The recent 2016 BBC Music Day saw Unite the Union Band take part in a performance in the heart of their home city of Sheffield.

The imaginative day saw 22 performers in many different locations, with their set alongside the Everly Pregnant Brothers at Sheffield's Peace Gardens, in a partnership created with the help of Brass Bands England, causing a social media storm as fans of both groups posted the short concert on-line.

Charismatic

The Everly Pregnant Brothers are a charismatic mix of ukuleles, string bass, drummer and front man and according to their own publicity are, '…a bunch of disparate chaps [with] three things in common: the love of beer, ukuleles and having a laugh.'

They have carved a creative niche by taking well-known classic pop songs and 'tampering' (some with adult themes) with the lyrics to produce musical art that celebrates Sheffield and takes a humorous squint at life. They are cherished by locals and enjoyed far further afield.

Collaboration

The BBC Music Day collaboration came about when Brass Bands England Liaison Officer Rachel Veitch-Straw was approached by the Sheffield Makes Music team to work on a shared performance.

The connection was made as part of an earlier Brass Bands England project, Brass with Beethoven in May this year.

Interweaved

Unite's Composer in Residence, Mike Kilmartin, rose to the challenge, taking the Brothers' versions of popular tunes to create backing arrangements for the band which skillfully interweaved the brass band sounds with the Everly Pregnant Brothers' driving ukulele chords.

The Sheffield crowd adored the collaboration, with the performance shared immediately on YouTube, ricocheting around Facebook and Twitter.

Unite's Composer in Residence, Mike Kilmartin, rose to the challenge, taking the Brothers' versions of popular tunes to create backing arrangements for the band4BR

Links

Rachel told 4BR: "Both the Everly Pregnant Brothers and Unite the Union Band were thrilled to have reached new audiences and exciting plans are now being made for further collaborations within Sheffield's melting pot of music.

The BBE team is constantly strengthening links between brass bands and new performance opportunities and can help your band achieve their dreams, so I urge bands to get in touch to arrange a chat!"