Don't Mention Wogan

The problem with writing a blog about a label like Sentinel is knowing that, sooner or later, I’m going to have to write about a form of music for which I have little enthusiasm. Thus it is with brass & silver bands, which make up a sizable portion of the Sentinel catalogue. Still, this 45 issue of The Helston Flora Dance by the Helston Town Band (SENM 003) is certainly a curio. Released in 1972, it’s a recording I remember from airplay on BBC South West & Radio Cornwall. I always felt a little cheated by the studio sheen on the 1977 hit version by the Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band (the label bills the recording as “The Authentic Helston Flora Dance” making it THE REAL DEAL, guys), not to mention Katie Moss’ extreme re-writing of the piece, so it was something of a nostalgia-fest to find a copy of this single recently. It certainly feels authentic, & bears all the hallmarks of a field recording, definitely lacking the polish of its Yorkshire cousin. Hurrah!

The flip is a location recording of another traditional Cornish festival, that of the Padstow Obby Oss. Now, as a former Newlyn resident, Padstow was a bit “up country” for me, but I gather Obby Oss Day served a similar purpose to that of the Helston Flora Day, in that it marked the passing of the winter months and the arrival of spring (both festivals occur at the start of May within days of each other). If these recordings are anything to go by, Padstow sounds like a rather more rambunctious celebration than its Helston equivalent. That’s North Cornwall for you.

The Flora Dance



Padstow Obby Oss