News Archive

• Not just one, but FOUR new signings in a month!

  Drighlington Band are very pleased to announce not one, but four new signings to the band in just one month.

  Adam Turner takes the reins on Solo Euphonium, ably assisted by our own Paul Barrett who has kindly offered to move to Second Euph. Adam has a wealth of experience at the highest levels and, along with Paul, forms a solid and consistent Euphonium partnership.

  Catherine Chadwick has joined us from Grange Moor band on Solo Baritone. Also a solid and talented player, Cat completes and strengthens our Euphonium and Baritone bench forming a strong and, as can already be seen in rehearsals, hard-working and cohesive team.

  Charlotte Stewart signs on 3rd Cornet, also from Grange Moor, helping to bolster the back row bench with Natalie Bamforth, coming back into banding after a years sabbatical, joining the Bb Bass bench. Nat also brings a wealth of experience and ability with former bands including Championship level experience with Lindley and Yorkshire Co-Op.

  Our Musical Director, Jim Davies, and the band are extremely pleased to welcome all four new members and are looking forward to working alongside them as we prepare for the Dr Martins contest in September and long into the future.

  We are still seeking a talented, committed, Solo Cornet player, with the opportunity for the Principal chair available to the right candidate, and also an Eb Bass (or Bb Bass) to complete our Bass Bench line-up.

  Watch this space for news of an imminent fifth signing in August too!

• Durham Miners Gala 2011

  Once again, the band were very pleased to be invited to support the Greenside Lodge at the recent annual Durham Miners Gala.

  For a number of years now a number of the band (and amazing player friends) have met, at the crack of dawn, and boarded a coach for a fantastic, if gruelling, day marching the streets of Greenside and Durham as part of the famous Miners Gala.

  Departing at 5:30am on Saturday the coach was silent as it hurtled up the A1 with bleary eyed bands folk desperately trying to catch that extra hours sleep before the task ahead.

  8am saw us arrive at Greenside Social Club to a warm reception from the locals and some very much appreciated strong coffee and warm breakfast.

  Starting the days proceedings, feeling full and refreshed, the band escorted the Greenside banner through the village streets with almost every doorway hosting onlookers and supporters, you could sense the pride and support from the close community as you marched down. Stopping once enroute to play the Miners Hymn - Gresford in tribute to the miners, and their families, who have given their lives over the years the band reached the bottom of the village and boarded the coach once again and headed into Durham itself with a packed supporters coach close behind.

  Just before 10am, the band, Greenside banner and supporters gathered in the glorious sun to join the grand procession through Durham, playing, marching and waiting as hundreds of similar Lodges, each with their own band paraded by. Our turn came and, stopping to perform 'March of the Cobblers' (of Brassed Off fame) to the waiting dignitaries at the County Hotel, once again we were off marching the cobbled streets to the centre of the event at the University Sports Ground.

  After a much needed rest-stop and chance to refuel on 'fluids' and sandwiches, courtesy of our other Durham-based friends at Durham City RFC, watching a thunderstorm unfold above us, the band once again regrouped with the banner, now in torrential rain, and began the long march back up into Durham Market Place and finally on to the Viaduct.

  Wet, weary (and in some cases slightly battered and bruised) but very honoured to have once again been a part of such a wonderful occassion, we were done! Saying a fond farewell to our hosts at Greenside, we boarded the coach once again and set off, homeward, down the A1 to Yorkshire.

  We are already looking forward to next years event (some even thinking of going to the gym between now and then!) and sharing with the great folk of Greenside.

  If you have never experienced the Miners Gala, you really must put it on your list of things for next summer, and we would warmly welcome you to join us next year for a day that really has to be seen to be appreciated, there are always spaces on the coach!

• Brighouse March Contest 2011

  The band returned to Brighouse this last weekend to take part in the annual Brighouse March and Hymn Tune Contest, finishing 8th place overall.

  In the sweltering afternoon heat, the band played off the number one draw (never an easy task) in a field of twenty two bands, to a capacity audience and adjudicators.

  We chose to play the march "Death or Glory" on the march through Brighouse to the performance circle, a piece now synonymous with marching bands thanks to Brassed Off, with the audience enthusiastically clapping along and on the stand we selected "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" and the contest march "The Australasian".

