Press Release
Brass Festival
Monday 13th April 2015
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FUN LOVIN’ CRIMINALS WILL HEADLINE BRASS 2015
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THE WORLD’S SHINIEST BRASS BANDS AND A TOP DOLLAR TRIBUTE TO SWING’S
KINGS ARE ALSO HEADLINING
As Gala Theatre reveals its summer line-up, BRASS 2015 announces three great shows at
its central venue set to bring thousands of people to Durham once more in an eclectic and
fun celebration of brass music.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Tredegar and Cory Brass Bands alongside the North East’s own Reg
Vardy Band, and a Benny Goodman & Glenn Miller tribute are the first three acts of this
year’s exciting line-up for BRASS.
BRASS runs from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 July 2015 across Durham county and
Durham’s stunning city centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over four packed days
great musicians from around the UK and the world will come together to celebrate
everything from traditional brass music and the swing bands of the 30s to the best in
contemporary brass sounds.
Friday 17 July sees New Yorks' finest Fun Lovin' Criminals perform an extra special
headline set, featuring all the hits from three decades of platinum selling funk, soul and
rock n' roll from Scooby Snacks to Loco. The enigmatic trio will be joined by a specially
commissioned brass line-up, put together by FLC themselves, described by FLC as "some
heavyweight UK cats that know how to blow". Huey, Frank and Fast will be bolstered by
Ron Christlow (trombone), Ed Collins (trumpet) and Jon Melville (sax) who between them
have worked with everyone from Take That to Def Leppard.
Opening BRASS on Thursday 16 July, swing takes centre stage. A year after Benny
Goodman’s triumphant Carnegie Hall 1938 debut, the King of Swing returned and this time
he challenged the new kid on the block, Glenn Miller, who had a brand new sound and
records selling in their millions. Both bands were out to impress and the result was one of
the hardest hitting nights in swing history. In Benny Goodman & Glenn Miller at Carnegie
Hall 1939, Pete Long’s great orchestra recreates that fabulous night in New York
featuring In The Mood, One O’Clock Jump, Little Brown Jug, The Sheik Of Araby,
Pennsylvania 6-5000 and many more classics.
The closing afternoon, Sunday 19 July, sees the Gala Theatre reverberating to the
sounds of the best brass bands in the world. This spectacular concert, Pathways,
features sets by two of the best competition bands in the world. Cory Band from Wales,
currently top of the world rankings will share the bill with their national fellows Tredegar
Town Band, stars of the recent hit British feature film Pride.
The grand finale of this brass band spectacular sees Cory and Tredegar joining forces with
Durham’s Reg Vardy Band, the North East’s top competition band to form a one-off 80piece brass ensemble to perform the premiere of Pathways, a new work written by multiaward winning composer Lucy Pankhurst. Pathways, commissioned especially for BRASS
2015, positions brass players both on stage and surrounding the audience in the
auditorium to create a thrilling, immersive finish of impressive brass sounds.
Press Representatives: Susie Gray and Magda Paduch at The Corner Shop PR:
Susie@thecornershoppr.com | 07834 073 795 / 0131 202 6220
Magda@thecornershoppr.com | 07583 164 070 / 0131 202 6220
Listings
BRASS runs Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 July 2015. The full programme will be announced in the
coming weeks. Find out more at brassfestival.co.uk
Friday 17 July, 7.30pm
Fun Lovin’ Criminals
Tickets: £25
Thursday 16 July, 2.00pm
Benny Goodman & Glenn Miller at Carnegie Hall 1939
Tickets: £17 (£15 conc)
Sunday 19 July, 1.00pm
The Tredegar & Cory Brass Bands - Pathways
Tickets: £20 (£18)
All at Gala Theatre, Millennium Place, Durham, DH1 1WA
Book tickets online at www.galadurham.co.uk, via the Box Office on 03000 266 600 or in person at
Gala.
Notes To Editors
BRASS
BRASS is an annual celebration of Durham’s musical heritage and of the role brass music has played
in its community both traditionally and today.
The festival aims to support and nurture the County’s tradition of Brass music and each year
presents a wide-ranging and adventurous programme of events including outdoor performances,
international collaborations and community and educational work.
BRASS also sets out to change perceptions about brass music and develop new audiences through
demonstrating the breadth and creativity of brass in music. The Festival has a strong focus on new
commissions and collaborative work, and encompasses brass-inspired performances from a range of
musical genres including jazz, blues, rock, pop, indie traditional and classical. It also brings
together creative collaborations between brass musicians and actors, theatre makers, dancers, and
technology.
The 2014 festival attracted almost 70,000 visitors with a strong loyal local audience alongside a
significant national audience and 99% of visitors gave it an excellent or good rating.
The school outreach programme was also well received by pupils and teaching staff, and the 2014
evaluation identified that school performances had encouraged children to take up an instrument
as well as go and see more live music.
Since April 2012, BRASS has been supported by Arts Council England’s National Portfolio funding and
a further three year’s support has just been confirmed. The festival is run by Durham County
Council.
Brass 2015 runs from Friday 16 to Sunday 19 July.
www.brassfestival.co.uk
Brass is National Portfolio Organisation and is supported by Arts Council England. Arts Council
England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s
lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to
digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. Great art and culture
inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it
makes life better. Between 2015 and 2018, we plan to invest £1.1 billion of public money from
government and an estimated £700 million from the National Lottery to help create these
experiences for as many people as possible across the country. www.artscouncil.org.uk