Despite the threats of heavy showers, over 600 music lovers turned up for the Ickenham Festival’s Big Band Night in the grounds of the ever-beguiling Swakeleys House.  And what an evening it proved to be!  Certainly there were showers, but the audience had come prepared for all eventualities, with huge quantities of food and drinks and enough umbrellas to cover most of Ickenham. 

The Rhythm Players Steel Band opened the show with flavours of the Caribbean, followed by the engaging enthusiasm of Ickenham’s Young Dohl Drummers.  The ever-popular Stardust Big Band featured two singers – Andrew Bourn paying tribute to Frank Sinatra and Amy ending the show with some foot-tapping numbers.  The Hillingdon Musical Society provided an impressive variety of songs from the shows, supported by soloists Kenny Fryer and Becca Brentnall. 

The weather showed a steady overall improvement through the Mid-June evening so that by finale-time we wondered what all the fuss was about.  And so, to Stardust accompaniment, John Arnold, with his Jubilee Fireworks, laid on another fire-cracking show to the now cold-but-contented concertgoers.