  Special thanks go to our borrowed players for the day, covering holidays and current vacancies, with a special mention to Les Tobitt for stepping in at the last second to keep us in step on the march with the Bass Drum! Also special mention to Adam Turner on his "official" debut with the band on Solo Euphonium.

  You can see some photos from the afternoon in our gallery here.

• New Euphonium signing, Adam Turner

  The band are very pleased to announce the signing of a talented Euphonium player, Adam Turner.

  Following the moves from Euphonium, to cover our Bass bench, of Mark Tweedle and Mic Tyler (Eb and Bb Bass respectively), we have been searching for a suitable replacement to join Paul Barrett on the Euphonium bench which we are very pleased to have now done.

  A graduate of Huddersfield University, Adam is a talented and experienced musician, having played principal Euphonium at a number of Championship section bands, including Flowers of Gloucester and, most recently, Hade Edge. We wish Adam a very warm welcome and a long and happy time at Drighlington.

• Ensemble help Bradford celebrate Veterans Day

  The Drighlington Ensemble were very pleased to have been able to help the City of Bradford celebrate Veterans Day this by joining with other local bands and musicians in Centenary Square in Bradford.

  Providing a short programme of music from Kalinka to Standard of St George, the Ensemble rounded off the days events to an appreciative audience who were keen to join in with a number of war-time classics as well as less traditional numbers.

• Drighlington Ensemble helps raise funds for Alzheimers

  The Royal Wedding weekend saw a small number of players, past and present, perform at the Drighlington Beer Festival.

  Battling against strong winds, the ensemble performed a number of light, popular tunes with a lot of opportunity for the crows to get their feet tapping.

  The total funds raised over the weekend has come to £2000 and we are especially proud to have been a part of it. Here's to doing it all again next year.

• A new lease of life for a forgotten piece

  Our concert on Saturday evening, at Trinity Methodist Church, in Bramley will open with a very special piece of music, the march "Bradoria". This will be the piece's first public perfomance in over 35 years after being lost to a dark corner of our library.

  The march was written for and dedicated to Mr Tom Atkinson, a highly respected musician and conductor of our predecessors at Bradford Victoria band. Tom Atkinson is also the grandfather of our own current Flugel Horn player, Lynne Walsh.

• A trip down memory lane to start the new year!

  The band have started the new year off with a short trip down memory lane. Following a set of burst pipes threatening our Music Library (again) over Christmas, two pieces have been found in the dark dusty corner of the cupboards.

  First out was a great little quick march "Bradoria", composed for the retirement of Tom F Atkinson, former conductor of our predecessors at Bradford Victoria band. It recieved it's first airing in over 30 years last night.

  Hot on the heals, and due to be played in the near future after extensive restoration work has been caried out, is the march "Young Tykes" by none other than the famous march composer Sam B Wood. Again composed especially for the Bradford Victoria band, we hope to bring it out in all it's glory very soon!

  We are led to believe that we have the only copies of these marches in the world, and in their original manuscript form!

  Finally, recent research has discovered that Drighlington can actually date its brass band heritage back to 1911 when the Drighlington & Adwalton Comic Prize band paraded the village as part of the Co-Op Childrens Gala of that year. So in a way, the village of Drighlington can celebrate 100 years of brass band tradition in 2011.. Happy New Year one and all.

• Another year comes to an end - Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

  Well, the last of the bands official concerts for 2010 came and went on Saturday night, with our own Christmas Concert at the newly refurbished St Paul's Church in Drighlington. Another wonderful evening with both the Senior and Youth Bands on top form, providing a festive prelude to the build up to Christmas.

  The concert also celebrated the 1st Anniversary of our Musical Director, Jim Davies, who we announced and introduced at our Christmas concert last year. After an eventful (at times), but successful year Jim has led the band a long way up the path to maintaining our Championship status next year and worked tirelessly to build on our performance and competition ability. Thank you Jim!

  Thank you also to the dedicated team of workers, behind the scenes, who have also gone far more than the extra mile to ensure this year has been a success, despite the economic climate (which hits harder than you may think to a brass band), the weather and challenges the banding world is throwing at us.

  Lastly, thank you to YOU for your overwhelming support, encouragment and feedback over the last year! Without you we wouldn't be where we are today! Have a wonderful Christmas & a fantastic New Year!

