Comments ~ 2002: January

Comments from January 2002

Old Tod - New Tod

I am pleased to be able to reassure 4BR that the 140 years of brass banding tradition in the Town of Todmorden is set to continue for many years to come. Starting from nothing, the newly formed Todmorden Community Brass boasts 31 playing members and
performed 28 engagements in 2001 after only 8 months in operation. A full press release on our recent
achievements will follow soon.

Todmorden Community Brass was formed in May 2001 following the revelation that the Todmorden
Old Brass Band had relocated to John Chalker's factory, in Rochdale, Lancashire, in December 2000.

Thus following the Old Band's decision to move the rehearsal faciltiies, the instruments, the music library, the uniforms, even the chairs to Lancashire and now
apparently to Saddleworth, Dennis Hadfield should not be surprised that many of the band members and
the band's sponsor would feel uncomfortable with this approach and leave.

It is too late to save Todmorden Old Brass Band, as even a Saddleworth rescue package will result in a name change and a lost identity. However, to leave on a positive note, Todmorden Community Brass will ensure that the name Todmorden continues to be associated with brass bands in the Yorkshire mill town for the next 140 years.

Regards

Terry Luddington
Todmorden Old Brass Band - Chairman 1991 - 1996.
Todmorden Community Brass - Secretary 2001 -
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks for letting us know that whatever happens there will be a banding presence in Todmorden. It has been a very complex matter and we hope that both bands will be able to survive and flourish wherever they are.

Crystal Balls?
Having seen quite a few brass band web sites etc. over the past few months, I have to say congratulations on yours. It's easily the best one around and I hope it will continue to be so. When will you be doing the runners/riders lists and predictions for the area's and are you only going to be looking at the Championship sections for predictions?

Chairman Gott.
PHG Lindley Band.
31st Jan

4BR reply:
We will being doing a full list of "dodgy predictions" for all Regional Championships and all Sections this year. We have had our spies out and about and we are sure we'll be totally way out in just about anything we predict. We are nothing but consistant, but we'll be putting our heads on the block once again.

Area Errata?

I have heard on the grapevine that there are errata lists for the 2002 area test pieces. Can you shed any light on this subject and direct me to where I can acquire a copy of the errata for the 3rd section test piece (St Austell Suite).

Thanks in advance for your help

Doug McKechnie
31st Jan

4BR reply:
We haven't heard anything as yet at 4BR, but if anyone out there can enlighten us we'll be pleased to advertise all the details to ensure as many bands as possible get to know about any mistakes. We can only hope it's not a repeat of last year's farce.

Plymouth Who?

I noticed your question regarding the above band. (Patchoque Plymouth)
This band was formerly the Crookhall Colliery Band formed in 1924.

The American oil firm took them over in 1968 & they became the Amoco band.Former players include Morris Murphy ,Cliff Sayers, Alan Morrison & John Pollard.
I was in the band from 1976 until they split up in 1980 & the sponsership then moved to Blackhall Youth Band & it remained there for a number of years before they pulled out altogether.

The last professional conducter was Denis Carr. When I was there Alan Catherall was playing on the front row & a few players went on to join Ever Ready who were only 5 mins away from Amoco bands base.
I hope this helps.

Steve Clinton
EX. Euphonium with Ever Ready
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks Steve for all the details. It seems they were a band with a proud history, that took the plunge with sponsorship and ultimately paid the price. A great pity.

What ever happened to....

Not au fait with the Patchoque wotsits, but I do remember a promising young cornet player with AMOCO (the band they eventually became).....a certain Alan Morrison if memory serves.

Nigel Sutherland
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Funny you should bring up the question of the very promising young cornet player............

And Alan Reveals all...........
The article on band names was very interesting, particularly the comments about one of my old bands, Patchogue Plymouth AMOCO.

I joined in September 1974 just missing the Open on James Cook, but my 1st major contest was London at the RAH when we played Fantasy for Brass Band by
M.Arnold. I have vivid memories of the day, we played near the end after,Grimethorpe and before Dyke, and were the only band in the last 6 of the draw not to be placed. You win some...........

On the way down to London the band manager at the time, George Dawson snr, kept telling us he had
dreamed the draw and result. He said we would play number 17 and come 2nd!!!! He was nearly right, we drew no.17 alright, and finished 2nd..........from last!!!

