Drum Corps United Kingdom
Contents |
Classes
- Open Class
- A Class
- Junior Class
- Cadet Class
History
Origins
DCUK was founded in 1979. The founders included Beechmen, Basildon and Anchormen.
One telling of the origins of American-style drum & bugle corps in Great Britain centers around John Johnson, who ran a youth band in Dagenham, east of London. He saw a video of the Santa Clara Vanguard and found the sound he'd been looking for...and DCUK was born.
His corps, the Dagenham Crusaders, was one of the major corps power in DCUK for years along with The Anchormen , wearing uniforms styled on those of the 1976 Blue Devils. Ironically, they won their last championship in 1986 (in a tie with Conquest Alliance...dispite winning brass and percussion) while playing "West Side Story"...a work usually identified with the Garfield Cadets (who beat Blue Devils with it in 1984).
Dagenham made two trips to the US to compete in DCI...1983 and 1988 (1988 as the British Crusaders)
Sadly, they folded in the late 80s.
British Drum Corps Federation
- main article: British Drum Corps Federation
In 1987, the British Drum Corps Federation (BDCF) was formed, This was a break away organisation from DCUK. It ran a separate competitive circuit to DCUK. It had its own contest and venues. This parallel circuit ran again in 1988 before the BDCF reunited with DCUK.
25th Anniversary
In 2004, DCUK celebrated its 25th anniversary -- its first season having taken place in 1980 -- with a planned reunion of uniforms worn by all corps that were ever registered with DCUK at the 2004 DCUK Championships.
Present Day
The organisation continues to run a highly competitive annual season with many registered corps, though all of much smaller numbers than in previous decades. The current logo, as seen to the right, was first premiered in 1996 and is still used on all official DCUK publications.
Corps
As of 2012, the following corps are registered and compete within DCUK
- Open Class
- Beeches Great Barr, Birmingham
- Black Knights Gravesend, Kent
- Kidsgrove Scouts Kidsgrove, Staffordshire
- Nexus Biggleswade & Bedford, Bedfordshire
- Phantom Knights Warwickshire
- Poynton Commodores Poynton, Cheshire
- Revolution Show Corps Queensbury, West Yorkshire
- Spirit Of Coventry Coventry
- Staffordshire Knights Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire
- The 6th Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
- The Company Barnsley, South Yorkshire
- Junior Class
- 37th Kingswood Cadets Bristol, Avon
- Black Knights Cadets Gravesend, Kent
- Concord AllStars Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Kidsgrove Scouts Juniors Kidsgrove, Staffordshire
- Thurrock Marching Brass Thurrock, Essex
Inactive Corps
Previous corps to compete in DCUK include:
- Open Class
- 1st Tewkesbury Boys' Brigade Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
- 37th Kingswood Bristol, Avon
- 6th Hove Scouts Brighton & Hove, East Sussex
- Anchormen Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Blue Eagles Basildon, Essex
- Cadence Reading, Berkshire
- Cheshire Cadets Warrington, Cheshire
- Concord Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Dagenham Crusaders Dagenham, Essex
- Diamond Vanguard
- Forgemen Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Liberty Northampton, Northamptonshire
- Mayflower Billericay, Essex
- New Surrey Raiders Surrey
- The Pacemakers St Mary Cray, Kent
- Pride of Bristol Bristol, Avon
- Senators Eastleigh, Hanmpshire
- Squires Crawley, Sussex
- The Statesmen Leicester, Leicestershire
- Sunrisers Birmingham, West Midlands
- Trinty Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- West Coast Cadets Bristol, Avon
See Also
- Marching & Performing Arts United Kingdom
- DCE - Drum Corps Europe
- BYBA - British Youth Band Association
- DCI - Drum Corps International
- DCA - Drum Corps Associates
