From Yorkshire to Antiques Roadshow, the Crystal Palace Band marches on
It has been a busy few days for a homegrown brass band, which has seen them travel the length of the country, march into unknown villages and perform for the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow programme.
Crystal Palace Band, founded in 1901 as the Upper Norwood Temperance Band, takes in members from across London and currently rehearses in Beckenham.
On Friday the band could be found in West Yorkshire, taking part in the Whit Friday Marches staged in 11 villages around Saddleworth Moor.
The marches are a festival celebration of brass band started 150 years ago and made famous in the film Brassed Off, which starred Ewen McGregor and Peter Postlethwaite.
Paul Kind, a health economist who lives in Thornlaw Road, West Norwood, plays cornet for the band and said the atmosphere was “like Rio de Janeiro during Carnival”.
“For us to be a part of that was an absolute thrill,” he said. “There were musicians from all over the world. Young people were going ballistic in the street. It was phenomenal, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
More than 100 bands took part this year, including top stars such as Grimethorpe Colliery, Brighouse and Rastrick – who ended up this year’s winners – as well as bands from as far away as Switzerland, Norway and Australia.
The band marches through Delph (Video: Crystal Palace Band)
Denshaw, Dobcross and Delph might sound like a firm of solicitors, but in reality they are three of the top village venues.
The Crystal Palace Band announced their presence by marching into packed villages playing Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner – drawing cheers and applause from enthusiastic crowds of well-wishers.
Hardly pausing for breath after competing in the Whit Friday Marches, the Crystal Palace Band were back in musical action setting the scene on Sunday for three episodes of Antiques Roadshow at Crystal Palace Park.
Playing on the Rusty Laptop stage, the band spent an hour filming their own musical antique, a march written in 1895 by American composer Robert Browne Hall originally titled the Ten Regiment March but better known in the UK as Death or Glory and also featured in the film Brassed Off.
The performance will be used as the introduction music to the show for those episodes
Mr Kind added: “It was a real education. We had to do lots of takes and there were lots of different camera angles. We got to perform in front of a big crowd and the producers said we did a fantastic job.”
Journalist Fiona Bruce led applause for the band but it was clear none of the show’s valuation experts could put a price on the performance.
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Pictured top: The Crystal Palace band marches through the village of Delph (Picture: Crystal Palace Band)