Seasons Greetings!
Well here we are once again! Another year nearly over and the promise of a better year next year. For the British Drum Co Marching Division, it's been a great year, we've seen more and more people move across to BDC and we've invested heavily in new technology and machinery to make sure we stay ahead of the game. As the world changes we also need to evolve with it and carry on maintaining the highest standards expected from BDC.
The Northern Ireland Arts Council Grants came and went and it's great to see so many marching bands from Northern Ireland switching across to our drums.
I look forward to seeing them on the road next year.
In 2021 we've seen new finishes, products and artists added to the Marching Division and 2022 doesn't look like it will be slowing down either. Later on in the blog you'll see a couple of new finishes for 2022. Here's a quick rundown of what's been happening since the last 'Marching Orders' blog.
Armed Forces Covenant
British Drum Co is proud to work with our Armed Forces and as such have signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant. This is our pledge which ensures that those who serve, or who have served in the armed forces - and their families - are always treated fairly.
Stocking Fillers
After being asked numerous times for "Marching Merch" we've finally managed to add a couple of items into our online shop for all you marching fans out there. The first is a black Axial T-Shirt. What better way to "rep the brand" than by showing your passion for the Axial Series. Secondly, we have a Marching Division T-Shirt, this is a grey ringspun cotton shirt with a distressed print to the front.
Although not marching related, but something that is always asked for, we've added a long sleeve t-shirt. Featuring a white British Drum Co. logo on front and “Look Amazing! Sound Amazing! Feel Amazing!” on left sleeve. We have added more to the shop so if you'd like to see what else is new, click here
Drums in Action!
On the first weekend of December, Brentwood Imperial Youth Band gave 3 performances for their annual Christmas concert. In total, there were 85 musicians on stage spreading Christmas cheer for all those lucky enough to be able to grab tickets before they sold out. Having worked with the band in the past it's great to see a youth band thriving, even during the current climate and especially after the mass lockdown we encountered.
As mentioned in the last marching blog, the Royal Marines used one of their new tenor drums to form the drum altar during the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance. As you can see from the photo above, the drum has the newly designed hoops which feature our new head stress management system which sees the metal flesh hoop of the drumhead completely disappear from view. The new design massively strengthens the hoop as it now has a metal ring inside due to the drumhead flesh hoop. This system was first adopted by our Axial Series and due to its popularity we've now moved it across to the Regimental Series.
Recently, British Drum Co dealer D2Percusssion supplied a full corps of Axial Series drums to The Glasgow Academy Pipe Band. The band went for the stunning Cosmic Purple Sparkle finish with Silver Hardware and Georgian Oak hoops for all tenors and bass drums.
BDC Marching Artists
Recently, we were lucky enough to be visited by none other than pipe band tenor drumming legend, Tyler Fry, during his visit to the UK. While he was here we took the opportunity to record a serious amount of content for use online including the new BDC feature "On The Sofa With", which is due to be released early next year, so keep an eye on out on our social media platforms for that.
We also found out what Tyler was up to and what possible new products could be coming out of TyFry Ltd over the next year or so and what life has been like for him during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New for 2022
After the recent success of the Axial Merlin range this year we've added 3 new finishes for 2022. Along with the current Merlins we're now adding Emerald, Platinum and Violet finish options. These new finishes will go alongside the current Merlins and will be available to order from all Official British Drum Co Specialist Marching Dealers from 1st January 2022.
To find your nearest dealer click here
As I bring this blog to a close, I'd like to thank all customers and dealers who have supported British Drum Co throughout the year and I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and an extremely Happy New Year!
Until next time…. Stay Safe
Stu