This year is the first time that Sax Bandits has performed two summer gigs (usually one). Our second gig at Guildford Beer Festival on Friday 19th September gave us a brilliant opportunity to keep the bands’ momentum flowing – and what a gig it was! Taking place just two months after our performance at WRDE Up Festival, we kept the same high-energy set list, giving us a chance to really settle into the music with confidence!
This included; ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’ by Abba, ‘Jump Medley’ by Pointer Sisters/Van Halen, ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials, a ‘Linkin Park Medley’, and ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman’ by Shania Twain. We also freshened up the set with the inclusion of ‘Cars’ by Gary Numan, a track famously known for its iconic synth lines. But, in true Sax Bandits style it had been reimagined entirely for saxophones, with no synths involved!
We were rejoined by the brilliant rhythm section: Steve Lodge on drums and Rory Geisow on bass, who brought their usual groove and professionalism to the stage. Adding to the excitement, we had the pleasure of welcoming Oscar Smith from Mellowmatic as our guest tenor sax soloist, who delivered a powerful and expressive solo during Ghost Town – a real showstopper that captivated the audience! And for something truly rare and remarkable, this gig featured the Contrabass Saxophone, played by Ben Tordoff. It’s not every day you see or hear this colossal instrument in action. Its deep, resonant tones added a dramatic foundation to our sound, turning heads and dropping jaws across the festival grounds!
The weather was absolutely perfect for us. As the sun was setting, the light surrounded the stage, reminding us that autumn is fast approaching. Lights on music stands were essential as the evening grew darker throughout the performance!
The festival itself was a celebration of local flavour, featuring over 100 different local beers – a paradise for beer lovers! As performers, we were treated to a lovely souvenir, a printed Guildford Beer Festival glass, a great memento of a fantastic event!
As with all our performance opportunities, Guildford Beer Festival was a brilliant reminder of what makes Sax Bandits gigs so special. For many of us, these gigs are a celebration of the hard work we all put into learning the songs, rehearsing together, and building confidence as performers. Playing in such a large band of 80+ saxophonists is always inspiring and this gig was no exception.
We are all looking forward to preparing and rehearsing for our upcoming Christmas gig in Bracknell!
You can see all the photos from the day on our facebook page here:
A great event with a great sound…. looking forward to Bracknell centre on Thursday 18th December.
That’s a great summary of a fantastic event and my first ever public performance!