Hertfordshire Showband
Encyclopedia
Formally known as 'The Marching Blues'

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The Hertfordshire Showband is based in Potters Bar
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....

, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...

 and is one of the United Kingdoms
United Kingdoms
United Kingdoms is an experimental album released in 1993 by the British electronic band Ultramarine on Blanco y Negro Records.The album fuses ambient music and electronica with elements of English folk music, and features guest vocals from Robert Wyatt....

 most successful marching bands. The 75 strong band is administered by the Hertfordshire Band Academy. The Band is for both young people and adults and features Brass, Flute and Percussion sections. They meet for practices on Mondays at 7.30pm at Mount Grace School Hall, Potters Bar.

Members perform in numerous competitions (such as the BYBA Brass Explosion ), concerts and events both locally and abroad. Over the past few years the band has competed in the World Music Contest (WMC), World Showband Contest and the European Marching & Showband Championships winning no less than 5 gold and 2 silver medals. The Showband has also performed at Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...

, The Royal Tournament
Royal Tournament
The Royal Tournament was the World's largest military tattoo and pageant, held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The venue was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall and latterly the Earls Court Exhibition Centre...

, Birmingham Tattoo
Birmingham Tattoo
The Birmingham Tattoo is held annually at the National Indoor Arena in the centre of Birmingham, England. The military tattoo features massed military bands, and spectacular displays. The event takes place for two weekend performances in November or December...

, Disneyland Paris, Lord Mayor's Show
Lord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...

 in London and in many other prestigious events and parades.

They have also had some notable TV appearance in their former guise as The Marching Blues, appearing on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

'sBlue Peter
Blue Peter
Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...

.

In addition to Showband competitions and high profile public engagements, the band also perform concerts at Potters Bar
Potters Bar
Potters Bar is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, located north of Central London. In 2001 it had a population of 21,618....

 , whether it be in a theatre, park bandstand or pub garden. They hold a Christmas Concert at the Wyllyotts Theatre in Potters Bar annually.

The bandmaster is Mr Terry Barnes, who has overseen the band since its conception.

The band welcomes new members and offers group lessons in brass and percussion, primarily aimed at 9 to 15 year olds, however, adult support is also welcomed.

The band is a registered charity, number 1079924

Music

The Hertfordshire Showband play a wide variety of music for all kinds of occasions, from Showband competition arena displays to prestigious parades such as The Lord Mayor's Show. They also perform a number of pieces for static concerts and the occasional wedding.

Music from Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...

 to Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....

, Soul Man
Soul Man
Soul Man may refer to:*"Soul Man" , a hit song by Sam & Dave from 1967*Soul Man , a 1986 film starring C. Thomas Howell*Soul Man , a 2006 album by X Factor runner-up Andy Abraham...

 to Wind Beneath My Wings
Wind Beneath My Wings
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is the title of a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley. They recorded a demo of the song, which they gave to musician Bob Montgomery. Montgomery then recorded his own demo version of the song, changing it from the mid-tempo version he was given to a ballad...

 to Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

 to Big Band Medleys to St Louis Blues, their repertoire includes movie themes, classic songs & music from the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...

, Big Band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...

/Swing numbers and a few military marches too.

Uniform and Styling

As with most marching bands, the band wears a uniform for parades and Marching Band displays. They were a military-esk jacket of bright blue (hence the previous name of the band) with gold brading, black trousers with a red stripe and a white parade hat with red plume.

They have a new colour scheme with the introduction of the new name that is based on a black with either gold or silver writing and a new stylised logo featuring a treble clef integrated with Hertfordshire's Hart
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...

icon.

They now wear black t-shirts and band jackets when not on parade, but currently retain the blue uniform for marching performances.

External links

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