Anyway, if memory serves me right Patchogue Plymouth was a fibres division of the AMOCO oil corporation. the company had a factory in Consett and
sponsored the band after Crookhall Colliery had closed down. In about 1976 the parent company (AMOCO) were so impressed with the band, they took it on
and it became simply AMOCO.

I left in 1978, and a couple of years later the band folded, although the sponsorship was still ongoing and passed to a band in Blackhall I think. This only lasted a year or 2 though, then it disappeared. The band had some success though, and used some well known conductors such as George Thompson, Jon Hall, Peter Kitson, Denis Wilby and Bill Lippeatt. Geoffrey Brand was also an associate, but only visited the band before I joined.

Thanks for very compulsive web-site!

Alan Morrison
alanmorrison@justbrass.co.uk
http://www.justbrass.co.uk/alanmorrison
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks Alan for letting us know about the band and it's sterling efforts to gain victory at London. You can never trust Band Managers, they know less than players!

Some great names seem to have worked with the band over the years and it's a pity the band no longer exists. All the effort and experience seems to have paid off for you though!

Controling your Fluids

Prominent Fluid Controls Band was a band from the Midlands if I remember correctly.

David Beal GBSM A.Mus.LCM ABSM(P) ABSM(T) ABSM(C)

Andrew Jones is indeed correct ,there was a band who proudly(?!) held the title of the Prominent Fluid Controls Band-to bestow them their full title,the Prominent Fluid Controls Newhall Band. Newhall, a village near to the Midlands Brewery town of my birth Burton-on-Trent, were once a Championship outfit and held the name of their then sponsors in the late 80s/early 90s. Incidentally the band of which I was a member for 2 or 3 years, are still going strong, now in the Fourth Section. Hope Mr Jones feels suitably enlightened!

Keep up the good work guys!

Best wishes,
Mark Bousie
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks lads! Strange name, but then prominent fluids are a strange business . Nice to know Newhall are still going strong though.

...........Dove Ascending
Hello everyone,
Many thanks to Marcus & Janet for the comments on Dove Holes and the Band. I conduct Dove Holes Public & have been amazed by the dedication they put in. The band was down to one player in 1997 but have rebuilt, mainly through teaching and regaining experienced players along the way and are very busy performing concerts around the area. We are currently registering the band & hoping to contest in May. Many of the youngsters are taught at school by Mark Wilkinson, who is doing a great job, so the future looks very promising. The band was graded championship section well into the sixties, competing in the Grand Shield and the National Finals.

Kindest regards,
Aidan Howgate.

4BR Reply:
Well done Aiden for keeping a great banding name in existence and going from strength to strength - perhaps one day you'll be back at the British Open. You certainly deseve it for your efforts.

Talking of weird names....

I have found out a weird name of a band, although you may not find it strange my mates and i do!! its Elmsley of South Fricklewick Standard Fireworks Band!!!

Carina Halliwell

I vaguely recall a bandroom discussion about possible sponsorship when some bright spark suggested approaching a local firm, Avon Rubber, with the aim
being to rename the band the Avon Rubber Band. Much mirth all round. Didn't happen!!

I also heard a tale of the time when Woodfalls Band and near neighbours Downton Band had to join forces on occassions during the war years, and allegedly the name put forward for this amalgamation was the Downfalls Band.

Is there truth in this rumour, and do other readers have similar stories of joke names?

David Wilds
Test Valley Brass

Here are some wierd (but true) brass band names Mossley Temperance Saxhorn. Leeds Railway Foundry. Halifax (4th West Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers). Dewsbury Rifle Corps. Bacup 4th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers. Craven Amateur, Silsden, Nr. Leeds. Irwell Forge (Bury). Leeds Model. Clay Cross, 3rd Battalion Rifle Volunteers. Compstall Bridge. Burnley 17th Lancashire Rifle Volunteers. Heckmondwike. Robin Hood Rifles. Oldham Rifle Brigade (after the march O.R.B. was named). Heywood Rifles. Leeds Forge. Cornholme. Callender's Cable Works. Glazebury. Ferodo Works. John White Footwear. Prescot Cable Works. Spencer's Steel Works. Lincoln Malleable Iron Works. Luton Red Cross. Crossley's Carpet Works. Cammell Laird's Shipyard Works. Pressed Steel Works. Hoo Silver. Spillers(Gainsborough). Mynyddygarreg Silver. Storeys of Lancaster. John Dickinson (Apsley). The Steel Company of Wales, Port Talbot. The Romford Civil Defence Corps. Cargo Fleet Works. Butterfield's Tank Works.

