Manawatu at the Mudlark

On Saturday 12th July the core of the Grade One Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band Played at the SPSL Mudlark night. Read Alasdair Smith's report below, then check out our SPSL Youtube channel for a clip from the evening. Click on the images for larger pics.

When last orders are called on 2008, and before this years doorman eases me out reluctantly into the cold reaches of 2009, I will for a moment or two think of the events and changes of this year. Whatever else comes in the next 5 months I have no doubt that it will be to the Manawatu concert on July 12th upstairs at the Mudlark that I will look back on as one of the highlights of the year. I am sure of this because there are some nights, in music and in culture, that leave an impression on the mind and soul that is hard to shift and leave one feeling uplifted just to recall it. This was such a night.

How did such a concert come into being? Those who follow piping and pipe bands in particular will know that some of the top grade one bands draw players from all over the world to fill their ranks. If you are a good player and want the challenge of playing in grade one, location has become less of a restriction as long as you are willing to make an effort and travel at key points to practices and major competitions. Some bands have small practices for those located in other parts of the world. It is natural that in a city as big as London, with so many varied work opportunities, some pipers will locate here and still wish to perform at the highest level. And so it is that Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band from North Island, New Zealand, developed a London based pod around players that found themselves in London.

The vision of the SPSL was to have a grade one pipe band perform in London. I do not recall if ever a grade 1 band has played here in some kind of concert scenario. Such events are common enough now in Scotland and Ireland but further south I am not so sure. The London based pod enabled such a project to be conceived at relatively low cost allowing funds to be raised for SPSL and Manawatu.

And so their set began with the quintette marching on smartly in red tartan kilts, black waistcoats and white shirts. A wee set of 4/4 marches played impeccably starting with the tuneful Battle of Waterloo. As one person lent over and commented to me, these are tunes they found challenging re-presented as very musical warm up tunes. This was followed up by a classic march, strathspey and reel combo of John MacDonald of Glencoe, Athole Cummers and MacAlister’s Dirk. It was here that the grade one stamp began to tell, a cracking march pace with everything in, faultless breaks into the strathspey and the reel, and measured shifts of tempo creating musical drama. All present knew they had to hang on to their seats for the next couple of hours.

There were a number of pipers in the crowd from bands located around London. Many commented to me enthusiastically later on the impressive brightness, resonance and solidity of tone throughout the performance. Topping that with the rich character of well set up Sinclair chanters in such close quarters, ears were left literally ringing.

There were three solo spots in this evening. First we had the polished qualities of Jamie Forrester. He was placed 3rd in the Silver Medal at the Northern Meeting last year at his first attempt. He showed his class taking us from competition masterpieces to Gordon Duncan modern classics. Last up was Pipe Major Stewart McKenzie himself playing a moving gaelic air, Oran Eirisgeidh and 2 sets of jigs and reels stamping his authority on proceedings with driven music on a first class bagpipe. Most exceptional was Bruce Omundsen’s contribution. He is a long-standing member of Manawatu now based in Cardiff, Wales. He played 3 sets of his own tunes on Scottish smallpipes. I can’t recall all the names apart from a catchy jig entitled the Ladywell Arm Mangle relating to an incident where his Pipe Major on a bicycle met a car and came off second best. The tunes were interesting, tuneful and easy on the ear. His patter about the band and his tunes gave added colour and charm to this evening.

In the second half , amongst other sets we were treated to Manawatu’s latest competition medley. This was some experience close up to watch them move effortlessly through the rhythmic gears. For many, myself included, I had never seen such a professional outfit at such close quarters. I remember playing in bands and being told to never take my eyes off the Pipe Major’s fingers. Here the players often closed their eyes, with heads tilted back rapt in concentration, Stewart McKenzie’s foot markedly hammering out tempos at key transition points anchoring a well drilled troupe and seamless performance. They closed the show with a Breton Air and 2 reels, McPherson’s Rant and the Busindre Reel. The full house at the Mudlark gave much deserved and generous applause.

While those who weren’t there may read this review as a little heavy on the superlatives, I sit here writing 2 weeks after the concert, and in all honesty the glow of the evening still burns bright in my mind. The above really has only given a flavour of a great evening. This was a unique event both for its variety, sheer entertainment value and lack of precedent in the centre of this sprawling metropolis.

Manawatu Scottish Pipe Band are sponsored by St Kilda Retail and R.G. Hardie and Co. Ltd. Our thanks goes to the Manawatu quintette for a fine evening’s entertainment. May it not be too long before we hear their like again in these parts.

Manawatu Scottish at the Mudlark