  P.S. If you're out and about in Drighlington on Christmas Eve be sure to keep an eye out for our scratch band of players, past and present (and possibly future), who will be touring the villages pubs and clubs (finishing up at Drighlington Rugby Club from about 10:30pm), playing carols and bringing that extra bit of festive cheer! If you can play and fancy joining us get in touch using the contact us form! The more, the merrier!

• Two new signings ahead of our St Helens challenge

  The band are very pleased to announce two new signings to the band in time for our return to the Northern Open Championships at St Helens on Sunday.

  Completing our Eb Bass bench, Martin Hopwood's signing, from Knottingley Band, reunites two old friends, as he teams up with current Eb Bass, Mic Tyler (a friendship of more years than either of them care to remember), whilst Josh Tillotson (also from Knottingley) completes our percussion bench, and fills our long standing Kit vacancy.

  The band wish both a very warm welcome and hope they have a long and happy time with the band.

• Amazing what you find on YouTube! A fans video footage from Oxenhope Station

  For those of you who follow the website updates, you may remember back in the summer the Brass Ensemble performed a programme of old-time classics at Oxenhope Railway Station for the steam train visitors.

  Well one appreciative visitor, who also happens to be mad on making films, decided to record one of our numbers for YouTube fans to enjoy, and here it is!

  Many thanks to Jane from Bangor (aka FilmMakingMad on YouTube) for this little gem.

  If you have taken any videos or photos of the band please do drop us a line, we would love to see them.

• St George's Crypt Charity Gala Concert - 10th December 2010

  Friday, 10th December brings a new venue for the band at Christmas, when we are delighted to have been invited by the Rotary Club of Morley to be involved in their own Festive Concert.

  The Gala Concert, taking place at Woodkirk High School, features not only the Drighlington Band but also the, highly acclaimed, Bradford Festival Chorus and the Rachael Swann School of Dance. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the outstanding work done at St George's Crypt who, currently celebrating their 80th Anniversary, provide valuable support and services to the homeless and disadvantaged in the heart of Leeds.

  The concert will start at 7pm. For tickets and more information please contact: Ken Aveyard (0113 253 2717) or Eddie Howard (0113 2853131)

  For more information regarding the various performers and organisations involved please visit the links below. We hope you join us and our friends for this very special Festive concert.

   

  • St George's Crypt, Leeds
  • Rotary Club of Morley
  • Bradford Festival Chorus
  • Rachael Swann School of Dance

• NABBC provides the opportunity for an early start to our 2011 Calendar

  The band are pleased to announce that we will be the performing band for the National Association of Brass Band Conductors Area Test Pece Workshop on the 2nd January 2011.

  As part of a special workshop, the event allows Adjudicators (Judges), Association Members, Conductors and any other interested parties a chance to take an indepth look at the selected test pieces for the forthcoming Area Competitions in March, the band will be performing and previewing the 4th, 3rd & 2nd Section Test Pieces under the guidance and direction of Philip Harper and the internationally reknowned percussionist Simone Robello.

  The workshop takes place at Cleckheaton Sports Club, Bradford Road, Cleckheaton from 1pm, Sunday 2nd January 2011. More details can be found on the NABBC Web Site

• Brassed Off before Christmas!

  Despite the usual festive flurry of concerts in December, the Drighlington Band are pleased to announce that they will be teaming up once more with prestigious Ackworth School for three days at the beginning of December to perform the well known 'brass musical' Brassed Off!.

  Naturally this combination of high quality acting fom the school and top class music from the band is sure to be an event not to be missed and already is on the verge of being fully sold out within a matter of days of being announced.

  The performances are each evening from Thursday 2nd December to Saturday 4th December.

• Changes abound as Drighlington welcomes new players and has a reshuffle

  We would like to wish a very warm welcome to, new signing, Mark Tweedle, as he returns to playing and joins our Euphonium bench. Mark, who is Headmaster at Heckmondwike Grammar School, is a very experienced and talented musician with many years experience in Yorkshire banding and is a strong addition to our team.

