My Experience - 2026 Tameside Whit Friday Band Contests - Fodens Band.
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
It has been a few years since I last took part in the Whit Friday march contests in the UK and to be honest, I don't personally have a huge amount of experience doing it. I did it a few times many years ago and have done it with a few different bands (I will share a funny old video later in this post) but I have never done it with a top band.
This year, I was invited to play with The Fodens Band and this was an opportunity that I could not turn down. Fodens have won the event many times and for me to have the chance to be part of it was an amazing experience.
My band, Grimethorpe Colliery Band were not taking part (maybe next year) so this allowed me to be able to help another band. I needed to learn the march, The President by William German and I got started on this as soon as I knew I was doing it. Thankfully there are lots of Youtube videos of Fodens performing at Whit Friday, so this helped me prepare.
I spent time running the march through along with recordings and also did a lot of single tongue practice. I feel lately that my single tongue speed is not as fast as it used to be when I was younger. I can get it up to speed but it does seem to take more practice. The Arban Method book is the answer to any single tonguing needs!
I went along to a rehearsal at the Fodens bandroom in Sandbach, Cheshire. This was the first time I have been to a rehearsal with this band and the level of professionalism and focus was amazing, quite intimidating actually. During the rehearsal we played the march but also worked on a new work called Orbital by Richard Blackford. Safe to say, this put me completely out of my comfort zone!
The night before Whit Friday, I had a rehearsal with Grimethorpe, but as it was the schools half term holiday, I did not have to work on the day of the event which was great. I was feeling some serious imposter syndrome though, playing for a band I hugely respect and admire, filling in for one of the best euphonium players on the planet (Gary Curtin) and just knowing that every note played, had to be perfect.
We arrived at The Bush Inn, in Droylsden ready to start the contest and after a quick practice run, the first contest was over before any nerves could get in the way. I knew I was prepared and just felt relaxed, so it all went smoothly and to be honest, after all 11 contest performances were complete, I felt like I could have done them all over again.
The level of consistency from the band was insane, especially principal cornet and soprano. The tightness and balance was just perfect, it was an honour to be a part of and I was made to feel very welcome. The band are close and friendly and you can see how easy it is for them to perform so well when there is such mutual respect between players.
There was proper marching to do as well, you can even get prizes for it in some villages. I find marching and playing very hard, especially when you have long notes and uneven ground.
A tip for anyone trying to improve their marching is to practice playing crotchets first while marching and then when you have long notes to play, just lightly tongue on the beat as you march. After a while the long notes become smoother as you walk. The band had a lot of fun with the marching and I think that not taking it too seriously, regardless of the standard of the band is important.
Talking about not taking it seriously, I want to share an old video from 12 years ago when I played with The Staffordshire Band at Whit Friday and it was horrible weather. The cornets had a bit of a shower when the tent roof opened up and I literally couldn't play a note after because I was laughing.
My now wife was recording it and actually both the two solo cornet players (who got drenched) now play for Fodens and we reminded each other of this funny memory while on the coach between contest venues.
Here is one of them, photobombing our Fodens Whit Friday section photo, thanks Paul!
In past years, I've still been playing or on the coach right up till midnight but Fodens had completed all 11 contests by around 9:45pm, it wasn't even fully dark. So there was time to head back to the Bush Inn for a well deserved beverage.
Usually, the results start to come out the next morning but it seemed that the organisers had arranged that this year, they would not be announced until the Monday after. This has been torture because as I am writing this, there are still no results!
The day after the contest I had a concert with Grimethorpe in Wakefield Cathedral. It was a bit of a tiring one after having Whit Friday the day before but as usual, Grimey put on a great show to a sell out audience. It was the first concert for a number of new players, players who have already made a massive impact on positivity and will push the band forwards even more. Very exciting times for the band ahead so please do try and come along to a future concert!
Back to the results then.......Monday came around and....everyone waited...and waited...until finally....Fodens Band were again crowned as Tameside Whit Friday Champions! To be a part of this was just brilliant, I am so happy for the band and all the friends I have in it.
Out of the 11 contests completed, 6 were won with some 2nd and 3rd places as well. You can read more HERE.
Congratulations to all the prize winners across all the Whit Friday contests this year!
Thanks for reading! ❤
Mark Glover
2/6/26
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