornet section; a truly fearsome start to a test piece. As the percussion section created energy and drive, the cornet section followed with accuracy and flair. There was a growing feeling of collective confidence, this had been a great start to the performance.
Back Row Cornets in action.
Paul Holland is a master of creating energy and rhythmic clarity in the faster music, and this performance continued in characteristic fashion. Bristling with energy and precision, the piece then transitions into more sensitive material, featuring many of the band’s soloists. Luke Barker on principal cornet has established himself as one of the finest principal cornet players, and was collected and cool on the fiendish exposed lines to open the slow movement, matched perfectly by solo horn Emily Evans.
“Harrison’s Dream” contains a particularly challenging euphonium part, with the task falling to our principal euphonium, Daniel Thomas. As per the rehearsals leading up to the contest, Dan made this sound so easy, making for a truly special moment on stage.
Flowers Band on that most famous of stages.
The band drove to the end of the piece in similar fashion to the opening, unrelenting in tempi and crystal clear in detail. As the band made the final crescendo to the end, Paul Holland cut the band off to be met by rapturous applause and standing ovations. A remarkable feeling, and very welcome confirmation from the audience that the performance had found favour in the hall!
As we were drawn late, we had only a short period of time to fill before the results were announced. In typical brass band fashion, we made our way to the pub for a couple of well-earned pints to take the edge off before results. It was great to meet up with friends from other bands that were competing on the day, as well as spending more quality time with members of Flowers. As the phrase goes, “time flies when you’re having fun”, and it was soon time to head back to the Royal Albert Hall ready for the results.
It has almost become part of the contest day that players will follow 4barsrest.com to hear how other bands have performed, as well as keeping up with timings of the day. Following the performance of the band drawn to play number 20, the post-contest predictions were posted, with Flowers predicted to take the honours. This is often met with excitement, but also a feeling that this may be the kiss of death!
As the results were announced from 6th to 2nd place, we had not yet heard “the band drawn to play number 17” announced. The collective excitement started to build, knowing that this was an “all or nothing” moment. This excitement was compounded when Daniel Thomas on principal euphonium was announced as the most outstanding player of the day. A truly deserved accolade for an outstanding player.
Nicola Bland (Kapitol Promotions) presenting the award for "Most Outstanding Player to Dan Thomas.
The words that we had been waiting to hear arrived, Flowers Band are the National Champions of Great Britain! This is the first time in our history that we have won a major contest, and the first time that a band from the West of England area has claimed the famous trophy.
As the players of the band made their way to the stage, there were hugs and tears aplenty as the magnitude of this achievement became apparent. This is not just a victory for the Flowers Band of today, but is a culmination of all the hard work of past band members since the band’s founding in 1968.
We are so proud to represent Gloucester and the West of England, and this win means so much to us all. Every player had the opportunity for a photo with the trophy, before returning to the pub to continue the celebrations. There were plenty of sore heads the following day!
A memory to treasure forever.
Closing thoughts from the adjudicators
"A wonderful performance with great playing and a masterful interpretation – the band really ‘tell the story’.
Thank you - Dr Stephen Cobb”
“Maybe not perfect – but the errors are so minor they should not detract from what was an awesome performance in so many ways. Exceptional clarity in the external sections and then so much beauty in the middle section. Brilliant! - Rob Wiffin OBE”
“Thank you so much for this performance of pure brilliance and wonderful soloists. So much detail so secure. So sensitive and musical. Bravo to the band, soloists and MD!!! - Arsene Duc”
To cap off an incredible weekend, it was a wonderful moment to see the trophy being placed in it’s new home, a welcome addition to the trophy display in the bandroom. As a band we are very excited to rehearse in front of that trophy for at least the next twelve months!
The trophy is home!
All at Flowers Band would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of kind messages of support and congratulations, every single one of them has been greatly appreciated.