Fresh from finishing a highly creditable fifth and winning the 'Most Entertaining Band' prize at the recent UniBrass Championships in Harrogate, the University of Warwick Brass Society has been featured on one of BBC Radio 2's flagship afternoon programmes.
Radio Roulette
The band's success at the UniBrass Shield event came courtesy of their innovative 'radio-themed' set — which included a specially commissioned medley entitled 'Radio Roulette' of famous radio tunes, including the theme to Simon Mayo's 'Drivetime' programme, written by composer Robert Ramskill.
Not only did the performance make an impression on the adjudicators Philip Harper and Anne Crookston, who described it as displaying 'real imagination', but a few days later it seems someone at the BBC had heard it and asked the band if part of it could be featured on the Tuesday edition of the popular show.
Chat
Simon Mayo is a University of Warwick graduate and a recording of the piece was played live on air alongside an interview with Cameron Barker, the band's principal trombonist. Cameron and Simon chatted about a variety of things, including UniBrass, life at university and the brass band movement through the UK as a whole.
A band spokesperson told 4BR: "To receive any sort of national radio airtime is rare for a brass band or a university society, and we are extremely grateful to the show for setting up the performance."
To receive any sort of national radio airtime is rare for a brass band or a university society, and we are extremely grateful to the show for setting up the performanceBand spokesperson
Listen again
The programme is still available to listen to for the next three weeks on the BBC's iPlayer Radio service@ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08f3zz3). The clip and the interview are about 17 minutes in.
