Another ‘Gray’ day in Dundee as the sun shines on Scottish Co-op

by Kenneth Crookston

The traditional Scottish home of jute, jam and journalism - Desperate Dan and cow pie et al - Dundee is renowned for many things, none of which inclide the unseasonably fine weather that greeted the competitors in the Scottish Brass Band Championships, which took place at the city's Caird Hall last weekend under the finely-tuned auspices of the Scottish Brass Band Association (SBBA). For the two days of the event, the sun shone brightly on the east coast city, and that may be one of the reasons why the cavernous venue remained only a fraction full for the vast majority of the time.

For all the great things that are happening in the future development of Scottish banding, one aspect as depressing in Scotland as it is anywhere else is that fewer and fewer people seem to have the appetite to endure a test-piece contest these days. However, those brave souls who did spend the weekend listening to the 49 bands were duly rewarded with some excellent performances in most sections, with only the 4th Section test-piece proving significantly beyond the resources of the competing bands.
Following on from its win at the Scottish Open last November, Scottish Co-op sent resounding confirmation to the rest of the banding world that any previous rumours of its impending demise were indeed greatly exaggerated. Led by Russell Gray (who conducted Whitburn to victory at last year's event), Co-op gave a persuasive account of Gilbert Vinter's Salute to Youth from the number two draw position, which set a standard that wasn't to be matched on the day in the opinions of adjudicators, Lt. Col. Graham Jones MBE and Alan Morrison.