KEITH STANLEY JAMES LEVER,
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks everyone. Some odd ones there Keith and Carina's is a band that could certainly make things go with a bang! As for Downfalls or Avon Rubber Band ..

What about if Black Dyke and Fairey's got together, or Buy As You View and Fairey's .....?

Most inappropriate name ever?

Brampton Total Abstinence Band, I think from the North of England (Carlisle direction) who were financially supported by the local Lord and Lady of the manor. They were disbanded after beating local rivals Carlisle St. Stephens (very famous band!) in a contest and all going out and getting pissed on the prize money!

What an injustice!

Kenny Crookson
31st Jan

4BR reply:
We knew there was at least one total abstinence lot out there. Brass bands and victory celebrations always seem to involve copius amounts of alcohol (even in Youth bands if memory serves us right), so it comes as no suprise that this one ended in disaster.

Top 100??
Great site chaps! keep up the good work

In light of the recent ''Top 100'' favourites series on channel 4 how about you get your readers to share their top 5 favourite test peices of all time, and publish the results. You could make some general rules as to the criteria if you wished or any test peice ever used in any contest

As a matter of interest mine would be:-

1. ...Dove Descending - Dr Wilby
2. Isaiah 40 - Redhead
3. Pageantry - Howells
4. Judges of the Secret Court
5. Harrisons Dream - Graham

Ian Young
31st Jan

4BR reply:
Watch this space....... We will get around to doing something when we have a quiet five minutes (not bloody likely at the moment though!)

Yack, Yack, Yack!
Greetings from the banding hotspot of Wodonga. The name's interesting isn't it? I think that I can top this however for the bands with the most weird name. I failed to mention that the small town we now live in (near Wodonga) also had a brass band up until the
mid 50's. Sadly, the band packed it in and is no more.

The name was... (drum roll).... the Yackandandah Brass Band (Yack-an-dan-da). No idea on the uniform. It could've been worse. There's a couple of other towns around here that potentially had bands - (Tallangatta, Barnawartha, Corryong....). Apologies to any Aussies from northeast Victoria.

regards
Bruce Cook - Wodonga Brass
27th Jan

4BR reply:
We've had a huge response to the articles on the oddest names in banding history, but we think at this early stage this on is the one to beat. You've had an early draw though, and there are plenty of other stinkers out there waiting to be revealed we are sure!

A Fishy Tale.
The Fishponds (British Legion) Band was formed in 1936 and did quite well, I believe, but everyone was asking where Fishponds was located. After discussing the name they changed it to City of Bristol. Have a look at the website www.cityofbristolbrassband.co.uk to see some of the recent results. A little bit of history there.

Going back to droive me tracter now, and plant some more Flowers. Oo-er

Bristol Bb bass player
Mark Bodenham
27th Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks Mark. We thought the band may have come from Bristol, but it's a shame such a great name has been lost. If any others know anything about the band , please let us know.

As for your tractor driving...............

Some Other Weird Contenders
I'm sure there was a band out there in the late 80's/early 90's, 1980's that is, called: PROMINENT FLUID CONTROL BAND.

I think we should be enlightened!

Yours mirthfully,
Andrew Jones

Re that Workington band - wonder why they didn't choose "discharged seamen"?
Amanda Jarret

One of the weirdest I can remember was something like Patchogue Plymouth (AMOCO), North-East based, back in the 70's.
Dave Timmins

Interested to read your top ten of strangely named bands.

More recently, how about the Rigid Containers Band? Rolls of the tongue far more easily than GUS or Travelsphere!

Alternatively, for sheer comic value may I suggest any band that has ever had the word 'Temperance' in it's name?!

Thanks,
David Elliot-Smith

I'm afraid I cannot contribute anything in the way of real brass band names. However, I believe there might be some amusement to be gained from suggestions of a "what if....." or "if only...." nature.
For example, for some 14 years I worked for an engineering company specialising in, amongst other things, anti-vibration mountings for heavy machinery. The Company went through several changes of ownership, and during one period our official title was "Barry Controls (Noise & Vibration) Ltd............ - I often think it was a dreadful shame we had no Works Brass Band.......................

