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Leroy Clarke and Real Steel Make History at 2014 Notting Hill Carnival, London

Real Steel arranger and manager Leroy Clarke
Real Steel arranger
and manager Leroy Clarke

London, England, UK - Leroy Clarke made history back on August 23 when his arrangement of “Pan in the Atmosphere” led Real Steel to win the coveted title of ‘UK National Panorama Champions’ for the Notting Hill Carnival for the third successive year.

In capturing the title, Leroy became the first British-born steel pan music arranger to win the hat trick, and only the second in the 37-year-history of the competition to achieve the elusive three in a row. He is also the youngest.

Pan in the Atmosphere” was written by Winston Scarborough (The Original DeFosto Himself) and Phillip ‘Jamma’ Stewart, a steel pan player and composer from Birmingham. In selecting and winning with this tune, Leroy also assured ‘Jamma’ of his place in history as this is the first time a tune co-written by a British-born calypso songwriter has been played by a winning band at this competition. Of the achievement ‘Jamma’ said,

“I want to say a big thank you and congratulations to Leroy Clarke and the members of Real Steel on making history and completing the hat trick. Winning with a tune co-composed by a British-born steel pan player is ground-breaking.”

Leroy’s journey into the history books of the Notting Hill Carnival began in April. Together with members of Real Steel, he travelled from his base in Plymouth to work with musicians in Bath, Leicester and London. For the past few years he has also welcomed musicians from Germany. All of this is paid for by Leroy as none of the bands performing in the competition receive funding or sponsorship, so, for most UK steel bands participation in the competition is beyond their financial reach. The dedication, determination and ability of Leroy and the musicians are remarkable as the first time the sixty-strong steel orchestra played together this year was 24 hours before the competition.

Augustine Pepe Francis MBE, Interim Chair of the London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust and President of the British Association of Steelbands said:

“Leroy’s achievement is outstanding in the history of the Notting Hill Carnival and the UK National Panorama. Since first entering the competition in 2002, he has been consistent in achieving a high position against some of the top steel bands in the country. He has taken on some of the world’s finest steel pan musicians and proven himself to be a world-class arranger. He is a role model for aspiring musicians both here and abroad. The UK steel band movement is proud of what he and the members of Real Steel achieved this year.”

Leroy’s success did not stop at the National Panorama. Despite the torrential rain, Real Steel went on to win ‘Best Steelband on the Road’ at the Notting Hill Carnival where they competed against eight other bands.

Leroy was modest about making history. He said:

“I went to the competition wanting to do well. To win was amazing. To create history is beyond my wildest dreams. I want to thank everyone who has supported and encouraged me, particularly the members of Real Steel who worked so hard for so many months to make this happen.”

See Real Steel’s winning performance here

From the News Desk of the British Association of Steelbands (BAS)
+44 79 5654 6724

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