Author Archives Andy Funnell

Nashville 2016

5th November 2016
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by Andy Funnell
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in International
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reckless-and-taglineWe all dream of being 21 again but normally for very different reasons.

We got our highest score in America but still not quite enough to fulfil our dream of making the top 20. We think that the Swedish should take a year out.

It’s always a spectacle to be in the States for Independence Day, and Nashville certainly didn’t let us down. While the locals put on the most amazing firework display for us we enjoyed reminding them that if it wasn’t for us, then they wouldn’t have had the day off.

On the run up to competition day, we worked so hard to stay focussed with our coaches Cindy Hansen-Ellis and Sandy Marron. So much so, that not even when our rooms were flooded by the fire sprinklers in the room above being set off – for the second time in two days – did we take our eye off the ball. Unfortunately, the red suits didn’t get damaged.

The competition kicked off on the Tuesday with the youth quartet championships in the stunning setting of the schermerhorn symphony center. We were there to cheer on our boys, Tagline and Trailblazers. Both sang a ohmygodjawdropingly good set sending the crowd wild. They both did BABS and the UK proud – oh to be 21 again!

We we’re up next, prepared more than ever. On stage we performed the best that we could have done and the crowd loved it. It was an amazing stage to sing on and we thought we might have just done enough. And so, to the top twenty call off; had we finally achieved the dream we’ve worked so hard towards?

No.

As more and more quartets were called out we realised that the chances were getting slimmer. you know many of the quartets who will make the next round, but there are a precious few spots up for grabs.
With each quartet name read out, pockets of the crowd went crazy, just like we would have done if our name was called, but with each cheer, we knew that it was one less spot for the likes of us.

Deflation soon turned to laughter when we heard our name called out to be the mic testers for the semi finals, just like last year. Laughter then turned to frustration when we realised that our ranking meant we STILL couldn’t go for a beer!

Mic testing the semis is such an honour; it’s amazing how different the experience is compared to competition. No pressure, just all the pleasure to sing on that stage. One day, we will have BABS quartets in the top twenty mixing it with the big boys – we think of little else. Hopefully Las Vegas 2017 will be our finest hour!

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BABS Convention 2016

3rd June 2016
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by Andy Funnell
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in Uncategorised
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Comments Closed

Wow! What a weekend! We had a fantastic time in Harrogate and we are please to say that we achieved a score of 82.6%, our best ever. Hopefully this will result in us receiving an invitation to compete at the 2017 International to be held in Las Vegas in July 2017.
The National contest was the best yet with Finest Hour taking the gold, Portobello Road, silver and The Locksmiths, the bronze. The chorus contest was won by Bolton’s Cottontown chorus with silver and bronze going to Grand Central chorus and Hallmark of Harmony respectively.
Our hearty congratulations to all the medal winners and indeed to everyone who took part in the contests.

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Hannah and the Hurricanes sing up a “Storm”

12th November 2015
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by Andy Funnell
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in Uncategorised
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Comments Closed

Many congratulations to our Dunc and Hannah and the Hurricanes for becoming the very first Barbershop in Harmony (BinH) mixed quartet champions! Great job guys!

12144864_777141952390391_2029308484285729323_nQuartet members are:

Lead: Hannah Braham

Bass: Dunc Whinyates

Baritone: Tim Briggs

Tenor: Andrea Day

Find them on Facebook here

 

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Quartet Coaching Days Announced

11th November 2015
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by Andy Funnell
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in Uncategorised
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The 2015 quartet coaching days were a resounding success, so we’re doing it again!12095165_466946593493703_207676208228515391_o

The 2016 quartet coaching days, run by RECKLESS under the banner of the BABS Inspire Quartet Development Programme have been announced. We are limited to a maximum of 8 quartets at each venue, so book early to avoid disappointment.

If you have any questions about these coaching days, please get in touch through our “contact us” page or via FaceBook

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Upcoming Event

11th November 2015
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by Andy Funnell
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in Uncategorised
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Comments Closed

12001021_853927758018737_5886394921673049569_oRECKLESS will be appearing  on “Give Me A Song!”, a show hosted by The Downsmen chorus on Saturday 21st November at 7:30pm  at The Leatherhead Theatre in Surrey.  We’d love to see you there for what promises to be a great show. Then there’s the afterglow which is like a second (free) show with the addition of beer and wine!

 Update: What a fantastic show and a near sell out audience! We’d like to congratulate The Downsmen Chorus for their hard work in organising this event which ran like clockwork, and of course for inviting us to be part of it.

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RECKLESS on the street!

3rd November 2015
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by Andy Funnell
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in Uncategorised
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IMG_2591This coming Saturday, 7th Nov (weather permitting) we will performing on the streets of Chester for the shoppers and tourists. Keep an eye on our Facebook page here to find out exactly where and when.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Update: A first for us, but we all enjoyed it apart from the odd shower that interrupted proceedings!

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Convention 2015 Update

30th May 2015
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by Andy Funnell
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in performance, Sing out
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Comments Closed

Red suits Action 1Another fab convention over and we are pleased to announce that we achieved a score that will hopefully secure us an invitation to compete in Nashville in July 2016.

Our convention videos will be available on Youtube as soon as we have them.

In the face of stiff competition we managed to retain the title of the highest ranked quartet in the UK, but the gap is shrinking!

Many congratulations to all the quartet medallists, but especially the winners, Tagline; their semi-finals performance was just sublime.

Also congratulations to The Great Western Chorus of Bristol who took first place in the chorus contest with a very entertaining set.

Our new suits had their first public outing in the finals and, judging by the gasps in the audience, they were well received!

Preparations are now well under way for Pittsburgh and the world championships in 4 weeks time. Find us on Facebook to get regular updates on this and other events in the life of RECKLESS

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