*
banner

Bands in the FT

An article on Hammonds Saltaire and the Yorkshire Regional Championships is set to appear in the Financial Times magazine this Saturday by award winning journalist Matthew Engel.

Sy George's Hall
 

Hot on the heels of articles in the 'Times', editorials in the 'Guardian' and even a television programme on BBC2, there is yet more national press coverage to come – and in the 'FT' newspaper no less.

Respected

A feature article will appear in the 'Financial Times' Saturday magazine this weekend, written by one of the UK’s most respected journalists, Matthew Engel.

Matthew came to the Yorkshire Regional Championships after the FT photographer, Lorne Campbell, told him about the event and the story behind the rebranded Hammonds Saltaire Band. Matthew writes regular features in the magazine about stories that interest him, bringing a flavour of the places and people he meets.

I thought they played really well and following 4BR on Twitter, it seemed others, like yourself, liked their performance tooMatthew Engel

Award winner

The former editor of the world famous cricketing 'Wisden Almanack' and award winning journalist on the Guardian and Observer newspapers, took the opportunity to come up from his Herefordshire home and spend Saturday following Hammonds as they prepared to play in the First Section contest.

Warm welcome

4BR caught up with him on Tuesday, and as he explained, he found the whole event both exhilarating as well as a touch bewildering too.

"I had a lovely welcome from the band when I came to see them before the contest, and was rooting for them as they took to the stage. I thought they played really well and following 4BR on Twitter, it seemed others, like yourself, liked their performance too."

The result

So what did he think of the result?

"I’m not qualified to judge, but I did find it a touch bewildering and felt so sorry for the band after they put in so much effort," he said. "The whole contest experience was so fascinating and enjoyable though, and I hope the article will bring that over."

So is he a brass band fan? Mathew added: "Certainly, and I hope to follow up on the story some time in the future. It was a wonderful event, with great people and was very interesting."

The article should appear in the Financial Times magazine this Saturday.

Become a supporter and help make our future secure.

4barsrest continues to be a proudly independent voice. There are no paywalls to overcome to be able to enjoy what we do to keep our journalism at the heart of the brass banding world. Support us with a one-off donation or subscribe from just £2.50 per month.

Support us    


Elgar Howarth

Elgar Howarth funeral details

January 18 • The funeral of Elgar Howarth will take place in London in February.


Porthouse

2025 RNCM International Brass Band Festival: Interview with Ian Porthouse

January 18 • Ahead of their appearance at the forthcoming RNCM International Brass Band Festival, we catch up with Tredegar's MD to talk about their featured programme of music.


Gull Dances

Superbrass Saturday: Gull Dances (Terry Johns)

January 18 • A great series of dances inspired by Scottish gulls in flight, looking for food and soaring above the Scottish cliffs to add to any concert programme.


Fundraising

BBE boosts member services with project evaluation support

January 18 • A new initiative from Brass Bands England will help bands with their ongoing fund raising projects.


The Hepworth Band - Hepworth Band New Year Celebration Concert

Sunday 26 January • Christ Church, New Mill, Holmfirth HD97ER


Contest: Norwegian National Brass Band Championships

Friday 7 February • Grieghallen, Bergen, N-5015. N-5015


Contest: Norwegian National Brass Band Championships

Saturday 8 February • Grieghallen, Bergen, N-5015 N-5015


Haverhill Silver Band - Concert in Clare Church

Saturday 8 February • St Peter and St Paul Church, Clare, Suffolk CO10 8NY


Newstead Brass - VALENTINE'S VARIATIONS

Sunday 9 February • Ashwood Centre . Kirkby in Ashfield. Nottinghamshire Ng17 7ab


East London Brass

January 18 • 2nd TROMBONE - ELB are looking for a 2nd Trombone player to play at the areas in March. If you are interested in helping out with this temporary role, please reach out. We are a friendly, fun and ambitious band!


Kingdom Brass

January 17 • KIT PLAYER. Looking for a new start in 2025?. Kingdom Brass invites applications for a Kit Player specialist.. The band will be competing at the Scottish Championships, the Spring Festival, and the Scottish Open, local competitions and other events..


Kingdom Brass

January 17 • TUNED PERCUSSIONIST. Looking for a new start in 2025?. Kingdom Brass invites applications for a Tuned Percussionist.. The band will be competing at the Scottish Championships, the Spring Festival, and the Scottish Open, local competitions and other events..


Julian Bright


Conductor, Compere/MC, Cornet Soloist


               

 © 2025 4barsrest.com Ltd