How long have you played with GUS Band and what position do you currently hold?
I joined GUS Band in 2018, so just over five years; I feel proud to occupy the solo baritone chair. This is actually my second stint with the band, previously playing with the band in 2006-7. During that time I played both solo baritone and solo euphonium but had to leave due to work and family commitments.

What’s the best thing about playing in a brass band?
For me playing in a brass band gives me the chance to switch off from the day-to-day pressures of work and totally absorb myself in playing music with other fantastic musicians. The level of concentration required playing for GUS means that you can’t help but become completely absorbed in the music.

What’s your highlight so far with GUS Band?
There are so many to mention. In the last five years I’ve played in some fantastic performances – our 2020 area contest winning performance of Philip Sparke’s A Tale as Yet Untold stands out as really special. I’ve also had the good fortune of playing some great solos with the band, John Golland’s Rhapsody No 2 for Baritone being a particular favourite. At every rehearsal, I look around at the quality of the musicians and conductors, and the memorabilia on display around the band room from contest wins over the last nine decades, and feel privileged to be a member of a band with such heritage and pedigree.

How did you get involved with playing a brass instrument?
I grew up in a Yorkshire village that had its own brass band. My parents ran the local working men’s club for a few years and every now and then the band would rehearse there. I remember thinking how amazing it sounded. Both my brother and I wanted to join immediately.

What was your earliest musical experience?
As a young child my brothers and I were regularly involved in the local village pantomime, however the experience that had the most profound impact on me was going to the Yorkshire area contest as a young teenager in 1987 to listen to the Championship Section play George Lloyd’s Diversions on a Bass Theme. The venue, St George’s Hall in Bradford, was so full that people had to sit in the aisles to listen and each performance sent shivers down my spine. Even now just thinking back to it gives me goose bumps.

Who has been your biggest influence?
When it comes to playing in brass bands I don’t think there has been just one person; I’ve been lucky to work with many great musicians and conductors over the years. If I had to single out a few then I would say that in my teenage years Alan Morrison was really influential. At the time he was principal cornet at Grimethorpe and the conductor of my first contest winning band, Allerton Bywater Colliery Band. He showed me what being a championship level player and conductor was all about. I was in the band that recorded his Satchmo – Oh Yeah solo CD and for two whole days he recorded solo after solo after solo, and all were faultless.

Later on Dave Roberts at Rothwell was also a conductor that I admired and really looked up to. Not only was he a talented conductor who knew exactly what he wanted from his players, he was a genuine, all-round nice guy who was “one of the gang”. Dave, and his family, nurtured a real sense of being a part of a “band family” whilst at the same time managing to create performances of the highest level, something most bands only aspire to. I have fantastic memories of playing at Rothwell, especially winning the Swiss Open and Pontins Championships literally in the space of four weeks, in 2000.

Do you enjoy practising or find it a chore?
As a kid I never practised and hated it, but these days I love practising. I find it really relaxing and a way of switching off from the outside world. I have a really busy life so tend to practice in my car before work and during my lunch break, earning the nickname “Tooter”. I often laugh watching people walk past the car bemused!

Were your parents musical?
When my brother and I joined our first brass band they were both recruited too, my dad on trombone and mum on cornet. They didn’t play for long though.

What piece of music do you most enjoy playing?
I enjoy all of the music we play but especially a good competition piece, something difficult that makes you work hard and improve as a player.

What’s the best and worst things about performing?
For me the best thing is experiencing that absolute focus and concentration. I think athletes refer to it as “being in the zone” – at that moment literally nothing else matters. If there is a “worst thing” it would be the amount of waiting around we have to do before performances, particularly when performing at a competition. 

What can audiences expect from a performance by GUS Band?
The audience can expect a really entertaining, high octane performance from a GUS Band that is playing at its best with a sublime team of soloists. I hope everyone enjoys the show!

How long have you played with Rothwell Temperance Band and what position do you currently hold? 
I joined Rothwell in 2019 and I currently play the position of third cornet in the band. 

What’s the best thing about playing in a brass band?
Spending time with family and friends creating quality music and being part of such an amazing sound. Both my parents also currently play in Rothwell. My dad plays cornet and mum plays the baritone. 

What’s your highlight so far with Rothwell Temperance Band?
My biggest highlight so far was qualifying for the National Championships in 2022 on the piece Contest Music and having the opportunity to play in the Royal Albert Hall. Also winning the Grand Shield in the same year on the piece Dynasty, gaining invitation to the British Open. 

How did you get involved with playing a brass instrument?
Brass banding runs in my family with both my parents and other family members playing at high levels. 

What was your earliest musical experience?
In 1997, when I was six months old, I sat in the National Finals Trophy held by my Uncle Martin who played with the winning band, Brighouse & Rastrick Band.

Who has been your biggest influence?
Both my parents have been my biggest influences throughout my banding career. 

Do you enjoy practising or find it a chore?
I mostly enjoy practicing, depending on the piece of music. 

What piece of music do you most enjoy playing?
I enjoy playing a variety of different pieces, but I enjoyed playing Wilfred Heaton’s Contest Music the most. 

What’s the best and worst things about performing?
The best things about performing are being able to entertain different audiences and being part of a team producing music to the highest standard. 

What can audiences expect from a performance by Rothwell Temperance Band?
A very musical, entertaining, diverse programme with playing of the highest quality.

