Durham Brass Festival – a week of spectacular performances, new commissions, free concerts, community activities, and a full programme of lively street bands – kicks off its 2024 edition on Friday 5 July.
The Durham County Council event runs until Saturday 13 July and will feature critically acclaimed Public Service Broadcasting as well as returning favourites Spain’s Artistas del Gremio and a host of exciting acts making their Brass debuts.
Here’s everything you need to know about the festival:
The full line-up of acts performing across the festival is as follows: Artistas del Gremio, Badcore Horns, Das Brass, Easington Colliery Band, Felling Brass Band, Heavy Beat Brass Band, Hector Gannet, Loud Noises, Nadedja, NASUWT Riverside Band, NuSound Brass, Oompah Brass, Public Service Broadcasting, Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band, Redhills Youth Brass Band and Dilutey Juice, Shakk, She’s Got Brass, Smoove & Turrell, Tenth Avenue Band, The Cory Band and Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band, and Young Pilgrims.
Public Service Broadcasting get Brass Festival underway on Friday 5 July performing a set which explores how the collapse of mining impacted local communities, in this the 40th anniversary year of the strikes. PSB are performing their UK top 5 album Every Valley at Durham Cathedral within the World Heritage Site. They will be accompanied by another band with a mining connection, NASUWT Riverside Band from the former colliery village of Pelton Fell. Tickets for this event are sold out.
The streets of Durham City will resonate with the sound of live music on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 July as the ever popular Streets of Brass makes its return. This will see eclectic and exciting street bands from the UK and beyond perform free of charge at locations across the city from 11am both days, ending at 4pm on the Saturday and 5pm on the Sunday. The Sunday will include traditional festival favourite, the Streets of Brass finale in the Market Place from 4.30pm.
Brass’ street bands will get everyone dancing on the evening of Saturday 6 July as Party in the Park returns to Wharton Park in Durham from 5pm.
A special concert kicks off proceedings on Sunday 7 July with The Cory Band performing their own musical telling of the Hollywood classic 1933 monster film, King Kong. Performing alongside The Cory Band will be guests, the Durham Miners’ Association Brass Band. This takes place at Durham’s Gala Theatre from 2pm.
Brass’ showcase of the region’s most exciting up and coming artists performing with brass acts, Brassed On returns on Sunday 7 July from 7.30pm, at Durham Town Hall. Compered by the BBC’s Shakk, Brassed On will see North Shields’ masters of a new kind of modernist folk, Hector Gannet, perform with NuSound Brass, and Sunderland based, Brazilian-born alt-pop artist Nadedja perform with Loud Noises.
The festival then takes to the road for the returning Big and Little Brass Bashes at ten different outdoor locations across County Durham.
A DJ club event gets the party going on Friday 12 July with Smoove & Turrell’s Northern Coal Experience at Durham Town Hall from 9pm. This will feature the best in hip hop, breaks, disco, house, funk and soul, and everything in between – as well as live vocal and brass accompaniment.
Brass draws to a close on Saturday 13 July with Loud Noises representing the festival at the Durham Miners’ Gala. They’ll be playing with other brass bands during the event’s traditional parade through the streets of Durham, before performing at the Big Meeting at the Old Racecourse, which starts at 1pm.
Further information including details of all artists taking part at this year’s festival can be found online at https://brassfestival.co.uk/
