The 2015 Festival concluded with Foden's and Black Dyke on high quality form.

It was therefore a pity that the evening's entertainment was played out in a rather subdued atmosphere, with a disappointingly small audience sprinkled around the vast hall. There can’t have been many more than 700 present.

Foden's 

It was Foden's who kicked the two and a half hour concert off with a high energy set under Michael Fowles; from a slick 'Festive Overture' and passionate rendition of Heaton's wonderful, 'Just As I Am' to the premiere concert performance of Simon Proctor's 'Trombone Concerto No 3'.

Free rein

Soloist John Barber revelled in the music - superbly so. The two movement format (as opposed to the normal three) allowed the composer to extend thematic material through a variety of genres.  In turn, Barber was given free rein to explore - and by heck he did just that - quite splendidly. It was a true tour-de-force performance. 

Colourful Spanish flair came with 'La Boda de Luis Alonso' before a classy account of Ernest Tomlinson’s 'Little Serenade' - a perfectly formed piece of serious ‘light wave’ radio music led us to the finale and the 'West Side Story' suite arranged by Eric Crees.

Even with Foden’s ability, it still sounds so stilted played by a brass band; the feral rebelliousness replaced by wholly misplaced well trained intentions. It was just too well mannered.  That just left time for a cheeky little extra, 'Sing, Sing, Sing' complete with some superb percussion work from Anthony Mann.

Black Dyke

The long day concluded with Black Dyke, with a no-nonsense programme that set out to impress - and did. 

Paul Lovatt-Cooper's 'Where Eagles Sing' got things off to a vibrant start before Gareth Small, principal trumpet of Halle Orchestra, was the guest soloist on the Arutiunian 'Trumpet Concerto' - played with charismatic Armenian flamboyance and abundant Welsh virtuosity.

Poise

Peter Graham's arrangement of Bruce Broughton's, 'Alone, Yet Not Alone' was full of reflected poise, before the trio of brass band swing number fillers led into the  finale of Peter Graham's 'Metropolis 1927' and the lollipop encore of ‘William Tell’.

A disappointingly small crowd had enjoyed plenty of value for their money from both bands.

Malcolm Wood