Gareth J. Green
27th Jan

4BR reply:
Oh some great names here. Prominent Fluid Controls sounds pretty digusting to us, and as for the sailors, we don't really need to go there do we?

Patchoque Plymouth though are interesting and we did have them on our provisional list. They appeared at the Open from 1973 - 1976 (never coming in the prizes) under the batons of C. Peacock, C. Barrett and Peter Kitson and at the National Finals in 1972 under C. Peacock, 1973 under Jon Hall, 1974 under C. Barrett and we believe as AMOCO in 1976 under Peter Kitson.

Can anyone tell us more and what was Patchoque Plymouth?

As for Rigid and GUS and now Travelsphere. Has any band had more name changes than the band originally entlted Munn and Feltons. We think they have had 4 different names since 1937. Can anyone beat this?

As for the Temperance Bands. The movement has a prous history of bands carrying that name, but we think there aren't many left. Do Wingates still use the title or Tongwynlais in Wales. By all accounts in the early years of the banding world there was a band that had the title Total Abstinence and Temperance added, but we can't find out who. Can anyone enlighten us?

Hanwell Memory
Whilst being far too young to remember the wonderful Hanwell uniforms I do believe that in the late 1980's some of the jackets were passed on to a 10 piece group called 'Top Brass' - based in Sussex. Either that or the men in this ensemble had a liking for pink and had them copied!!!!

It must be something to do with the 1980's, for when getting new uniforms my own band (Luton) had very nice black jackets (you can't go wrong with that...can you?) complete with a red trimmed ruffle that was fixed to your shirt going from bow tie to 'belly button' - the height of 1970's fashion methinks!!! Clearly someone had been watching the re-runs of 'Best of Brass!
regards Julia Crask, Luton
27th Jan

PS.....St Albans City used to where Bus Drivers uniforms in 2 tone grey and complete with lapel hole where the badge would have gone.

4BR reply:
Oh the inhumanity of it all. The ruffles are back in fashion now, but still it looks bloody awful. As for poor St. Albans.......

Strange though. Have a look in the bar at any contest and the walking outs of all the bands does resemble a bus driver convention. Sad, terribly sad.

The Doves from Above

Dove Holes is a village from which I originate on the outskirts of Buxton in Derbyshire.
Dove Holes is a pun on the Geological term for a "water swallow", this is a fault in the natural limestone where a river can be seen to suddenly appear or disappear. There are several villages in the area called names of a similar nature i.e. Waterswallows, Sparrow Pitt etc.

As for the band it is still in existence, however is now non-contesting but does have quite a strong youth element. The reason for the demise of the band was the formation of the Ferodo Brake Linings Band formed just 3 mile down the road in the local factory and for whom most of the village worked, thus taking the better players from both Dove Holes and Chapel en le Frith bands.

So the name was not just a public hype to get recognised like some of the others you have mentioned.

I must confess however that I have only ever helped the band out even though I came from the village, but must hasten to add when asked where I come from I still proudly say "DOVE HOLES".

Marcus Jones
BBb Bass Vernon Building Society Poynton Band
27th Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks for letting us know Marcus about Dove Holes - and we hope the band is going from strength to strength. It still sounds like something from the Reeves and Mortimer Show though doesn't it? What ever happened to Ferodo though, were they they band that came and went spectaculary in the late 50's early 1960's?

Just to let you know that Dove Holes is a tiny village in the peak district and had the dubious honour, I think, of being voted the ugliest village in Britain last
year. However, after this accolade according to the local press they have now entered for the prettiest village competition for
this year.

A band with probably the longest competing name could have been Besses o' th' Barn Band in association with J W Lees Brewery Limited.

Janet Lewis
27th Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks Janet. Has Dove Holes ever had such publicity! Never been to the place ourselves but there are a few towns and villages in South Wales that take some beating when it comes to being described as "Ugly". Ever been to Abercorki?

As for the long name - thats a good one, but we are sure there have been longer ones. Did Llanfair PG (You know the one with gogogoch on the end) ever have a Prize Silver Workmens Temperance Band? That certainly would have been the one to beat.

