Tap Toe Returns!

On the evening of Saturday July 6^th, the wonderful Tap Toe returned to the Burg to a delighted audience both on the square itself and looking down from the comforts of the upper room of the Tom Pouce restaurant.

 Consummate performers all!

It provided a splendid spectacle, with a total of five participating groups: the Trompetterkorps Van De Federale Politie; Drumspirit; Drum & Showfanfare, Advendo from the Netherlands; Reading Scottish Pipe Band and the K.H. Het GildeMuziek. As the announcements remained oblique and garbled from where we sat at an upper window, I am only fairly certain as to which name belonged to which organisation except, of course, for the highly obvious and impressive Police group on horseback and the particularly distinctive, be-kilted Scottish pipe band. The super-energetic finalists of the TV Belgium’s Got Talent, appropriately called Drumspirit, were incredibly youthful and full of high spirits, exuding high velocity energy and enthusiasm from first footing! In addition to the accredited groups, great support music was provided by KF Hoger Op Aartrijke.  

The youthful energetic Drumspirit

Not that any group lacked energy, creativity or verve; this was an exciting, action-packed, bagpipe, drum and trumpet-filled evening with musicians marching in formation and ever-changing choreography while playing martial music to a high standard. It would be invidious to rank the five groups-- all were first class in their different ways -- but I was particularly impressed with the extraordinary patience and responses of the horses which were superbly trained. They tolerated constant large-scale,

often unpredictable movement close by; huge noise from cymbals and drums clashing; outbursts of clapping and cheering; a bright array of lamps projecting changing colours on to the facade of the mediaeval Stad Huis to great effect. Just before the end, the arena was plunged entirely into darkness as a signal for Wim Berthelot, the Bruges carillonneur to play from the Belfort.

 Possibly the most adept footwork and choreography of the
entire Tap Toe evening.
World champions Drum & Show FanFare, Advendo.

The Bruges Tap Toe is a highly individual Belgian, perhaps Flemish, perhaps Dutch version of military tattoos which very, very occasionally are presented in the U.K. But Tap Toe isn’t military save for the quasi-military Police group; it seems to consist of interested groups of brass musicians emerging and developing in response to, and as part of, a national/regional  custom. Apparently the term Tap Toe is from the 1680s and described the action of officials who commonly visited taverns to turn off the ale taps to signal to patrons to return home. Though how that relates to the modern Tap Toe is a mystery to me; it definitely has nothing to do with switching off the ale taps!

 Reading Scottish Pipe Band

 KH Het GildeMuziek, Roeselaere.