Prior to their appearance at the recent British Open Championship in Birmingham, New Zealand champion Wellington Brass took the opportunity to visit some of the iconic venues of Pennine banding country.

And after enjoying a splendid ‘Whit Friday’ march through Dobcross village on a glorious warm evening, the band then gave an equally splendid concert in the packed surroundings of Dobcross Band Club.

Invitation

Having received an invitation to compete at the event, Wellington’s week-long visit incorporated not just the visit to the banding heartland of the country, but also plenty of sightseeing and hard rehearsal graft too. 

There was a steely determination about the band under their inspirational MD, Dave Bremner to give the audience a night to remember - and they certainly did that with a showcase concert of classy playing. 

Justified

'The Champions' march may not have been the most original of choices for the night - but when it was played by a band that had just won its fourth New Zealand National title, it was more than justified. 

The repertoire chosen was light and eclectic (no pre-contest run out for the test-piece due to the constraints on space), with Wellington delivering each number with a wonderfully balanced ensemble sound backed by a set of high quality solo leads.

Music ranged from Saint-Saens 'French Military March' and Goffin's 'The Light of the World', (dedicated to the recently deceased Dobcross and Brighouse & Rastrick cornet player, Bob Platt) through to Matthew Hall's engaging 'Legends of Cyfarthfa'.

Tip-top form

All of the soloists were on tip-top form - from cornet, baritone, flugel, horn, bass and last but certainly not least, the superb euphonium of former Tredegar player, Byron 'Buzz' Newton.

With people travelling a fair distance to hear them perform (although it was a short stroll compared to the thousands of miles racked up by the New Zealanders themselves) there was also an opportunity to catch up with old friends - none more so than euphonium duo Rikki McDonnell and Mike Kilroy treading the musical boards with a warm hearted rendition of 'Love Forever'.

It was a splendid way to remember an evening when a fine band, full of excellent musical ambassadors led by an exceptional MD came to pay homage in the heartland of British brass banding.  Let’s hope they return again.

Malcolm Wood