Disappointing Messiah.
Being 85 years old and having enjoyed "MESSIAH" for over 70 years with amateur choirs, semi-professional orchestras and professional soloists; I was intrigued to discover from my neighbour "MESSIAH" being performed and recorded with a notable brass band instead of an orchestra.

However since purchasing and listening to the CD I am very disappointed in the performance. The Black Dyke band is up to their usual high standard but apparently they have over-powered the singers somewhat. I felt sorry for the soloists especially as they struggle to be heard and were virtually overwhelmed by the band that obviously should have (been) quietened down in some way or other during the vocal passages. My only other recording of "MESSIAH" is on tape recorded in 1965 by Malcolm Sargent with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Choral Society with organ and plays for 2 hours and 20 minutes. This is the usual performance length, and still sounds superb 37 years later.

Your version has been terribly foreshortened and does not include at least 5 choruses & arias that tend to spoil the flow of the story which I think is regrettable to say the least. Please also note that Handel called his oratorio "MESSIAH" without the prefix THE.

Yours faithfully,
Wilfrid Fletcher

I would like to say I agree with all the comments made by my neighbour Mr Fletcher and that I too felt the overall sound of the CD was very poor and unbalanced, there didn't seem to be enough dynamic contrast for me either. I confirmed this by playing a CD of Tchaikovsky's 4th symphony recorded by Deutsche Grammophone and the difference was amazing. I urge you to compare for yourselves, don't just take my word for it!
Yours disappointed,
A. Morrison
27th Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks for the comments gentlemen about "Messiah" - you are accurate to say there is no definate article to place in front of it.

We reviewed the CD and thought it a very fine achievement not only musically but also in terms of production. It was a brave and enlightened choice by Doyen to bring to the market a recording of such scope and rarity.

The recording is bound to be different from any orchestral arrangment, but we still think the merits of this one far outweigh any shortcomings in terms of balance, dynamic contrasts and missing sections. There are difficulties though and these are evident throughout, but overall we give it very much a thumbs up.

Top 10 Horn Players?
Hi there!

Have you done a top 10 tenor horn players of all time yet? I am writing an article for my training bands newsletter about the tenor horn and wanted to include something informative such as that! Do you have anything else?

I think your site is great and I'm going to recommend in my newsletter that they all visit it!

Cheers
Helen Morgan
27th Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks Helen for the kind remarks! We will be getting around to doing a top 10 horn feature in the near future so keep your eyes peeled. You can use anything off the site that you wish. We did review the Yamaha horn a couple of weeks ago if this is of use.

St. James Revives!
My dear friends,
Firstly a belated happy, healthy, and successful New Year.Mine can only improve, as I caught a cold over Xmas, which developed into a lung infection and a short visit to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. They released
me for good behaviour two days ago, and that's hard work for me as I've never been good.

They pumped me full of steroids, antibiotics, and put me on the oxygen. I've never been a gin drinker and prefer its taste to Booth's or Gordons. They even allowed me to have a dram of 15-year-old MacCallan of an evening. I told them I preferred it orally rather than intravenously which they did offer to do. Unfortunately I was only allowed 20 mls, how mean can you get, I put that much behind my ears for perfume. I think they were glad to get rid of me in the end as I was beginning to take over ward rounds, injection duties, and preparing to perform surgery in the theatre. I'm sure I looked good in the uniform, as did the nurses.

Rita and I send our love to you all and good wishes.

David James
23rd Jan

PS. Must be better the sense of humour's back :-)

4BR reply:

Great to have the Doyen back and raring to go! As you may know David James has written some great work for us and has been a valuable member of the 4BR team since we set up. He is one of the best loved men of the banding world, top notch conductor and teacher and a dab hand at the old fishing and snooker. It's a pleasure to report that he's been making mischief again and enjoying himself, although we are sure the NHS was glad to see the back of him!

4BR Out of Toon!
I play for the Newcastle Brown ale Band, but where are we in your so call world rankings. I strongly disagree with the choices on the list. In actual fact we have achieved 4th place at our area championships for four out of the past five contests. This surely must put us above some of the lesser bands in your list, in fact we should be very near Fishburn band as we contest against them & we know how far, in points, we are behind them.

I should like to know how you work out where the bands are put in the list?

Yours sincerely
L Peart.
23rd Jan

4BR reply:
Sorry if you think we've got it wrong, but the 4BR world rankings are considered as perhaps the most accurate reflection of the current status of bands in contesting terms. We don't "choose" the bands on the list - they get there by merit and dint of doing well at contests.

