Scottish Brass Band Championships 2020 Championship Preview & Predictions

Scottish Brass Band Championships 2020 – Championship Section

Draw 1.30pm – Commences at approx. 2.30 pm on Sunday, March 8th
Adjudicators: Dave Barringer & Sandy Smith
Test Piece: A Tale As Yet Untold by Philip Sparke

Bands
1 Bon Accord Silver Adam Cooke
2 Bo’ness and Carriden Glyn Williams
3 Dalmellington Erik Janssen
4 Dunaskin Doon Paul Drury
5 Kirkintilloch Kelvin Brass Thomas Wyss
6 Newtongrange Silver Andrew Duncan
7 the cooperation band Russell Gray
8 The Kirkintilloch Band Christopher King
9 Unison Kinneil Raymond Tennant
10 Whitburn Joe Cook

Preview
As we enter into the 125^thAnniversary Year of the Scottish Brass Band Association, we could be forgiven for thinking there may be a predictable outcome to this contest. Traditionally, there has been somewhat of a duopoly within the upper echelons of Scottish Brass Banding, where Whitburn and “the cooperation band” (styled “The Co”) have held sway over their Scottish foes for many years. One must travel back to 2007 to find an alternative winner – the Kirkintilloch Band under the baton of Nigel Boddice MBE – one of only three occasions this millennium that the top spot of the Scottish Championships hasn’t been filled with our own variation of the Old Firm. Indeed, the dominance of the Co and Whitburn has been so solidified, they have occupied the top two spots of Scottish Championships 78% of the time since 2000.

This year, Whitburn travel to Perth without Nicholas Childs, a casualty of the fact that Yorkshire and Scotland are competing on the same weekends. That could be big news, Whitburn have won three from five Scottish Championships with the Black Dyke man at the helm. Joe Cook has big boots to fill but with top section trophy winning experience in Norway with Manger Musikklag and in the North of England with Fishburn, Whitburn will be confident.

Conversely, Russell Gray has already won a regional this year, an imperious performance from Fodens sending them back to the Nationals. The Co have also ridden the wave of their Championship win last year: 2^ndplace at the Grand Shield saw them return to the British Open at the first time of asking and a busy year ended with three trophies from five contests.

Top two placings have been vital, with Scotland normally only receiving two tickets to the Albert Hall and the competitions for best of the rest normally being satisfied with the Third-Place trophy. Not so this year: Whitburn’s Titan Third-Place at National Championships in 2019 mean that there are suddenly three places to London up for grabs, and not a moment too soon.

The excitement of Philip Sparke’s, A Tale As Yet Untold not being treat enough, we now have a raft of bands playing for National success and sources say that none of them are taking this opportunity for granted. Be prepared for a contest that doesn’t simply offer the thrills and spills of a masterful piece of music emanating from the pen of Sparke, be on the lookout for performances coming from nowhere, bands stepping up to the plate and players familiarising themselves with pressure in a way that has been all too absent in previous years. And make no mistake about it, any one of the bands competing on the 8^thMarch have the capability to join the list of representatives that have flown the flag for Scottish Banding. Happy Birthday SBBA, let’s get the party started!

So, who would you back?

Last year’s third place Newtongrange Silver are ably directed by a Whitburn graduate in Andrew Duncan who has long since made himself a name as a talented bass player, conductor and composer. “Nitten” have a gluttony of experience in their ranks, some with memories of their Rienzi, Scottish Championship win of 2005. They returned to the Championship Section by winning the 1^stSection in 2017 and most recently took Titan’s Progress out for a spin, winning the Fife Charities in 2019. Expect a lyrical and stylised performance from the ex-colliery band based just outside Edinburgh’s city bypass.

If your sensibilities prefer a more stable bet on excellence, then you would be forgiven for placing your money on Dalmellington. The Ayrshire band’s connection with Richard Evans and Eric Janssen has seen them place fourth on three out of five previous Scottish Championship outings. Capable of astounding force and astonishing beauty in their playing, they will certainly be a dangerous proposition for any of the of the other bands. This could be their day, and you certainly wouldn’t begrudge them success on their recent form.

