Lydgate, June 10th

June 12, 2022

You may not know this about Nic, but he loves brass bands. When we first started dating he kept his euphonium in his bathroom because the bathroom has good acoustics. For years and years, Nic and I have sat on his computer and watched Saddleworth competitions on Youtube as he explained to me the cultural significance of brass bands in English society. Brass bands have a long and deep connection with the mining community of Northern England. As a result brass band competitions are particularly meaningful and culturally significant. As we planned this trip it became clear that Whit Friday, the traditional day to hold brass band competitions, would be in June - much later than usual. Whit Friday is connected to the Hebrew and Catholic calendar, so it moves around on the calendar. Saddleworth lined up perfectly with our trip. Nic and I headed up to the small villages early in the day on Friday to scope out how things would work, what to expect, where to park, and how to best participate in the world's largest, free, brass band concert. I was really glad we took the time to investigate because it does take a little working out in order to ensure it is the most fun.

The first thing we learned: We should have booked a room at the pub where they were playing. The bands tour several villages. They march in, play their music for a judge, and then head out to the next location. Each pub gets around 78-100 bands in one evening. The entire village shuts down and heads out to listen to the music.

The second thing we learned was: Pack a picnic dinner, wine/beer, chairs, and your own glasses. As soon as the bands roll in things get pretty wild. Forget about eating there.

The third thing we learned: England is fucking cold. It is also windy and I am highly allergic to England. Pack jackets, hats, blankets, and allergy medicine.

With those lessons in hand for the next time we try to do this, we had a really lovely day. I tried to capture a few of the bands, as well as Jackie, Vince, and their dog Archie who joined us in the evening. We had the opportunity to watch 47 bands before hunger, fatigue, and wind wore us out. We got to see Nic's bucket list band, Black Dyke, who ultimately won our location. If you would like to learn more about Saddleworth, check out this link.

The little villages of Saddleworth are all near the Pennine Way, a famous trail in Northern England. We decided to eat our picnic lunch there. It was beautiful and very windy. I snapped a photo of my raspberries, which were lovely. I notice a lot of packaging distinctly assuring consumers this item was grown in the UK. I have been reflecting and wondering how much of this is a result of Brexit, or just local food.

I snapped a photo of this car which is advertising adventures for dogs. Nic and I were unsure if the person takes other people's dogs on adventures while their owners are at home, or if it is a group activity. We determined that people actually pay someone to take their dogs on an adventure. Maybe we are too American, but this struck us both as hilarious.

Here I snapped a photo of the approaching band as they marched up the hill to the pub. Keep in mind these villages are on the same moors/dales we visited the day before so there is a great deal of incline on some of these roads.

I took several pictures of English people gathered together listening to the band. I enjoyed the people watching as much as the music.

Finally, Black Dyke arrived. It was a bucket list moment for Nic. He was so happy! He truly enjoyed listening to the bands and he could tell a difference between each band. (I cannot promise that I could. They played many of the same songs, which makes it easier to adjudicate if you are a judge, I guess. It did not really help the American in the audience who really had no idea what was good and what was not).

Even Archie was excited to hear Black Dyke.

We sat in a strategic location to hear Black Dyke the best we could. The wind blowing made it a little harder, I think.

One thing the English do well is to encourage their youth to be involved. Each band was walked up the hill by a child from the village who held a sign that announced their arrival. Not every child enjoyed the music as much as the rest of the audience though!