If you would like to know how they are worked out please go the rankings page and there is a link to a full explaination. We also gave a full list of all the contests we took into account during the last year on the end of year rankings. Hopefully if the band gets another good result or two during the early part of 2002 you will see yourselves in there.

Jump Suits.
Dear All,
I too was in Orion Airways Brass at the same time as Richard, Although "Slightly" older the slight flair he refers to was more like the parachute style. Speaking of parachutes, I think we were the only band to have loops on the trousers to attach the parachute to, literally.

The Britannia flowered blouses for the girls was a terrific idea, I think not. I left the band shortly afterwards. Pretty glad as I cannot stand green that they wear now. I went to play for a band that wore yellow "monkey" jackets and one that wore red.

Anyway nice to see a blast from the past name on the sight. Best wishes to Richard at Travelsphere.

David Beal GBSM A.Mus.LCM ABSM(P) ABSM(T) ABSM(C)
23rd Jan

4BR reply:
Thanks David. Mighty impressive list of acronyms after your name me old son - must make signing the Xmas cards a bit of a chore!

Nice to know you've recoverd from the "Orion" experience but the talk of parachutes reminded us that "The Parachute Club" was once the nickname of the only nightspot in the small Welsh town of Abertywsswg - so called because if you couldn't get a "jump" there you couldn't get one to save your life! Sorry!

Letter from America
As a former solo horn player with the Cowdenbeath Brass Band ( now Kingdom Brass ) in Scotland and having lived in California and Nevada for the last 10
years I was so pleased to come across your web-site. It has been giving me so much information about what's been happening in the Brass Band world and just wanted to say a big thank you. Keep up the good work.

We have several brass bands in the Western USA, namely in Los Angeles, Phoenix and here in Las Vegas, Nevada. Once again thank you.


23rd Jan

4BR reply:
Nice to know we are making an impression across the old pond, even in the outosts of Las Vegas. Any chance of a brass band doing a weeks residency at the "Dunes" with a couple of the "Rat Pack" lads or Tom Jones as back up?

Keep us informed of what is going on in the USA as we don't get to hear much about the banding scene in America.

Wodonga Calling.
Excellent website guys. My husband and I play with Wodonga Brass, strangely enough situated in Wodonga in Victoria in Australia.

We have been surfing the net trying to find a couple of bands to come have a blow with when we come to England for a holiday later in the year. We gate crashed a rehearsal session with Castle Point Brass last time we were there and had a wonderful time. I am so envious of the standard and number of brass bands you poms have access to and we can't wait to get back and get amongst it again.

I enjoyed your review on band uniforms through the decades. Wodonga Brass has been making huge efforts lately to drag itself, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century and make some fashion wise changes to the uniform. Gone now are the dreadful A Line skirts and leg-o-mutton sleeved blouses the ladies have had to suffer as well as the grotty grey pants the men have had to tolerate for the past 25 years. It's reassuring to know that we haven't been suffering alone and that some of the best bands in the world can still make some dreadful uniform choices.

We've also changed our name in the last 6 months from Wodonga Citizens' Band to Wodonga Brass. A small thing really, but certainly a more attractive and less "dorky" name. Now that I've found your site I'm definately going to keep in touch with what's going on in the world outside Wodonga. As a side note, my husband and I would love to hear from any bands to the north of London, anywhere near Pinner, who would allow us to come and share a rehearsal evening with them while we are visiting. Congrats again on 4barsrest....keep up the good work.

Caryl Cook
Wodonga Brass - Australia

P.S. If anyone wants to get in contact with me about perhaps playing with them during our holiday to they can reach me on
carylcook@greenfreight.com.au
23rd Jan

4BR reply:
Wodonga eh? Now thats what we call a brass banding hotspot if ever we have heard one. It's given us the thought of doing a top 10 list of the weirdest band names of all time.

We'll stick a list up on the site tonight and see if anyone can better them. Hope you can get to have a blow when you come to the UK and if anyone can help we have given your e mail address. As for Aussies and bad dress sense, we were under the impression that the two were not mutually exclusive!

