Hello Concord family, my name is Dave Eyre and I was privileged to march with Concord between 1985 and 1987 (I previously marched with Vulcan Corps and Thorntons Jordanaires).
I was a member of the drum line, on marching snare and I have to say how grateful I am for this opportunity. What an exciting time the 80s were for Drum Corps here in the UK and Concord was certainly a force to be reckoned with. I would even go so far as to say Concord’s drumline was one of the UK’s best and there were some seriously good drumlines out there! In fact, Concord also had one heck of a brass line too and the guard were exceptional…. what a Corps, so proud to have been a part of this fantastic and talented organisation from Sheffield (I still get goosebumps some 30 plus years later).
Memorable moments:
BDCF 1st Place Open Class – 1987
DCUK A Class Champions – 1985
Madison Scouts European Tour (Luton) – 1988
Boston Crusaders UK Tour – 1982
Weekend camp with the legendary Fred Sandford from SCV (can’t remember the date?)
After aging out, I continued playing drums travelling around the UK and into Europe with various bands covering a variety of musical styles ranging from jazz, pop and rock & roll. I do believe these opportunities probably wouldn’t have been forthcoming and as successful without the skills and lessons learned during my time with Concord. I was also fortunate enough to rekindle my relationship with the Corps for a short period some 15 years later as a member of the board of governors and the drumline support staff.
My musical direction/career then took a different route in 2003 after taking up the position of Sales Manager with Hardcase International Limited, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of rigid plastic protective cases for drums and percussion instrumentation, located in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Both my marching background and drum kit knowledge were so important in helping carve my future, not only with Hardcase but within the global Music Industry as a whole. Again, I have so much to thank Concord for providing a great musical education and instilling valuable life skills.
During 2017 my wife, Annie, and I were given the fantastic opportunity of a management buyout of Hardcase, becoming the new custodians of one of the world’s leading and highly respected protective case brands.
With two grown up children and four grandchildren, I still play drums and I don’t think this will ever change but I will always be grateful to Roger, Cathy, Glynn and everyone involved at Concord for providing a fantastic grounding and so many wonderful memories.
Keep safe everyone
Take care
DAVE