How long have you played with Flowers Band and what position do you currently hold?
I was invited to a Flowers Band rehearsal in May 2019 by a friend I’d met in the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain some years earlier. I enjoyed the challenge of playing at such a high level, and I joined Flowers Band in May 2019 on 4th solo cornet at the age of sixteen. The band, and conductor Paul Holland, have been very supportive of my development as a player, and I gradually progressed up the solo cornet line to the principal cornet position, to which I was appointed in 2022.

What’s the best thing about playing in a brass band?
That’s a difficult question as there are so many aspects of being part of a brass band that I enjoy. The high level of music making is definitely up there; we’re able to produce some fantastic performances in world class venues which wouldn’t be possible without playing in the band. I’ve also been fortunate to travel for international playing opportunities which wouldn’t have been possible without the connections I’ve made through banding. The other thing for me is the social aspect. As we spend a lot of time together as group we’re close and never miss the opportunity for a pint, a curry, or to celebrate a special occasion together.

What’s your highlight so far with Flowers Band?
With the amount of personal practise and rehearsal time as an ensemble we put in for contest performances, achieving a good contest result is incredibly rewarding. For me, my first British Open performance in 2019 will always stand out. This is not only because of the good result for the band, coming fifth, but because it was my first time performing at such a prestigious contest which from my earliest playing days had been described as the pinnacle of brass band competitions. On the concert stage, our appearance at The Three Choirs Festival in 2023 was a great experience. To be the first brass band to feature in concert at the event in around 40 years was really special. We performed three times at the festival, the final of which was a concert in Gloucester Cathedral to over 500 people, playing several major works. It was a heavy programme and a lot of work to prepare so much music in the band’s busy schedule, but the amazing reception definitely made it all worth it.

How did you get involved with playing a brass instrument?
I originally started learning the violin at school but was always drawn to the brass section at the back of the orchestra. Knowing this, my mum investigated the best way for me to learn and I went down to my local band fifteen minutes down the road, Shipston Town Band. There, I received an instrument, tuition, and membership of the band for free, and the rest is history, as they say.

What was your earliest musical experience?
My earliest musical banding experience was playing in the band’s own solo contest. I was eight years old, and I stood in front of the audience ready to play Victorian Ballard from the Team Brass book but before starting, I couldn’t even play a tuning note. Hopefully things have progressed since then!

Who has been your biggest influence?
This is difficult to answer as there are many people who I could talk about. Richard Marshall, Tom Hutchinson, Roger Webster, Philip McCann, Kirsty Abbotts; the list is long, and it’s impossible to name everyone whose playing I take inspiration from. Somebody I really must mention is Dave Birch, who gave me my first 30-minute lesson and continues to be a huge supporter of everything I currently do and have achieved to this date. My early days in Shipston Town Band were so crucial to my development as a player and I’ll always be thankful to the people who were patient with me, pointing, and singing rhythms for me when I was younger. In Flowers Band, I have the privilege to sit in front of Paul Richards on soprano cornet. Paul plays with such musicality and emotion and has given a lot of guidance to me. Hearing his playing week in, week out is just sensational, he really is the best in the business and is one of those people you never stop learning from.

Do you enjoy practising or find it a chore?
In short, yes. I like a challenge, and so having stretching music to play at band really motivates me to practice. I do enjoy playing in general, so I guess that makes it easier. That isn’t to say that I don’t have days when I don’t feel as motivated or get extremely frustrated with myself!

Were your parents musical?
Not at all, but they have always been extremely supportive of my banding and playing aspirations. Although neither of them can read music, they can tell a good performance at a contest, and will never be shy of offering an opinion on a performance or the progression of a contest day! My mum can often be seen selling programmes, CDs, and raffle tickets in our local concerts, so is definitely part of the extended Flowers Band family.

What piece of music do you most enjoy playing?
In general, I tend to like anything with a good melody. However, one piece that will always be special to me is Sand and Stars by Thierry Deleruyelle. As part of my languages degree I studied in Switzerland for a year and was fortunate to play on the front row with the brass band, Treize Etoiles. They commissioned Sand and Stars for the ‘Own Choice’ aspect of the Swiss Brass Band National Championship. We were lucky enough to win the contest, qualifying for the 2023 European Championship in Malmö, Sweden. The band used the piece once again for the ‘Own Choice’ part of the competition, and the reception from the audience after the performance will stay with me for a long time. It really was just fantastic to win the contest overall, being crowned European Champion.

What’s the best and worst things about performing?
I love performing to an audience, because it’s an opportunity for the band to demonstrate the hard work that we put in in the band room, and I get a huge amount of personal satisfaction when we play to our best. I love the sound of a brass band and haven’t found anything yet that can possibly compare to it. The most difficult thing has to be nerves… it can be daunting walking on to the contest stage, and it doesn’t get any easier! That said, the satisfaction at the end of a good performance makes it totally worth it.

What can the audience expect from a performance by Flowers Band?
Our programmes are really eclectic. There really is something for everyone, with brand new works, brass band classics, film music, solos and more. When we’re on stage, I think you can see that we’re really having fun with what we do, and that we thoroughly enjoy playing for our audiences. Our conductor Paul is a great compere as well. His light humour, and occasional tangents, always adds an extra layer to the music making.