Brigstowe Village Band

Brigstowe Village Band will be playing at the Midsummer Fair Avon Wildlife / Feed Bristol Project, Frenchay Park Road, Bristol BS16 1HB on Saturday 6 July.

Please arrive at 11.45am. The event will start at 12 noon. BVB to play from 12.30 – 1.15pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Long stay car parking will be available in Begbrooke Social Club, Frenchay Park Road, BS16 1HY (approx 200yds up road). Limited parking on site – disability spaces and dropping off space for instruments etc.

The setlist can be found here.

Feed Bristol have asked for a dance set. You will remember the Wassail – they were very energetic. It will help Mary who is calling if we have some BVB members willing to step forward and walk through the dances by way of demonstration. You have seen them before and the are straightforward.

Brigstowe Village Band will be playing at the Horfield Community Orchard Summer Open Day on Saturday 22 June.

Information about the event including timings and directions: Saturday 22 June. directions docx

The setlist and additional notes for readers can be found here.

Brigstowe Village Band will be playing for the Southmead Hospital Buskathon on Friday 14 June.

The setlist can be found here.

Start time: Please arrive by 11.40 for a 12.00 start – we will need to check intros / sound

Location: the main Brunel Building  – newcomers – you will see where BVB is assembling (opposite the patient check in desks in the main concourse).

The car park can get busy so please allow plenty of time.

Dress: lots of colourful flower decorations, summer hats

Social: Coffee afterwards in the Friends cafe at the far end of the main concourse

The next Brigstowe Village band rehearsal is on Sunday 9 June, 2 – 4 .30pm, Club Room, Long Ashton Community Centre. Please be ready to start playing at 2pm.

Laurel has put the list of tunes to be played here.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the St Stephens Lunchtime Concert on Monday. It was a great success. Please click here to see some photos.

Looking forward to the lunchtime concert in St Stephens tomorrow (Mon 3 June).

Please see message below from Liz regarding final details:

• 1. Space: we have 17 BVB members playing tomorrow plus Laurel. This will be  tight fit on St Stephens stage. Please manage the space by sharing music stands where possible. Singers and readers will need to be able to move to the front and return to their places easily.
• 2. Dress your best and brightest – there will be photographs taken for the website (please wear your hats etc for the rehearsal before the concert to help the photographer) – and remember to smile and look lively.
• 3. At the end of the performance and your BOW – please talk to your guests and any others in the audience – many audience members expect this – and it is the opportunity to obtain further bookings – there will be plenty of cards / leaflets around to hand to them.

… and finally if you have a guest attending who would be willing to hand out programmes outside the church and encourage people in before the performance from around 12.30, please ask them to contact me …. if possible today but tomorrow before the performance is fine too.

Looking forward to it!

Liz

 

The next gig for the Brigstowe Village Band will be the St Stephen’s Lunchtime Concert on Monday 3 June, 1.10 – 2pm, at St Stephen’s Church, 21, St Stephen’s Street, Bristol. BS1 1EQ.

The setlist for St Stephens can be found here.

There will be a practice for this event on Friday 31 May at 23, The Crescent, Henleaze. BS9 4RP from 7.30 – 9.30pm.

There will also be a rehearsal with Laurel immediately before the concert. The timings for this will be:

• 10.15am – readers rehearsal
• 11.00am – singers rehearsal
• 11.45 – 12.45 – Band rehearsal with Laurel
• 12.45 – break with free refreshments
• 1.10 – 2pm – concert

Look forward to seeing as many people as possible at the practice on Friday evening.

We have received a lovely message from Portishead Senior Forum following the gig on Wednesday 15 May:

“A highly professional mix of authentic tunes, songs dances and readings. Brigstowe Village Band is the real deal and transfixed a toe-tapping audience with their re-creation of 19th century West Country festivities.”

The next Brigstowe Village Band rehearsal is on Sunday 19 May, 2 – 4.30pm, Jubilee Pavilion, Long Ashton Community Centre.

The list of tunes to be played can be found here. Please bring all the music from the summer playlist and Let Union Be.

Look forward to seeing you on Sunday. If you are unable to come please email BVBcommittee@gmail.com to let Liz know as this will help with rehearsal planning.

Message from Liz:

Dear BVB,

Thank you to all those who loyally attended the extra practices for Wednesday’s gig, played so well for Portishead Seniors and for braving the domestic politics with such good cheer. I have learnt that in future I must approach senior ladies in lilac suits with caution!

We got £30 for band coffers and some half decent tea / coffee and cake and some nice thank you’s afterwards. We were complimented on the variety of the programme, but generated some disappointment because in spite of much talk about cider there was none available.

More importantly we had a respectable stab at Laurel’s four new arrangements.

This involved:

• a lot of devoted listening to the sound files
• getting used to the slightly different sound that every gig produces – because not everyone can do every gig
• adding to a more uplifting ‘style’ to the proceedings by remembering the more challenging beginnings and endings and the more ‘patchwork’ style of Laurel’s arrangements (I thought the BVB solution for the timing of Union Dance was genius)
• responding to Briggy ……….. and finally
• looking up at each other, at least some of the time!

The ‘Matt’ pieces like New Rigged Ship and Opera Hat had a brightness and flow to them which possibly came from a “thank heaven’ I don’t have to concentrate quite so hard on this one – but nevertheless they sounded good.

St Stephens next – where hopefully we will perform Union Dance – band and singers together; all to be revealed at Laurel’s rehearsal on Sunday.

Keep listening to the sound files.

Fritjof we missed you!

Best wishes

Liz

 

 

There’s lots going on this week for BVB.

Tuesday 14 May: Practice for the Portishead Senior Forum gig. Click here for details and playlist.

Wednesday 15 May: Portishead Senior Forum. Click here for details.

Sunday 19 May: BVB rehearsal. Click here for details. Laurel has put the Summer Playlist here. We need two volunteers to do the refreshments onSunday. If anyone is able to do this please email BVB.committee@gmail.com.