When the Junior Band was reformed in 1960 it was felt that the band would be extremely fortunate if it found one player in every five years who was good enough to hold down a position in the Senior Band. In its first 16 years, there have been eight players who have seen service with the Seniors. Despite the stubborn refusal of some brass band ‘diehards’ to accept Elgar Howarth and the avant garde music, one cannot escape the fact that it has been those two major contributions which have toppled the prejudices of those who still equate brass bands with Miners’ Galas and renderings of ‘Abide with Me’

More recently, the excellent Pride achieved something similar, by telling a harsh, often unpleasant story with some very, very strong comedy. And further examples include the likes of Billy Elliot, East Is East and the more recent Sing Street. Not for nothing are films like these amongst the best comedy movies of the last couple of decades. In 1997 Grimethorpe became the first band to perform in the European Parliament Building in Strasburg, also travelling to Norway to appear in the Norwegian Film Festival at Haguesung to premier the showing of the film Brassed Off. The following year they appeared to an estimated television audience of 100 million people when they were part of the interval entertainment at the Eurovision Song Contest at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham accompanying violin virtuoso Vanessa Mae and opera singer Lesley Garrett. The band appeared at, and in the World premier of the stage version of Brassed Off at the Crucible theatre, Sheffield, and also became Brass Band in Residence at London’s Royal College of Music. Harry Mileman left the band at the start of its decline in 1951 but with the help of Bill Foster and Joe Armstrong, it continued to function as best it could until a new Resident Conductor was appointed in 1952. In 1993/1994 Frank Renton hit on an idea for a new radio show, so in conjunction with BBC Radio 3, shows were recorded entitled “Stars in Brass”. The format was six half hour shows recorded at BBC Studio 7 in Manchester and Studio 1 Pebble Mill in Birmingham with each show having a different star from the Brass Band, Big Band and Jazz World.was the year after “Fireworks” had been unleashed on the unsuspecting banding fraternity at the British Open where Wingates under the baton of Richard Evans took the title playing of number 23. From the dreariest of landscapes, the glint and gleam of an inimitable brass sound lit up the lives of men who worked in darkness. Emerging from the pit, they made for the bandroom where, with a discipline natural to an industry where self-control means life or death, they practised and rehearsed to the impeccable standards which have won them recognition as masters of their art. It’s the character of Gloria, along with Ewan McGregor’s Andy, meanwhile, that proved to be the thrust of the film’s promotional campaign when the film made it to the States. Bizarrely, Brassed Off was actually sold as a romantic comedy (!) by Miramax in the US, and to this day, the DVD cover highlights Ewan McGregor’s Andy and Tara Fitzgerald’s Gloria. In fact, the eager accompanying sales copy is worth citing: Originally a small Hamlet – Grimms Farm – it became noteworthy at the turn of the century with the discovery of Coal and the establishment of an important colliery. And yet, Grimethorpe’s claim to fame stemmed not solely from the colliery itself, but from the brass band that bears the same name. In 1976 arguably the most important Brass Band recording of it’s time was released entitled “Grimethorpe Special” and conducted by Elgar Howarth. The recording consists of “Fireworks” by Elgar Howarth, narrated by Lady Valarie Solti, Elgar Howarths arrangement of Takemitsu’s “Garden Rain”, Harrison Birtwistles “Grimethorpe Aria” and Hans Werner Henze’s “Ragtimes and Habaneras”.

The rehearsal started without him, as frantic telephone calls were being made to his home, which were totally fruitless.Rehearsals became a total waste of time. They were forever being interrupted for interviews to meet deadlines, photo calls of individuals and collective shots were demanded and by Thursday Frank Renton was tearing what little hair he had left into shreds. He demanded to be left alone and we, after agreeing to all demands by the media, slammed the door shut on them at about 10.00pm so we could get down to the serious business of rehearsing for the National Finals. Grimethorpe Colliery Band was on the crest of a wave and at the time were the form band in Britain, having had a very successful 1991. However, the ‘Holy Grail’ was to win at London and we joined every other band in Britain in starting out with an appearance at the Area as the first step to glory. Frank Renton was to conduct the band, as he had with great aplomb and success over the previous 4 years and the test-piece was ‘Frontier’ by Michael Ball. He was Andrew Owenson (well known for his arrangements for brass band) but although several players were recruited during his reign as conductor the progress of the band was not altogether satisfactory. The band undertook an unusual invitation to play at the World Cup Carnival at Saint Denis near Paris and returned to Paris again in July to perform at the Cite De La Musique conducted by Peter Bassino the Head of Brass at the Royal College of Music in London. September saw the band fly to Switzerland to undertake a three-concert tour and immediately returned to London to record the first of two television shows with Leslie Garrett. The band appeared in the second Series of Leslie Garrett Tonight which was shown in June 2000. In December the band appeared on the television show ‘Goin Home with Lesley Garrett’ on the new Sky “Artsworld” Channel. Lesley also features on the band’s compact disc – Classic Brass – which reached number three in the Classic FM chart. In September 2000 the band took part in the Quincentenary Concert for The Worshipful Company of Musicians, conducted by Elgar Howarth held at the Birmingham Symphony Hall. Phil is in a marriage to Melanie Hill’s Sandra that’s feeling the strain of debt, and a bleak future. Not that Danny sees that. The one thing that gets him through, while the world he knows falls apart around him, is his love of music, and his love of the colliery band. Even to the expense of seeing just how much trouble his son is in.

