The sweet sounds of barbershop choir
Clwyd Clippers barbershop chorus at Portmeirion (main). Inset top, at the British Association of Barbershop ingers convention at Venue Cymru in 2011; and bass singer and press officer Gareth Jones (right)
THE sweet sounds of an international gathering of barbershop singers will soon be heard in Llandudno as the biggest event in the scene’s UK calendar visits North Wales.
The British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS) will hold their annual convention in the seaside town from May 22 to 25.
Among the competitors from around the UK will be the Mold Barbershop Chorus, also known as the Clwyd Clippers, who will be the only Welsh group to appear.
Bass singer Gareth Roberts says the image of a moustachioed quartet in straw boaters and red and white waistcoats is not typical of the British barbershop scene.
“People have this impression of the Americans with the straw hats,” he said.
“It’s just close harmony, a capella singing. It’s the camaraderie and the sense of togetherness that makes it special.”
Gareth, a payroll officer with Wrexham council, explained that the cama- raderie continues after practice, with what the aficionados term the “afterglow”.
“You’re on a high, so we go to the pub after practice and have another sing-song,” he said.
“I tell the missus it’s still practice though. It’s all about the afterglow.”
Gareth, who lives in Bwlchgwyn, tried out for the Clippers after a leaflet was posted through his letterbox.
A friend had been trying to coax him to practice in Kinnerton, and he decided to take the plunge.
“I packed in playing rugby four or five years ago and I was moping around at home,” he said.
“I had never tried singing before. At rugby, we just used to sing in pubs.”
The group tries out potential chorus members every couple of years. Although based in Mold, they have singers from as far afield as Anglesey, Llandudno, Penrhyndeudraeth and Wrexham.
They perform at weddings and special events as well as at competitions, but are especially looking forward to the Llandudno convention.
“The BABS convention is the big one,” said Gareth.
“We’ll be concentrating on the two songs we will be doing there from now on.
“One is I’ve Grown Accustomed To Your Face from My Fair Lady, and the conductor hasn’t decided what the second one is yet.
“We practise every Thursday but it’s more frequent as we come up to competition time, perhaps two or three nights a week.”
For the members of the Clippers taking part in the quartet competition, the training will be even more intense.
This year, 41 choruses will vie for the Crawley Plaque, while quartets compete for the Tyneside Trophy.
While the event is billed as the biggest convention outside North America, Dallas-based 2014 international chorus champions The Vocal Majority will be there for a series of performances.
The winners of the chorus and quartet competitions in Llandudno will then appear at the international barbershop competition in the US.