LGSW at London Pride
Patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time takes a little getting used to… try playing a wind instrument whilst walking in a straight line without knocking into anyone. This is what the LGSW learnt to do for London Gay Pride 2011.
The majority of the band had never marched before and it was with hesitant excitement that we prepared for our first outing as a marching band. We needed to buy lyres (attachable music stands) for our instruments and LGSW t-shirts so we all looked super cool for the crowds that would descend on London to watch the parade. We also needed to learn to walk and play at the same time…
In the preceding weeks we devoted part of each rehearsal to learn the music we were going to play which included It’s Raining Men, Bad Romance and Toxic! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall watching us march around St. Saviour’s Church in Pimlico playing It’s Raining Men for the first time! Gradually we improved and discovered that it is possible to do more than one thing at the same time and to even be in time with each other.
The day itself was so much fun! We went down really well with the audience who at points joined in by singing. It was such a great feeling playing to so many people and was so uplifting sharing what we love doing with the LGBT community in such a positive way! After the march we played a concert for the Camden older LGBT group chill-out zone at St. Anne’s, Soho this again show cased what a strong group we have become. We finished the day off with drinks in Soho, soaking up the atmosphere with our LGSW friends and family!
Brighton Band Camp
We love being by the sea, but this year it seemed like there was more water coming from the sky than there was at the beach. Each year the LGSW goes on a band camp weekend and for the last two years the destination has been Brighton. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your friends in the band a bit better, spend some quality rehearsal time improving your skills, and generally having a great time.
We went down to bright blue skies on the Friday afternoon to spend a relaxed evening in some of Brighton’s many bars before heading to bed at an almost respectable hour ready for some serious playing on Saturday.
Saturday was spent rehearsing, including a whole load of new pieces for our big October concert. The progress made in just 6 hours of playing together was really great to see. The end of the day held a treat in the unveiling of a brand new Britney Spears arrangement by one of our members ready for London Pride. Saturday night gave us a bit more time to spend sampling Brighton’s night life, and we stayed out much later, many of us heading out to a club til the small hours.
Sadly Sunday morning greeted us with grey skies, howling wind and torrential rain. With a concert planned for the sea front bandstand, things weren’t looking good. After a couple of hours huddling in a coffee shop wishing for blue skies, we had to call it a day. Horizontal rain on the beach thwarted our best intentions to play for the people of Brighton.
Despite the weather we had a great time. We sounded great in the rehearsal and everyone made a few new friends, and got to know some old ones better. And we’ll be back in 2012, but please save some sun for us next time Brighton!
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