The film is set ten years after the year-long strike in 1984–85 by the National Union of Mineworkers in Britain. Before the privatisation of British Coal, a wave of pit closures took place. Depleted of resources and in debt following the labour militancy of 1984–85, the miners were unable to continue a resistance against the policies of the government. Many had been in debt ever since the long strike, and were prepared to take redundancy money whilst it was on offer. The balloon went up. Tears of joy flowed down the face of every single member of the band. We had done it. Andrew Owenson again took over as Resident Musical Director but he did not reign long and resigned his position for the second time just prior to the Summer Season of 1957. The band was again helped out of its difficulties by Bill Foster (by now in his Seventies) until George Thompson was persuaded to take up his old position with the band. He had been conducting a band in Cornwall but he welcomed the opportunity of returning to Yorkshire. Towards the end of the 1950’s things began to improve, mainly as a result of this appointment in 1958. Known as a fine band trainer, Thompson set new standards of musical discipline, re-established the youth band ‘nursery’, and proved to be a source of inspiration to his players throughout his long period with them. Under his leadership, the band’s record at the ‘Open’ Championship of Great Britain was First in 1967 and 1969, Second in 1963, Third in 1960, 1961, 1968 and 1971. Families can talk about the range of character traits in Brassed Off. Which characters exhibit empathy, loyalty, or perseverance? How do some characters display or contradict stereotypes? The notion of pride is prominent throughout this story. In what ways can pride be a positive -- or negative -- trait? The bands touring exploits have exploded in the past couple of years Visiting Japan and Australia in February/March 1999 playing to over 60,000 people and travelling over 60,000 miles.Paul Allen adapted Mark Herman's screenplay for the stage, the production premiering at the Crucible Theatre Sheffield on 17 March 1998, with music performed by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band. The play transferred to the Royal National Theatre in June before embarking on a UK tour. [16] In 2014 a new UK tour was mounted by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company, coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of the miners' strike. [17] In popular culture [ edit ] Even then, though, Herman was conscious of writing “some dreary political polemic”. He wanted a cover for his story, and recalled a radio report about a brass band that had had to close when weekly subs stopped coming in. That seemed to fit the film he wanted to make, and thus the real-life Grimethorpe Colliery Band – and its home town – became an inspiration (albeit hidden – deliberately not very well – under the name Grimley in the movie). Did you know anything about this period of British history? Has it inspired you to learn more? Discuss how movies can teach us about the past. Beginning in early 1993, groups of miners' wives camped outside some pits' gates and outside the Department of Trade and Industry in London. [3] This is referred to in the film. It contrasts with the muted response from the mineworkers, some of whom sang Shut the pit! to the tune of the song Here We Go! from the 1984–85 strike. [3] Plot [ edit ]

Frank Renton gathered the band together for his usual pre-match pep talk. Frank always finds the right words for the right occasion and surpassed himself in motivating the boys for this one. Andrew resigned early in 1955 and Harry Mileman, who had remained in employment at the colliery, took over as ‘Caretaker’ Conductor until he left to take over a similar position with a band in New Zealand. ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2002 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 27 December 2021. The last work is the eclectic and almost exotically eccentric “Ragtimes and Habaneras” by Hans Werner Henze, which has fortunately remained a popular and accessible work, even though it estranges the traditional approach to brass band scoring and instrumental style. Henze knew little of the brass band (except for a list of the instruments and two recordings given to him) and so gave the banding world a brilliant entertainment of 11 miniature pieces of glittering brilliance based on a “Cuban” style of dance rhythms and musical references to Kurt Weil, Romberg and even Mahler. Even today it is as fresh as the proverbial daisy.

Contributors

We trouped on stage at 6.15pm a little disconsolate. However, the band played really well, Ray Curry was absolutely amazing and played the horn solo as if he had been playing it for weeks. There were problems though, -not all of the horn parts had been covered and some trios turned into duets late on in the piece. We knew this immediately and retired to the pub to drown our sorrows and think what might have been. Preparations started in earnest about 2 weeks before the date of the contest. However nothing could prepare us for the events that were about to unfold and as we entered the final week we were unknowingly just starting a story that would be covered worldwide and would throw our carefully planned schedule into utter chaos! As ever, we were anxious to get a late draw, the television camera crews were still taking our every move and had even agreed with the organisers to set up a camera in the hall. We drew No.17, which for Ken Hirst was a major achievement. He even mumbled something about somebody pinching his no.1 ball, although he was a relieved man when they had. The film follows the lives of the local Grimley Colliery Brass Band as they attempt to reach, and then win, the National Brass Band Championship. Led by ex miner and musical director Danny (Pete Postlethwaite) and inspired by newcomer Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) the band battle through adversity to reflect the real history of Grimethorpe and become Champion of Great Britain. This delightfully entertaining comedy treat features hot screen stars Ewan McGregor (STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE, MOULIN ROUGE) and sexy Tara Fitzgerald (SIRENS). It’s the critically acclaimed story about two old friends — and ex-lovers — whose surprise reunion turns their lives … and the lives of everyone else in town … hilariously upside down!”