Was it just a Mirage?

11th July 2026

Well today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for. Another morning in the Abdij Rolduc feels decidedly less at ease. Overnight our living quarters have been commandeered by many of the biggest names and faces in banding. Bumping into the Cory Band on a contest day without feeling a moment of seasickness is a skill I’ve yet to acquire.

Today we perform the set test Mirage by Jan De Haan. The piece takes inspiration from the legend of the ghost ship ‘The Flying  Dutchman’. It’s a mysterious swashbuckling tale of epic proportions which the band has worked hard to navigate. It’s been a real joy to explore the depths in this music and traverse its turbulence.

We started the day in anticipation of the live draw. Our navigator Garth Coffey attended and as a perfect representative for New Zealand, quickly discovered he was entirely underdressed. Casual or not, Garth brought home the treasure securing the band a tenth draw for the test. Our spirits did sink somewhat when we realised we were set to play directly after Swiss legends Treze Etoilles.

We started the day with a short practice, and then given our late draw it was a matter of treading water the rest of the day. Some went into the Roda Hall and enjoyed the incredibly playing on display. I chose to rest up and avoid the pressure of hearing all those fantastic sounds. I’m a nervous player at the best of times, so a feast of unbelievable performances was not on the horizon for me.

Soon it was time to head to the hall. The warm up room was both intimidating and collegial. Nothing humanises world class bandies like seeing them huddled around a single air conditioning pipe, cooling at gale force speeds. Suffice to say this was nothing new for our band of Wellingtonians.

Soon it was time to take to the stage and the excitement was coming crashing over us. We were welcomed by a sea of excited band nerds poised for what was to come. An exceptional start to our performance from Luke and we were away sailing. Whilst I was trying my best to maintain extreme and precise concentration, I always try to allow myself the odd moment to sit and enjoy what’s going on around me. I am so proud of all my wonderful and talented band mates for the performance we left on that stage. Our front row bravely brought our journey across the high c’s to a bold finish.

Thank you for indulging this entirely unsubtle extended sailing metaphor. If you’d allow me one more, I’d like to say that the band felt like a little ship in a big sea, but we also knew that little ships can be agile and well organised. And in the famous words of Mark Davey, friend ’ships’ are what really matters.

- Lachlan Spence

Arriving at the venue.

On stage in the Roda Hall. Courtesy of Daisuke Hayashi.