Kingdom Celebrate Ten Years
Kingdom Brass celebrated their 10th anniversary in style last weekend, with a sell out concert in the Lochgelly Centre.
Formed in 1999 by the merger of the Cowdenbeath and Kelty & Blairadam bands, Kingdom performed a _Night at the Movies_, with video backing, lighting and smoke effects adding to the atmosphere. The band celebrated the anniversary with a reception after the concert for players, officials, sponsors and invited guests.
The band_s guest soloist for the evening was Les Neish, who wowed the audience with _Zigeunerweisen_ (fitting in with the movie theme as it was used for _Kung Fu Hustle_) and _The Bare Necessities_, which saw Les don a bear suit and give an impromptu maraca solo.
Band Chairman, Bill Sandell, said of the evening, _The past ten years has just flown in, and been very successful for the band, so we knew we had to do something special to celebrate that. We have been planning this concert all year, and full credit must go to the band Secretary, John Todd, for pulling this all together and giving us an evening which will be talked about for years._
Also appearing in the concert was the Kingdom Brass Youth Band, with Les Neish conducting them through _Gonna Fly Now_ from Rocky, and principal conductor Anne Crookston in front of the band for _Wallace and Gromit_. Both bands then appeared on stage together for the first ever time for a performance of _The Little Mermaid_, with the junior band players on samba drums.
It had been a busy week for Kingdom, as a thirty strong contingent of youth band players and tutors headed to Meigle, in Perthshire, for a three day residential stay leading up to the concert. A variety of activities took place including individual, section and full band rehearsals, games and leisure time. Les Neish travelled with the group and worked closely with the young players, while the band_s principal percussionist, Lynsey Paterson, gave samba lessons in preparation for the weekend concert.
Youth Band Chairman, Lee Bathgate, said of the course, _The young players in the junior band were really looking forward to this one, and we gave them a varied programme of music and leisure activities to keep their interest up. Les was fantastic working with them, and now they_re demanding another trip next year!_
