Redbridge domination continues as Zone One makes its mark

by Christopher Thomas
With Redbridge having held the title of London and Southern Counties Champions for no less than six out of the last seven years, it is no surprise that it was the hot tip for victory once again in 2009. In previous years, though, the band has never held the title of Butlins Champion to carry with it to Stevenage, let alone a little matter of £6,000 in the bank as a result - a confidence booster if ever there was one.

That dose of confidence became abundantly clear at the Stevenage Arts and Leisure Centre last Sunday evening, when Jeremy Wise and the band successfully recreated the kind of form that had seen them achieve victory in Skegness to carry off the London title once again and with it the band's now almost customary ticket to Kensington in October.
With 12 bands in contention, it had fallen to Aveley and Newham to set the early pace with a performance of Salute to Youth from the number two draw that, while having passages of obvious quality, left a lingering feeling that this was not Aveley and Newham at the top of its form. Nigel Taken directed a promising Resilience, with a precise opening from cornets and horns and generally taut ensemble. It was in the Romance, however, that cracks started to appear, with a nervy opening horn entry and clips and blemishes that mounted up, despite a finely-shaped climax to close. The well judged tempo of Relaxation aided some good detail but, with further clips and the occasional loss of focus, the overall feeling was of a performance that had a good deal to commend it, while not being secure enough to close the door.