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Buxton Military Tattoo acclaimed as "... a phenomenon" and "... a Triumph" Awarded "Best Event" in the Other Events category
Full Review: The Buxton Military Tattoo, a charity event in aid of ABF The Soldiers' Charity, is a real phenomenon having sold its 800 or so tickets well before the Fringe started. Indeed they have already set a date for next year's Tattoo on Saturday July 9, 2011, so if you are interested I would strongly advise visiting their website www.buxtontattoo.org.uk for further information. Clearly this is the start of a new tradition in Buxton making the similarities between Edinburgh and Buxton even greater although of course in Edinburgh the tattoo is part of the Festival whereas in Buxton it makes a stunning addition to the Fringe. But on with the show... Last night's event was a triumph. I had been slightly worried beforehand about the Dome's extraordinarily difficult acoustic, but the marching bands' music not only survived but prospered, the echo enhancing it so that at one point I was reminded somewhat incongruously of Phil Spector's 'wall of sound'. Nor was visibility an issue. The Dome is so huge that there was no need for rows and rows of chairs plus there was the option to enjoy a no doubt magnificent aerial view from the gallery above. Colonel Alasdair Hutton's excellent commentary was sometimes hard to make out but in the second half even that problem seemed to have been ironed out. The organisers have found that in this venue, the answer with the music is to play louder; the answer with the speaking is, I think, to slow - it - right - down! Musically this was fantastic with treats ranging from The Volunteer Band of the Mercian Regiment playing The Great Escape, to The Pipes & Drums of RAF Waddington giving us a flavour of Scotland with their tartan and bagpipes. In the second half The Heavy Cavalry and Cambrai Band produced a particularly rich sound while in the Finale, WO2 Gary Chilton of The Soldiers offered a solo performance from the musical Chess which rang out across the Dome in magnificent fashion. This was also an amazing spectacle with every soldier looking immaculate. It was good to see some variety too with the 126 (City of Derby) Squadron Air Training Corps offering an exhilarating Weapons Drill Display to a pounding rock track. There was an almost guilty thrill in seeing those large black guns wielded with such expertise and precision. There was some humour as when two cadet teams went a bit 'It's a Knockout' with their gun race across the floor and a sense of camaraderie when the whole audience joined in a medley of war songs such as White Cliffs of Dover, but the evening as a whole was more than anything, moving. Full tribute was paid to soldiers who have been injured or lost their lives in the line of duty, including Buxton's Marine, Scott Gregory Taylor. And when the Lone Piper Finlay MacGhee performed Lest We Forget, I felt suddenly connected to past generations for whom war made such an impact that forgetting was not an option. Stephanie Billen |
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