From The Bandroom

01/04/2025

🎺 The band had a fantastic day recording for the radio programme, From the Bandroom. The episode is due to be broadcast at the end of April. We’ll post the link when available.

🥳 Such a pleasure for us to be part of this project during our 200th anniversary year!

👏 A huge thank you to Paul Worthington, MD of Egremont Town Band, for stepping in while our Wiggey is away on holiday. Thank you, Paul. And good luck to Egremont Town Band who were recording later today and will also feature in their own episode.

🎟️ Stay tuned for news of tickets for our anniversary concert on Sat 17th May at Christchurch, Cockermouth.

Photo description: the band playing while being recorded Sunday 30 March, 2025. Photo courtesy of our President, Joe Fagan.

26/03/2025

Our programme with Fishburn Band is now available to listen to at
https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

25/03/2025

For our March edition of “From The Bandroom” we travel to County Durham, to the small village of Fishburn near Sedgefield, home of the Fishburn Band.

We met the band last year when they took first place for the second year in a row at the Wetherby Drovers march contest.

Formed as a mining band in the 1950s, and with some very impressive contest results over the years, including winning the Scottish Open Championships in 2005, the band continues to thrive in the North Of England Championship section.

The band’s conductor is Chris Bentham, former solo trombonist with the Ever Ready band. We’ll be talking to Chris and to players and officials of the band, but, as always, most of the show is filled with the music recorded on our visit to their bandroom.

From The Bandroom with Fishburn Band, 10pm, Friday 28th March on East Leeds Community Radio.

https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

28/02/2025

This month's programme, featuring Harworth Brass, is now live on our Radio Player: https://www.chapelfm.co.uk/elfm-player/archive/2025/02/from-the-bandroom-69/

26/02/2025

We’re dedicating this programme to the memory of Trevor Learoyd, who died this month. Trevor was an important member of our regular technical crew, a key figure in the training of new sound engineers at East Leeds Community Radio and an all round good chap dedicated to giving something back to the community. All of us at From The Bandroom and East Leeds Community Radio send our condolences to Trevor’s family.

February’s edition of “From The Bandroom”, sees us venturing for the third month in a row, South to Nottinghamshire. This time we’re visiting Harworth Brass, although they’re close enough to South Yorkshire for the Trombonists to empty their spit valves over the border.

Formerly a mining band, it’s had several names since it was founded in 1920, including Harworth Colliery Band, Harworth Colliery Silver Band and even Harworth St John’s Ambulance band, it settled on the name Harworth Brass back in 2001.

As a former mining engineer, I can inform you that the colliery winding tower at Harworth, demolished in 2016 was the tallest building in Nottinghamshire, and the largest pit head gear in Europe.

The band’s musical director is Claire Cowan, who, like so many conductors we meet, studied music at the University of Huddersfield, and she’s now a music teacher by day.

We’ll be talking to Claire and to players and officials of the band, but, as always, most of the show is filled with the music recorded on our visit to their bandroom.

From The Bandroom with Harworth Brass, 10pm, Friday 28th February on East Leeds Community Radio.

https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

24/02/2025

23/02/2025

Proposed Parking charges are likely to make it uneconomical for bands to perform at Wetherby Bandstand, and will impose a cost barrier to the audience. Wetherby Bandstand has become a superb venue, presenting a very full programme of bands. Please find time to write in to contest the introduction of charges. Killing the arts this way is unacceptable.

18/02/2025

Seven years ago today we recorded our first ever From The Bandroom programme, a test piece run-out concert at Kippax Band Club. Since then we've massively upgraded our kit, and recorded well over 100 bands in their band-rooms, at march contests and other big brass band events. We'll continue to keep alive the tradition of brass band music especially recorded for the radio, established by the BBC's Listen To The Band and Bandstand programmes, which were sadly abandoned due to financial constraints. Happy birthday to us!

Our grateful thanks to all the bands who've taken part!

29/01/2025

For our first “From The Bandroom” of 2025, we’re back in Nottinghamshire to revisit Newstead Brass who provided us with such a fine Christmas concert last month.

The band grew out of the Hucknall and Linby Miners Welfare Band. When Hucknall Colliery closed in 1988 and the bandroom was demolished, the band relocated and eventually became Newstead Brass.

They’ve had a very decent run of contest results in the last year, coming first in the Rochdale contest, second at Wychavon and the Birmingham ConsTest, and 5th at the areas.

Their Musical Director is Martin Heartfield, leader of the trainee adjudicator’s programme for the Association of Brass Band Adjudicators.

We’ll be talking to Martin and to players and officials of the band, but, as always, most of the show is filled with the music recorded on our visit to their bandroom.

From The Bandroom with Newstead Brass, 10pm, Friday 31st January on East Leeds Community Radio.

https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas from all of us at From The Bandroom. Please join us at any time over the Christmas Break for a festive concert with Newstead Brass.

https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

Thanks to all the bands we've recorded this year, and we'll be out in the new year recording more brass bands for you.

21/12/2024

https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

For our Christmas Day programme this year we’ve travelled down to Nottinghamshire, to St Wilfrid’s Church in Kirkby In Ashfield, just over the road from the Bandroom of Newstead Brass. We’re in for a festive treat, with a seasonal set list, and the band sounding great.

As usual, because it’s Christmas we’ve been allowed to overrun our normal one hour slot and to broadcast the entire concert. So for a fine festive feast of brass, please grab a mince pie and join us.

From The Bandroom with Newstead Brass, 11am Christmas Day, on East Leeds Community Radio, or available now and at any time over the Christmas Break on the Radio player.

03/12/2024

We had some gremlins in the plumbing at East Leeds Community Radio on Friday, but you can now hear our Novermber programme, a concert by the Hatfield and Askern Colliery band by visiting
https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

27/11/2024

We've had a couple of tricky months here at From The Bandroom, with bands cancelling recording sessions due to illness. We'll catch up with those bands in the new year, and instead, this month, we bring you a concert, the first broadcast in our ‘From The Band Club’ series.

Over the last year we've been helping the Kippax Band with the live streaming of their band club concerts, and while we were doing that, we also recorded the performances so that they could be enjoyed on the radio.

This month’s concert features the Hatfield & Askern Colliery Band conducted by Black Dyke’s principal cornet player, Richard Marshall, alongside the band’s resident conductor, Vicki Kennedy.

You can hear Hatfield and Askern Colliery band in concert at 10pm on Friday 29th November on East Leeds Community Radio.

https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom

26/10/2024

It's our annual open day at East Leeds Community Radio, and today we're celebrating our 10th birthday in this building. Our producer, Phil, is running a reel to reel tape editing workshop. Come along, have a go at editing, make a radio programme, and book your band in for a From The Bandroom recording session.

https://www.chapelfm.co.uk

22/10/2024

First BBC transmitter. Wondering if we could fit it in the van?

04/10/2024

From The Bandroom's producer, Phil, is making a rare outing on bass guitar at this gig. Why not come along and, while you're there, book your band in for a From The Bandroom recording session?

Don’t miss out on the Kippax Band's unforgettable cabaret nights!

We have a few tickets left for both evenings, and they’re selling fast. Secure your spot now for a night of exceptional music and entertainment.

Contact Nicola Darbyshire on 07761 033455

Act quickly before they’re all gone!

27/09/2024

This month's From The Bandroom radio programme, with the Lofthouse 2000 band, is now available to listen to at
https://elcr.org.uk/from-the-bandroom