I Can Play The Big Bass Drum

At the weekend I was lucky enough to be a part of the the audio visual spectacular that is Lewes Bonfire Night.

I was away from my normal instruments and instead had been promoted to playing bass drum with the Mid Sussex Brass Band.  It was a great night, frosty enough for you to appreciate the fires, but not cold or rainy enough to be unpleasant marching around the town for 6 or so hours.

It truly is a completely mad affair, with health and safety seemingly having been thrown by the wayside in a totally brilliant manner.  Bangers and fireworks going off in the streets, fire everywhere, and then of course the 4 competing firework displays on show on each side of the town.

Playing bass drum was great!  I felt in many ways like I was really leading the band, driving it along, and of course I am sure it looked great too!  I was playing with a group of brass musicians, most of which I hadn’t met before.  But there were a few familiar faces, particularly the wonderful Paul Homewood, who has organised the band at this parade for many years.  There always seems to be a last minute panic getting this band ready, but it always comes together in the end.

This year was particularly close to the edge… in that we didn’t have a snare player, until about and hour in, when we met a guy on the street with his own marching snare, who was just joining in with one of the samba groups for kicks.  A few coaxing words later and we was part of the crew, and a great addition to the group too.. even if he was wearing a Guy Fawkes mask rather than a regulation blue blazer.

The sounds going on that night were amazing, be it the carnival mix of samba, drum corps, brass bands, trad jazz… all to the chaotic beat of gunpowder going off all around.

A fantastic experience and I really hope to be part of it again next year….even if I was rather bruised and sore from marching with that drum all night… apparently I was meant to have a tiger skin or something… (or vegetarian equivalent)