Going to the match

Reimagined sounds of Bolton Wanderers' stadium by Simon Woods.

"The piece is based on a recording made by walking around the outside of the Macron Stadium, Horwich, Bolton. It is the home of Bolton Wanderers FC – I am a season ticket holder and have been for fifty years.

The field recordings were made over two separate home matches a week apart. The idea of the piece is to capture the conversations and memories prior to the game. Many supporters remember the old days and reminisce, they chat with anticipation on the upcoming game. On the journey around the stadium is a statue in memory of Nat Lofthouse one of our greatest ever players. He is held in such reverence by Bolton supporters, such reverance that many of my extended family would talk to my Dad one day as he dared to suggest that Nat was anything less than God’s right hand man! Which brings to my overall concept. A few years back a professor contacted me as he was writing a paper on the links between going to church on a Sunday to worship and going to the match to support / worship. I gave him information on the things I consider similar and differences – too many to go into here. The match section is there mostly church organ sounds against the recordings I during a match. The brass sounds are the memories of the old days as we were very much a “brass band” town. The Asian percussion represent the various groups of Bolton’s Asian community that come together to support the team. At present, unfortunately there is a lot of problems with racial tension in the town, so I wanted to include this aspect of coming together. Initially, I was going to include the melody of a Muslim call to prayer, but a Muslim friend advised me that any connection between music and prayer is forbidden in Islam and so didn’t use that concept so as not offend anyone. In addition, the club holds a Remembrance Service every year, to remember those supporters who have died. There is also a walk of fame outside the main entrance with their names on. This again strengthens that church / club idea. The piece is in three short sections: 1. Going to the Match 2. Memories 3. The Match. And finally, the LS Lowry picture “Going to the Match” was a painting of our old ground at Burnden Park on the other side of Bolton. I always like to think that my Granddad, Dad and Uncle could be one of the figures walking to the match in the painting."