Welsh bias?
Why is it that every time you (4barsrest) review a Black Dyke concert you go overboard with the praise and never seem to criticise their playing. I have never read so biased an opinion every time you hear them. I know both you and Nicholas Childs are Welsh and Doyen recordings advertise on the site, but can you please be a bit more objective with your coverage.

I was at the Northern concert and have to say Black Dyke played really well only on the Philip Wilby piece, the rest was just very ordinary and both Roger Webster and Brett Baker weren't on top form. Come on lads - lets have some unbiased criticism.

Mr Carl Hillman
21st Jan

4BR reply:
Don't know what we've done to irk you Carl, but I'm sure just because we and Mister Childs are Welsh isn't a firm foundation for your opinion.

We have been critical of Dyke in the past, including one of the first concert reviews we ever did going back 9 months when they played in Cardiff in fact!

We stick by our reporters and have complete faith in their opinions. John Ward hasn't even got a Welsh grandmother as far as we know and he did comment that he felt there were moments when things didn't quite run smooth through a very demanding programme. Still - we can't please everyone all the time. Are you in anyway related to Anne Robinson?

Out of the Closet?
As chairman of the Hanwell Band, I have to admit that the infamous pink Hanwell jackets are still in existance, albeit hidden away in our bandroom out of harms way! There are as yet no plans to bring them out of retirement - the wolf whistles that greeted every Hanwell performance when they were worn were far too much to bear as can be confirmed by Charley Brighton and his contempories!

Kay Wiblin
The Hanwell Band
21st Jan

4BR reply:
My God! - you mean that they could return again like the curse of the Mummy and appear once more in all their evil glory? They must be burnt - if only to protect any impressionable youngsters who may be corrupted by seeing them worn in the flesh! You are a brave, brave woman Kay!

Oh! Suits You Sir
With all this talk of Awful Uniforms - let's face it, lion taming jackets aren't exactly the height of fashion anymore - what about uniforms which drag brass bands into the 21st century, rather than date them from the 19th century?

I nominate my own band, First City Brass (different coloured button-down shirts) as a contender for a top 10. Others nominees are local rivals, Redbridge, and Grimethorpe circa. 2002 (black DJ's) at the forefront of modern looking bands? Any other contenders?
Can't brass bands now confine to the bin pseudo-military uniforms?

Richard Robinson
First City Brass
21st Jan

4BR reply:
Sorry to disagree with you Richard, but we quite like the old style jackets - but we agree they only look nice when they are not in pink, orange, yellow, bright green or violet.

Because bands are usually composed of blokes of varying shapes and sizes wearing DJ's won't make them look like Brad Pitt or James Bond - more like Bernard Manning or Cyril Smith.

As for the multi coloured look - great in their own way, but it can make you look like a tube of Opel Fruits if you're not careful! Still, if we all wore black it would look like an undertakers covention.

Come Fly With Me

This healthy debate on Band Uniforms has got me thinking back to the days when we of the South East Derbyshire Music Centre Youth Brass Band, branched
out became a 4th section band and then went and got their 1st sponsorship deal with Orion Airways.

At a tender 13 years of age, I travelled to East Midlands Airport where their uniform department was based, to find that we were being kitted out in what were their Stewards uniform. Now a 13 year old, pubescent boy never wanted to dress up as an air steward or stewardess for that matter, especially when that uniform was what could only be described as dog's mess brown, and the propensity was for a slight flair. Nevertheless, a year later I had grown 6 inches, sadly my trousers hadn't. Embarrassed, I think
so. How pleased I was when Orion Airways was then taken over by Britannia Airways, whose stewards' uniform was a royal blue. Slightly better admittedly.

Britannia Airways then withdrew their sponsorship and the band became Thorntons Brass,(after the chocolates) in a rather fetching bright green
bolero jacket. Failing that it doesn't stop the band being a regular in the Midlands Championship section.

Nowadays I prefer the understated dress sense, and the Travelsphere Blue
appeals more.

Richard Walker
2nd Trombone
Travelsphere Holidays Band.
21st Jan

4BR reply:
Nice to know you finaly got to wear a sensible uniform at Travelsphere, but the experience of dressing as an air stewardess must have been a bit disconcerting for an impressionable hormonal pre pubescent 13 year old.

Doesn't seem to have done you any harm, but tell us. Did you have to show the audience the life jacket drill before you played and serve cold food and booze up the aisles in the bars rest?

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