Bon Accord Silver, the most northerly band in the Championship Section, have placed in the top five for three of the previous five contests, but this year find themselves in the unenviable position of dancing close to relegation, having placed eighth last year. And yet, this is a band that has previously thrived on pressure and pieces that involve a mixture of style and technicality – you don’t score a third place in 2015 playing Peter Graham’s, The Torchbearer without having some talent in your ranks. And don’t forget, the last time Bon Accord took A Tale As Yet Untold for a run, they won the Fife Charities Contest in 2017.

The mercurial Bo’ness and Carriden are another band that, on their day, are a match for anyone at this level. Their current stint in the Championship Section began with a 3^rdplace in 2017 followed by a fourth and sixth. Another band that can traverse the full spectrum of dynamics, being unafraid to use every tool available, including turning to the audience, to reach their goals, they will be girded for battle. Expect them to project a sense of poise and a bonanza of excitement, if they can reach their undoubted potential. Oh, and by the way, Glyn Williams is conducting them this year – talk about big guns being brought…

Kirkintilloch Kelvin may have birthed from their close rivals in the same town, but long gone are the days when they were considered a “B” band of any description. “Kirky Kelvin” (or KKB for short) have shown a real ‘get up and get em’ attitude in the top section. Sporting a good mixture of youth and experience, KKB can be excellent on their day but suffer a lack of consistency at times. Since 2015, at this contest, they have placed 7^th, 6^th, 8^th3^rdand 7^threspectively and they lack any local contest wins since the Northern Counties in 2013. Thomas Wyss has been drafted to the helm this year: the Leyland front man knows how to pull a performance from a band – a statement of intent from KKB, if ever they needed one.

Readers and observers who aren’t familiar with the Scottish Brass Band scene may not recognise the name Dunaskin Doon, but if you think this band is simply a space filler then think again. They may be recent arrivals to the top section, but their 5^thplace last year, under the baton of Gareth Brindle, took everyone by surprise. It’s a fantastic story too – Gary Williams and Chris Bradley (Principal Cornet at Whitburn) helped to steer the band from the third section to the top between 2013 and 2018. And that slow burn has meant they have been anything but overawed at the top. This test piece could be their biggest challenge yet, but with Paul Drury at the stick you can be assured it will be a performance of detail from someone who makes it his business to know his band’s strengths.

The most recently promoted bands will be touting their own prospects too.

Unison Kinneil re-enter the Championship Section having had an incredible year of highs and lows. Second place and promoted from the First Section, First place at the National Championships of Great Britain and First place at the Band Supplies Scottish Challenge (playing Metropolis 1927 no less) were results all mixed in with the terrible loss of their band hall. Resilience, drive and desire are all words you can associate with this incredible organisation and all these attributes will be required. And with Raymond Tennant at the helm, Kinneil will enter this contest with everything to gain.

Last, but by no means least, there is the historical bastion that is the Kirkintilloch Band. You would never have thought, for years mixing it with some of the best in the country, that 2018 would see “Kirky” have to withdraw from the Scottish Championships and compete outside of the top section for the first time since 1974. It has been an incredible undertaking to rebuild, with moments of real uncertainty. David Roberts however led them to a First Section win at the first time of asking. They will be wanting to make up for lost time, and with their local and national rivals watching intently, you can bet Kirky will want to make their mark in Perth. And what better way to do it then to draft Christopher King to the baton; with five regional wins in five years, a 3^rdand 2^ndplace at the Senior Cup and a 2^ndplace at Butlins in 2019, all with Friary Guilford, you absolutely can’t count Kirky out.

So, to the prediction…

Firstly, let’s get the top two out the way. Genuinely, I think the strength of the Co and Whitburn will be too much for the rest of the pack and this test piece will allow them to really display their class. I’m going for the Co over Whitburn simply because of the experience at the front: Russell Gray is a tried and tested class act, at this level, in Scotland. This is a gut punt rather than any real deduction – there are just so many variables.

If I am honest, I look at the form from previous years, and I reckon Dalmellington will sneak that third qualification spot, they have been in and around it for a number of years now and they can really step up to the plate. The rest of them though – toss a coin. For me, Bo’ness and Carriden have real chance to turn up and graft a big result for them. I will probably annoy their close neighbours, but I’m going to put Kinneil in fifth – their progress and their year just feels like it could be rounded off with a fantastic moment in Perth. And you want a dark horse? How about keeping your eyes, and ears, open for Newtongrange.