1 week Ago
THERE is nothing quite like the sound of a brass band. Rousing and moving, with occasional flashes of fun, brass gets the blood pumping. It's the sound of the industrial North, and some of the world's best brass bands are rooted in the mills and factories of the Bradford district.
They don't come much bigger than the Black Dyke Band, established in Queensbury in 1855 and now in its 170th anniversary season. It was a treat to see the Black Dyke Band in action (Image: Black Dyke Band) What a treat it was to see this world champion brass act in action, on the St George's Hall stage. And the band's 'Yorkshire sound-mash' with Sheffield's singer Richard Hawley was sublime.
Hawley has played with acts such as Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, Elbow, and Paul Weller. He's duetted with Tom Jones and Shirley Bassey. He's a Brit award and Mercury Music Prize nominee and received two Olivier awards for his musical Standing at the Sky's Edge.
But he's never done anything quite like performing with the mighty Black Dyke Band, bringing added poignancy and power to his beautiful songs. "This has blown my mind," he told the audience that packed St George's Hall to the rafters. "I think the budget for the next album has just gone up.
.." This remarkable concert began with the Black Dyke Band performing favourites In Actio Nobilate and Jupiter (from the Planets), led by conductor Professor Nicholas J Childs.
Then it was time for 'Strictly Black Dyke' - Let's Face the Music and Dance, Libertango, Bolero and a gorgeous finale of Nightingale Dances, Matthew Hall's version of A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - "One of the greatest tunes ever written," declared Prof Childs. Introducing Bolero (which sounded even better in brass) he said "What a symphony orchestra can do, Black Dyke can do better!" After the interval Richard Hawley and his own band joined the brass tour de force on stage for a fabulous programme featuring a selection of his songs including What Love Means, Don't Stare at the Sun, Roll River Roll and Cole's Corner. Highlights were rousing renditions of Soldier On and Standing at the Sky's Edge, with the brass mounting like rolling thunder.
Powerful, poignant, playful, this was an utterly wonderful live music showcase blending one of the UK's best singer/songwriters with a world class brass band. The concert was a highlight of a weekend of events bringing together some of the UK's best and most diverse brass acts in Bradford. The Big Brass Blowout - a highlight of Bradford’s City of Culture year - has featured classic brass, afrobeat rhythms, reggae and fusion jazz, celebrating the power, versatility and all-round brilliance of brass.
The three-day programme got under on Friday with BBC Radio 2 Loves Brass, featuring the Black Dyke Band, chart-topper Marti Pellow, star soprano Carly Paoli, Punjabi Roots Academy and Bradford Cathedral Choir. * The Big Brass Blowout continues today (Sunday, April 13) with Brass on a Sunday Afternoon at the Loading Bay: The Toby Brazier Sextet blend classic jazz and new fusion sounds, with a line-up of Bradford and Leeds musicians; Omotola & Friends bring the Yoruba sound of West Africa, led by talking drummer Oluwatosin Omotola Ajayi; and Bradford concert band Hot Aire! give brass band culture a 21st-century spin, with a programme of brass classics, showtunes, movie soundtracks and a Daft Punk medley..
