to have found myself developing a distinct fondness for brass bands?

[hatwoman]

at the weekend I had the great privelege to sit on my doorstep in the evening sunshine (two days on the trot in fact) with a cup of tea, surveying a lovely view of an old village street (which is actually quite like a sqaure) with a hill rising up in the background, while a brass band played just 20 metres infront of me.

pieces like Danny Boy, Shostakovich' Second Waltz and the lovely, if rather suprisingly provenanced (not sure if that's a verb but never mind), theme to Jurassic Park. It was positively magical.

Today I have been listening to the same stuff on YouTube (the clip of Danny Boy from Brassed Off is plain dangerous if you're a softy like me) and I have admitted to myself that I love this stuff.

Is this middle age?

Why do they make us cry though?! :)

X post with bandgeek - you've just answered my question :)

warm is exactly the word that came to my mind. such soft rounded noises coming out of such solid instruments. and "awfully jolly" too. lovely description. bikerunski - I live in the Peak District. and like Abra's Whitby experience in Whitby - this weekend was just so "right".

we have recently moved to this village - it was a village event and I spent the afternoons helping out, chatting to lots of lovely people and then enjoyed the band on my doorstep. fabulous.

love this piece -

bandgeek something I noticed - and loved - about the band - was all the different ages. from about 14 to 70 I reckon. all joined together by their music.

would love to link to austrian not-quite-umpah brass band but blardy ipad doesn't let me...

joric -

btw, the band in my link is not mine!

Love this thread hatwoman!

Hatwoman very envious that you live in the Peak, we used to live between Castleton and Hope. We are no longer actually in the Peaks, but not really very far off - nearest bit of PD is about 6 miles away.

I blubbed my way through DS's Welcoming Ceremony - at Langsett in Peaks- to the tune of "That'll do" by the Black Dyke Band.

I can't swear by it, but I'm fairly sure I saw hypnotic brass ensemble playing at St Pancras once - it was the EuroStar was fecked and I think they got called in to amuse the delayed passengers. they were awesome

Brass bands, womans hour on Radio 4, documentaries about historic houses....crotchet me a blanket and buy me a one foot slipper cos I'm loving them all!

Lila :)

Anybody tried Gugge Music?

This is awesome

I give you Acid Brass (a step too far I fear)

yikes

YANBU - bikerunski I love that quote about brass band music stroking the northern soul; that's exactly how it feels. There's a tremendous quiet dignity about a brass band, particularly the colliery bands; the delicacy of the performance, contrasting with the power of the instruments. I'm another brass weeper, and I don't mind admitting it.

oh blummin heck. just listening to Grimethorpe playing Nimrod and I'm welling up for the 50th time today. esp when reading the quote someone put on youtube from his sick father: "only real people play music this good. Never forget it."

that's it isn't it? that's part of why it moves us. it's the historical and social aspect. this is not music by graduates of the finest musical schools. it's by people who make space for music inbetween hard work and looking after their famillies,

bandgeek - thanks for the link to Irish Blessing. lovely

The quote I love from Brassed Off is 'if this lot were seals or whales you'd be up in bloody arms'

So true!

Anyone remember Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band Floral Dance - I bought it when the single was out! And I'm not sure, but I MAY have the Terry Wogan version in my old singles box as well

Sniff. I love Grimethorpe CB cos my DM is from Grimethorpe and my GGD was a member of the band. He played the euphonium and the group photo of the c1920 band has pride of place on my wall.

I did get a little bit cross with my GD though when he forgot to mention that Ewan McGregor was in the village when they were filming Brassed Off. They even filmed in the shop he used to own! How very dare they...

DS graduated last week and they had a small group of the Black Dyke Band playing during the ceremony. They were amazing. Almost as good as GCB. And they played Danny Boy. Sniff....

I live not far from Huddersfield, and they have been having "Brass in the Park" all summer. It has been a very uplifting few weeks.

I play in a brass band, and my son is tootling away on his tenor horn in the background as I type this. Somewhere..... beyond the sea......

Just fabulous.

(He can also play the kitchen taps, which don't sound quite so fabulous, but it's an impressive skill none the less.)