Actor wants to hear carnival band stories in bid to preserve experiences
AN ACTOR who has starred in Hollyoaks and Peaky Blinders wants to hear from former members of Leicestershire’s colourful carnival bands.
David Chabeaux, who is also a writer and director, is creating a documentary to tell the story of how the flamboyant marching bands - such as the Hinckley Hussars or the Melton Mowbray Toy Soldiers - helped bring communities together and put the East Midlands on the map.
The performer, 45, is originally from Derby, and he is making the film in memory of his grandfather, Maurice “Moz” Ward, who led the Derby Serenaders Showband, and whose music inspired thousands of others in carnival groups across the region.
David said: “I was two days old when my mum and dad took me on the Serenaders band bus for the first time. My grandad taught me to read and arrange music, as well as to play the trumpet, the euphonium and the trombone.
“I have never known a belonging or a community like it. I miss what it means, and I particularly miss the Serenaders.
“I can only imagine how many of the thousands of other members of the bands we used to come across at events and competitions feel the same way.
“I want to celebrate that in my documentary but also promote and preserve the legacy of Moz, my grandfather.
“He was a hard taskmaster, but he also inspired so many people and the banding movement brought people together.
“I want to protect the legacy of the band movement before it’s all forgotten, which is why it would be brilliant to reach out to other former band members from the
Hinckley Hussars and the Melton Mowbray Toy Soldiers, and more, to find out about their experiences too.”
In the carnival heyday, there were around 100 carnival bands across the area, with thousands of players aged from six to 70 performing in eye-catching costumes at carnivals in the UK and abroad.
The bands were often made up of workmates at local factories as well as their families and friends, who gave up hours of their spare time to practise playing instruments and marching, giving performances and travelling to competitions.
David’s documentary will feature behind-the-scenes and archive footage and photos to tell the story of his grandad’s involvement with the banding movement and look back at the competitions, stories and performances of other UK bands.
But he will also reflect on how the demise of the banding movement in the 1990s has left many members, including his father Brian, with a huge sense of loss, and how in today’s world people lack the togetherness and sense of belonging that the banding movement provided.
He said: “I’ve been attracted to the idea of this project for a long time because the subject matter has never left me.
“We all want to belong, to have purpose in our lives, and in this hyper-materialistic world, the more we discover that trying to fill the void inside us with ‘stuff’ doesn’t work, the more there’s a tendency to search for authentic ways to find belonging and purpose without it.
“My grandfather’s story is obviously very important to me and I’m interested in the journey he took – as a musician, leader and a working-class man – inspiring me and so many others, with the promise of money and ‘stuff ’ nowhere in sight.
“The film is an exploration of what it really means to belong, and what that might mean in today’s world.”
David has already raised £35,000 towards the documentary and preproduction of the film is now complete.
He needs to raise £250,000 in order to complete the filming, which will also involve contributions from the USA, South Africa and Scandinavia, where marching bands are still extremely popular.
If he gets the funding then he hopes to hold the premiere in his home city of Derby, perhaps as early as next summer.
If you would like to share memories or otherwise engage with the ‘Moz’s Band’ film project, visit:
IT WILL ALSO BE TRIBUTE TO INSPIRATIONAL