The Hammonds Band recently joined forces with the award winning Onyx Brass ensemble for the world premiere performance of 'Holocene' by Irish composer Ailis Ni Riain.

The 13 minute work for brass quintet, brass band and cymbal ensemble formed part of the music on offer at Bradford Cathedral as part of the New Music Biennial hosted this year as part of the Bradford, UK City of Culture celebrations.

Vivid soundscape

In its 4 star review in The Guardian newspaper, critic Flora Wilson called it a, "vivid soundscape of life on Earth 11,000 years ago".

It was one she wrote that embraced "prehistoric megafauna getting the Jaws treatment", including "lower brass growls" and "four percussionists who teased waves of soft rustling from cymbals with small battery-operated vibrators."

Wonderful piece

Speaking about the performance, a Hammonds spokesperson said: "We're pleased to have been involved in such a high-profile performance, which adds to a growing list of recent appearances including BBC Radio 2 with Jeremy Vine and a live broadcast on BBC One on Christmas Day.

We would like to give a huge thank you to Ailis Ni Riain for her wonderful piece — it was a real pleasure to play and we all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We're proud to continue representing the region on national platforms."

Repeat

The work will be performed again at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London on Saturday 5th July (4.00pm) featuring Onyx Brass alongside the Amersham Band.