  Anthony Malone makes a very welcome return to the band after a sabbatical over the summer, resuming his position on Solo Baritone where he will be joined by Susanne Broster who steps up to accompany Elaine Welsh on the 2nd Baritone chair from the Drighlington Youth Band. Susanne, who has been a Euphonium understudy with the Senior Band since her debut solo with the band at Christmas 2009, is an accomplished young player with a very bright and promising future ahead of her.

  To consolidate the bench and allow these changes to occur, Paul Barrett has taken the baton from Mic Tyler and moved from 2nd Euphonium to Solo Euphonium, whilst Mic has agreed to return to Solo Eb Bass after 6 years as Solo Euphonium to fill a long term vacancy there.

  All these changes promote a complete and significantly strengthened lower brass section, leaving only a couple of vacancies in the Cornet section of the band, which we are keenly seeking to fill prior to our next contest performance in November at the Northern Open Brass Band Championships.

• Forthcoming Last Night of the Proms Gala Concert for the Womens Institute

  Ready for a welcome return to the bands concert season, the band will be ensuring that everything, especially the music, is on top form with shoes and instruments gleeming, and uniforms crisply ironed, as we present the West Yorkshire Federation of Women's Institute, Last Night of the Proms, Gala Concert on Friday 17th September.

  It has been a number of years since we last collaborated with the W.I. for this concert and the band are looking forward to returning once again to this prestigious event.

  Please note, this concert sells out very quickly!

  If you would like any tickets please contact :
  
  Liz Jones ; WYWI Federation Office
  Rodley Business Centre
  164/166 Town Street
  Rodley
  LS13 1HP
  
  0113 255 0810

  Tickets are priced at £8.50 and include a free Union Jack flag.

• Sad news from Horsforth Ladies Choir

  It is with sadness that we have to announce that our friends at the Horsforth Ladies Choir have decided to fold.

  Followers of the band will know that we have shared a very long, happy and successful relationship with the choir for almost a decade performing two sell-out concerts every year with them.

  We wish all of the members of the choir the very best as they move on to pastures new and will greatly miss their friendship, hospitality and much valued support.

• New gallery posted from Oxenhope Station

  A couple of weeks ago a slightly scaled down team from the band performed at the Oxenhope Station on the Keighley and Worth Valley Steam Railway.

  A sunny Sunday afternoon allowed visitors, to the railway, to enjoy a selection of light musical entertainment from yesteryear as they enjoyed a ride on the steam train.

  You can see a small selection of photographs from the event in our gallery here

• New signings!

  The band are very pleased to announce that we welcome, not one but, two new players to the band in last week!

  Catherine Reid joins us on back row cornet from Lofthouse 2000 and Alan Gibson joins us on 2nd Trombone from Gawthorpe. Both players bring with them a high standard of musicianship and experience and we would like to wish them both a very long and happy time with us here at Drighlington.

• Durham Miners Gala 2010

  There have been plenty of aching muscles around the band since Saturday which saw a team of 19 of the band (including a small number of friends from neighbouring bands going, literally, the extra mile) set off at 5:45am on a coach to Durham to represent our friends at Greenside Lodge.

  After a much welcome breakfast at the Greenside Lodge, the band and Lodge performed an hour long march through the village of Greenside followed by a double march parade through Durham City Centre in front of the Greenside banner, playing to swarms of supporters and revellers along the way finally arriving back in Drighlington at around 7pm.

  All in all, another excellent day was had by all and we are already looking forward to supporting our friends from Greenside again next year.

• Farewells

  It is with a great deal of sadness that the band have had to bid a fond farewell and best wishes to a number of our players over the last couple of months. Martin Hall and Matthew Gaunt, on Principal and Tutti Cornet respectively, have both had to take sabbaticals from full time playing for the forseeable future due to family and work commitments, Robin Morgan (Eb Bass) has taken up his conducting career again with Meltham & Meltham Mills following surgery preventing him being able to continue on Bass and Anthony Malone (Solo Baritone) is taking time out from playing for health reasons.

  We would like to extend our best wishes and heartfelt thanks to all of the above for their friendship, dedication and contribution to the band and hope to see them all around and about in the future.

• Double March Contest success

  In the last month, the band have seen success at both the Morley and Brighouse March & Hymn Tune Contests claiming third place in both competitions.

  With both contests fielding strong entries from local bands and even as far as Holland, Drighlington put on an excellent showing to walk away with prize money at each venue.