Bodmin Town Band - Championship Band in the Heart of Cornwall

We all had an amazing day at Bugle on 15th June, representing Bodmin at the annual West of England Bandmen’s Festival. 17 bands from all levels, including Youth Bands, gathered together to play challenging pieces and exchange news.

It’s always a thrill to march down through Bugle to a great crowd and our MD, Colin Hudson, had us march down in lines of 5 rather than the usual 4, making the turns or wheels just that bit more difficult. The adjudicator, Jonathan Lush-Camps obviously appreciated the extra effort and he also noticed the white gloves worn by our percussionists. At any rate, we came away with the deportment prize ahead of our nearest rivals, St Dennis Band.

Our contest march, The Australasian, and the testpiece by Philip Wilby, Paganini Variations, really stretched the band. We were placed a very good third, behind the two top rated Cornish Bands, Camborne Town Band and St Dennis Band, with only a few marks separating us all.

We would like to thank the committee and all those involved in the organisation of the Festival and look forward to seeing more bands competing next year.