Bolsover 2011 Photo Gallery Available

Photographs of Newstead Brass performing at the Bolsover Festival of Brass are now available on the Events Bolsover 2011 page of the website. Photos taken by Andy Devereux of DevMac.

‘Super Playing’ as Newstead Entertain Again

‘Super Playing’ described Newstead Brass’ performance as they retained the ‘Best Ex-Colliery Band' trophy and took runners-up position in the championship section of the Bolsover Festival of Brass held at St Mary’s College, Spinkhill in Derbyshire on Sunday 11th September.

Billed by the organisers as the ‘Great Britain’s largest brass band entertainment contest’, the festival featured 28 bands each performing a 20 minute ‘concert style’ programme to a large audience, including civic representatives from across the region.

Seven bands took part in the championship section, judged by Alan Morrison, former principal cornet with the Grimethorpe and Brighouse & Rastrick Bands. He complimented all the bands in the section on their playing and choice of music but emphasised that the three prize-winning bands had shown a consistently high standard of playing throughout their programme. His summary of Newstead’s performance, conducted by musical director Duncan Beckley was ‘A super programme that was so well organised and directed. High entertainment value in a range of styles that was thoroughly enjoyed.’

Newstead were awarded the Wilson Bowden Developments Runners-Up Trophy and the award for the highest placed ex-colliery band. Top prize went to the Jaguar Land Rover Band from Warwickshire and third place to the Jackfield (Elcock Reisen) Band from Shropshire.

A band spokesman commented, “We’re delighted to have finished in the top two at this festival for the third year running, an endorsement of the band’s quality and entertainment value which concert audiences can depend on.”

Local fans can hear ‘Newstead brass’ this Saturday (September 17th) in ‘Brass and Voices at the Palace’ featuring Newstead Brass, Eastwood Collieries Male Voice Choir, Derbyshire saxophone quartet ‘Imperfect Fifth’ and ‘Four Tubby Tubas’, a top prize winning ensemble from the University of Salford, one of the leading colleges for brass musicians.

Tickets are now on sale, priced at £8, (£7 concessions) from the Mansfield Palace Theatre box office on 01623 633133.

Newstead Brass on National Television

A short clip of Newstead Brass performing at the 2010 'Headstock Festival' was included in episode 5 of the BBC1 series 'Village SOS' broadcast on Sunday September 4th 2011.

"Sarah Beeny follows a passionate group of locals as they spend a year trying to rescue their community. When the residents of Newstead in Nottinghamshire applied for a grant from the Big Lottery Fund to transform a disused mining pit tip into a country park they had no idea what was in store."

You can watch the episode on the BBC i-player until 25th September. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b014b7f5#synopsis for more details. [Newstead Brass appear at around 29 mins 10 seconds into the programme...]