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We caught up with Phil Spencer, bass trombone player with the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band, ahead of his performance at Morley Town Hall on Saturday 28 September 2024 as part of the Leeds Best of Brass 2024/2025 series.

How long have you played with the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band and what position do you currently hold?
I have played for 25 years on bass trombone.

What’s the best thing about playing in a brass band?
Hard to pick just one thing, but the work ethic and commitment to excellence, the camaraderie (within the band and across the wider brass band community), and the opportunities to play great music in great venues.

What’s your highlight so far with the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band?
Again picking just one is really hard. There have been many contesting highlights, and we’ve been lucky to play concerts in amazing venues across the UK and Europe. But actually some of my most memorable moments have been in the band room during rehearsals, there are times when I just listen to the other players and am in awe at how ridiculously good they are. Literally world class.

How did you get involved with playing a brass instrument?
My three older sisters all played instruments (not brass), and my dad encouraged me to learn to play something. I was very reluctant at first and picked the trombone almost at random. I have a lot to thank him for.

What was your earliest musical experience?
My first meaningful musical memories are probably from hearing the school brass band and orchestra when we had gone to listen to my sisters in the school concert. This is after I’d started playing but before I had started secondary school, so had no experience of ensemble playing. I remember being blown away at the intricacy and complexity of music that a group can play compared with an individual.

Who has been your biggest influence?
Steve Baxter who was my trombone teacher from about age fourteen to eighteen. Not only for the direct tuition, but also how he guided my wider musical experiences by introducing me to ensembles, master classes, other players and teachers at key moments when I was ready to learn from them. It might seem weird but I also take a lot of inspiration from Steve Davis the snooker player. So much of what he says about the mental side of snooker applies to brass playing.

Do you enjoy practising or find it a chore?
I absolutely love practicing. I just wish I had more time to do it!

Were your parents musical?
My dad played piano, and was a fanatical listener of classical music. Mum and Dad were both regular concert goers.

What piece of music do you most enjoy playing?
I can find something to enjoy in almost every piece I’m playing whatever it is, but I think I’d probably say Masquerade by Philip Wilby.

What are the best and worst things about performing?
The best is when as a band everything you try to do comes off – every little nuance, every dynamic, every change of blend and balance. You get into that flow state and just feel like everything you touch turns to gold. The players all bounce off how well each other are playing and it feels incredible. The worst is unloading the van after the gig!

What can the audience expect from a performance by the Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band?
A varied programme with something to hopefully suit everyone, heart on the sleeve playing and complete commitment!