The Poco Loco story: 2000

Forming the Band

January.
Nigel secures start up funding! He and Lucille Shaw, his assistant, arrange a recruitment day outside Marks and Spencer's store on Church Street.

19 February - first recruitment day.
Members of Sambanorak, part of the Baybeat group, are there, playing and encouraging people to have a go and give their names if they'd like to be in the band.

1 March - first gathering.
We meet at Matcham Court, behind the Grand Theatre, and use the entrance area to the nearby Hounds Hill shopping centre for a practice session. Judi Wright (from More Music in Morecambe and a member of Baybeat) and Mark 'Stan' Standing are our Musical Directors, and we use instruments borrowed from More Music in Morecambe.

4 March - second recruitment Saturday in the town centre.

7 March - first serious rehearsal.
A Tuesday evening in the first floor lecture hall above Blackpool's Central Library.
Our target is to be good enough to perform in the Blackpool 2000 Festival of Music and BBC Music Live events over May Bank Holiday weekend.

Band Members

Our age range is very wide, ranging from about seven to seventy-five. We have a couple of family groups, with Mums and Dads being joined by their youngsters. One or two have some musical experience, but mostly we're complete novices.

Early Days

Over the next eleven weekly rehearsals, our musical directors drive us towards our target.

Judi initially brings instruments in the More Music in Morecambe van each week. After some weeks, our own initial consignment arrives; surdos, agogos, shakers, tamborims and assorted oddments to hit. We have tomtoms donated.

Our first rhythm to be learnt is Samba Reggae, followed by Timbalada and Fast Samba. The hardest for all of us though is the BBC Music Live tune, which to some of us seems to have very little rhythm to it at all!

The Name

We were all asked for our ideas. Barry 'Baz' Wilson comes up with Poco Loco, which he claims, means A Touch of Madness.

24 May.
As a dress rehearsal for the Music Festival, we play in the Grundy Art Gallery as part of the official launch party for the Festival. We deafen several dignitaries, but we do OK and our confidence is given a boost. Afterwards, we're like a bunch of kids laughing and exuding nervous energy. Mind you, many of us ARE kids.

The Big Launch

27 May.
On a sunny Saturday morning, nervous members of Poco Loco meet in the car park at Blackpool North rail station.
The parade to launch Blackpool Music Festival gets underway and we inflict ourselves on an unsuspecting public, led by Judi and with Stan working within the band. We are just one of a number of bands, but the magic takes over and slowly, inexorably, we realise we are creating music that people are enjoying. Baybeat are in the procession too, and after the main procession we two bands converge outside Pricebusters and let rip with a crowdstopping Samba Reggae, including Baybeat's brass section playing Bring Me Sunshine - this is showbiz and it's brilliant!

29 May - BBC Music Live day.
Nigel has arranged for us to play at the top of Blackpool Tower live on BBC Radio Lancashire! We take our instruments up in the lift, and not content with being in the observation gallery behind secure glazing, we are asked to go up one level outside into the open air - and there's lots of it! One of us, Douggie Davies, suffers badly with vertigo: his determination to literally cling on and perform is an inspiration to all of us. We all huddle together and, under Judi's careful direction, set about giving the best rendition of the Music Live motif we've ever managed. BBC Radio Lancashire broadcast not just a segment of our playing but the whole ten minutes live to their listeners. At the end, we cheer and laugh wildly. We did it!
After the event, thoughts turn to the future. Nigel writes to all band members on 5th June congratulating us on our performance and inviting members to join a committee to manage and develop the band. On 5th July at our new rehearsal venue, the First Step Centre next to North Shore Methodist Church, Dickson Road, we form our committee - Judi Wright, Stan, Baz Wilson, Doug Davies, Sue Barnes, Carol and Allan Gater, Lucille Shaw and Ian Ward. Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer are Ian, Lucille and Sue respectively. Additionally, Nigel Hanson, Lynn Fade and Jenny Hill are co-opted onto the committee as representatives of the Town Centre Forum, the Borough Council Arts Division and Blackpool Challenge Partnership respectively.

Stan becomes our main Musical Director and leader at gigs, with Judi having more of a consultative role, joining us usually once a fortnight at rehearsal.

25 June - Blackpool's Grange Park Community Association.
A procession and fete. Our first real taste of being a headlining band! We lead the procession to Grange Park School and later perform on the stage in the playground.

9 July - Stanley Park World Music Day, Blackpool.
It's raining but the band soon change the mood! We play at the bandstand to a sparse crowd, which swells impressively once we get going. Followed by a hugely successful set to a large crowd in front of the main park café. We enjoy ourselves so much that we lose track of time! The best yet.

30 July - The Round Table Parade.
Annual charity event along Blackpool Promenade from the Star pub at the south end of the Pleasure Beach to the Metropole Hotel, some two or so miles to the north. Police escorts, horseback riders, clowns, nightclub dancers, decorated lorries - you name it, they were there, and so were we, creating one hell of a noise! Good crowd reaction from the throngs lining the whole route. It was hot and sunny - a real lesson in what to wear in a mobile samba band.

6 August - The Lions Carnival.
Our second major Promenade procession in the space of a week and another glorious sunny day.

Both of these events gave us valuable experience and lessons. Dress for the weather, concentrate on the music, remember you're giving a performance so look like you're enjoying it, don't let gaps develop and, above all, don't worry if you make a mistake because no one else will.

27 August - Stanley Park Family Fun Day, Blackpool.
Well, to be honest we didn't think there'd be any families or fun because it was wet and cold. But a good number of children are around with parents, so we hold an impromptu workshop session which the kids really enjoyed. Younger band members shone during this event.

28 August - Blackburn Mardi Gras Festival.
A huge high. We felt we'd arrived with this gig. Numerous entertainers and street bands made the town centre really buzz during a late morning session on a hot sunny day. In the afternoon we found ourselves placed last in the meandering parade, but this was no disadvantage. Massive crowds along the way all through the town centre, people dancing to the music and, best of all, applauding spontaneously as we went by. Let's do it again next year!

17 September - Banner making day.
We wanted to enhance the visual impact of our performances. Stan brought his sketches and ideas along to a rehearsal session, and on this Sunday a group of band members met at Nigel's office on Market Street and spent a few hard working but enjoyable hours making the first Poco Loco banner.

30 September - Claremont First Step Centre, Blackpool.
Our rehearsal premises' official opening. We are invited to play outside the entrance on Dickson Road and on a couple of occasions we attract such interest that traffic almost comes to a halt.

21 October - Blackpool Town Centre.
A bit of a fund raiser, playing during Saturday around the town centre.

18 November - Santa's Procession, Blackpool.
It's the middle of November so of course it's time Santa was here. A darned cold Saturday at Blackpool North rail station sees us at the head of a procession of local school and other children's groups.

December - Christmas Shopping events.
One Sunday it tips it down with rain and the adversity did seem to spur us on to what was an excellent performance, especially at the Victoria Street / Corporation Street corner where we belt out a fabulous medley of Samba Reggae, Fast Samba and Timbalada.

20 December - The First Annual Poco Loco Christmas Social.
Well, we deserve it. An evening's ten pin bowling at Premier Bowl (formerly known as the Mecca building) on Central Drive.

 Ian Ward, 01.09.01

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