The Poco Loco story: 2002

19 January - Thames Primary School.
28 January - Mereside Primary School.
Two good workshop sessions. At Mereside we were nearly over-run with screaming kids - a real test of Stan's people skills!

16 March - Leeds!
No, we've not cracked the Yorkshire market just yet, but a few of us went on a day's raid to visit the Knock on Wood shop on the Headrow. We get most of our instruments from their warehouse so we fancied seeing the shop. We emerged after an hour or so with assorted bells, whistles and clicky things and had great fun making noises at the locals.

5 May - Claremont Park Community Day, Blackpool.
The Council is putting its weight behind setting up annual community events, so this year there are going to be a few firsts, which means that some will feel a bit tentative - just like this one! Very few people, even fewer band members, thank goodness for the burger man. Mighty oaks from little acorns, and all that stuff.

11 May - Alexandra Community Fun Day, Blackpool.
Fun? It was bloomin cold, mate.

13 May - Park School workshop.
I've often wondered how teachers and their support staff manage to keep track of all the activities that take place in a school. When they lose that track it can be difficult, as happened this time, but we retrieved the situation with our usual mix of bravado and noise. Not many kids, owing to the aforesaid loss of track, but we hope to be able to re-visit.

18 and 19 May - Puppet Up! Parade and Festival, Blackpool.
Nigel Hanson and his team had excelled themselves in assembling a wonderful diary of events this year. We were to the front of the parade, dangerously close to the Giant Leech (don't ask), and the whole thing was brilliant. Undoubted highlight was joining up with Manchester School of Samba for an almighty blast - it doesn't get much better than this, kiddies.

25 May - Christ the King School workshop, Blackpool.
So good last time they had us back for a storming session. Well done to all concerned.

3 June - Jubilee Festival, Stanley Park, Blackpool.
Well of course it rained. It's Stanley Park so that's what it does! We squelched through mud to do workshop sessions, and played in steady rain outside the café, but were we downhearted? Too right we were.

8 June - Oswaldtwistle Golden Jubilee Fun Day.
This being HRH's 50th year on The Throne, every event has "Jubilee" in the title. And "Golden". And "Fun". We had a cracking time here, based at Oswaldtwistle Mills, on a warm, sunny day (a real novelty this year!) with an appreciative crowd.

23 June - Rossendale Carnival.
What, no "Jubilee" in the name? Someone's slipped up! This was incredible. Hot, sunny, a two mile parade route in to Bacup, us at the front, non-stop playing, utterly shattered at the end, fantastic buzz, huge crowds.

26 June - Park School workshop, Blackpool.
Here we were, back again. This time all was well, we had a good turn out of kids, parents, teachers and band. All had a jolly time, especially Stephen, our star ganza player who is a pupil here.

20 July - Blackpool Town Criers Competition.
Hot and sunny again! We had a good laugh with all the competitors and entertained crowds of shoppers in Birley Street. Bristol's town crier had a bash on a surdo - not bad, he can join!

27 July - Staining Gala.
A hot day with us leading the procession into the village and on to the gala field, where the Gala Queen was crowned after someone had forgotten to bring along her crown (or something).

4 August - Lions Carnival.
This mega-procession along Blackpool Prom from the Pleasure Beach to North Pier is becoming one of our annual events. It's like an endurance test set to music, especially when it's hot and sunny. We had great fun as usual. I love it when the crowds start dancing as we go by.

6 August - Blackpool Football Club.
The official opening of the Club's impressive two new stands (the rest of the stadium is in the post). We play pitch-side prior to a friendly game against Blackburn Rovers. The Club chairman, Karl Oyston, pronounced us as being funky.

11 August - Watson Road Park Fun Day.
Oh no it wasn't! Only a few of us could make this gig, and yours truly had to deputise as Musical Director. It was cold and drizzly and the public were noticeable by their absence, but the band had fun laughing at my attempts to conduct and play surdo at the same time. The highlight of the gig was the fruit kebabs in chocolate.

18 August - Cleveleys Jubilee Day.
This started badly in the rain with us playing like we'd never met before, but ended with a top notch session on the Prom with us getting volunteers from the crowd to join in.

31 August - Lark in the Park, Clayton-le-Moors, near Accrington.
A humdinger of a gig. Loads of kids in home made outfits, street bands like us, enthusiastic parents and event organisers, good weather and plentiful tea and coffee. We jammed with a jazz band to general bemusement all round.

1 September - Party Animals, Ashton-u-Lyne.
Bizarre! We're in the middle of a housing estate on a Sunday morning, nobody around except a few kids, so we do a procession and wake up the natives. After a while people come along to find out what the noise is about and , hey presto, a good day had by all. Superb onion bhajis.

21 September - African Drumming Workshop.
This wasn't a gig. We had a day at our HQ trying out African drumming techniques. Fab!

6 October - Early Learning Fun Day, Stanley Park Sports Centre.
A booking from Blackpool Council! Rare indeed. We made a deafening noise in the main sports hall.

October onwards:
We're getting ambitious now. We start recording our rhythms at the First Step Centre for what we hope will be our debut CD release. We get quite a few people asking if we have a CD available so this is our response. We want to capture the live feel and sound, but are hoping to produce a good quality result. We're looking to have it available during Spring 2003.

23 November - Santa's Parade, Blackpool.
It's November so it must be Christmas. Cold but a good laugh.

Another successful year for the band. We're looking to develop further and plan recruitment early in 2003.

Ian Ward, 01.09.01 (revised 25.02.03)

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