Well, I nearly missed it due to other commitments, and like the Bands on the Beacon, I arrived late, but Our Big Gig in Walsall Arboretum this afternoon was brilliant. I can honestly say it was a cracking event. The restored Arboretum basked in the sunshine, and Walsall, in all it’s diversity, came out to enjoy an afternoon of music and fun. This was a fine thing, well organised, and I had a thoroughly good time.
Aziz and Dalbir played a great set again – I just can’t get enough of these guys – as did Brownhills Girl Samantha-Jayne who was a real delight on saxophone. That lady really has a great career ahead.
The highlight of the afternoon, though, was the final set: Aziz, Dalbir, Barry Hunt and Bruno Edwards invited kids up on stage to jam with them. Amongst the remarkable selection of tracks they worked through – Jessie J, Nirvana and the Stone Roses – the children joined in, having a whale of a time. The warmth of the experience was captivating, charming and beautiful.
I hope this is the start of something great, and that more events can happen here – the acoustics are great, the bandstand superb – even the catering was excellent. But the one thing that shone most of all, was the character and humour of the borough.
Amongst all the horror of recent events, it’s nice to catch a crowd of people of every imaginable age and group mingle together and enjoy music together. This is the kind of thing that makes Walsall.
Well done to all concerned, but especially to Kate Goodall who worked so hard to organise this unique and fun event.
