As Christmas approaches, the streets are alive with the sound of brass bands playing carols. A glance at any band’s website shows that, outside the contest season, carolling is their busiest time of year. It is generally...
Read MoreBack in 1963, the celebrated dramatist Dennis Potter wrote a review for the Daily Herald about a play by Ron Watson called Man of Brass. It starred Jimmy Edwards, a B-flat bass player called Ernie Briggs who preferred playing in...
Read MoreThis Whit Friday found me in the South Pennine town of Diggle which has hosted a brass band contest since 2013 as part of the annual Whit Friday Brass Band Contests in and around Saddleworth. The one defining element of the...
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