A double MOBO Award winner, a Mercury Music Prize and Brit Award nominee, current British Poet Laureate and arguably the most famous brass band in the world will headline Durham city’s renowned music festival when it returns this summer.
Tickets for a range of exciting live performances at Durham’s BRASS festival, which takes place from Sunday 10 to Sunday 17 July, go on sale on Friday 18th March at 10am. Richard Hawley, YolanDa Brown, LYR, Field Music and The Black Dyke Band are among the line-up.
Tickets are available from www.brassfestival.co.uk
Taking inspiration from the brass band heritage of County Durham, the world-renowned festival weaves together musical genres into a vibrant and entertaining five-day festival taking place across the County.
BRASS is a key part of Durham County Council’s festival and events programme and reflects the local authority’s commitment to cultural-led regeneration.
It will also feature a host of community workshops, free concerts in communities, schools and care homes around the county, and a full programme of lively street bands.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the festival was postponed in 2021 but is set to return bigger and better than ever, with some of the UK’s finest artists booked to perform in iconic locations during the ten-day event.
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said:
“Our festival line-up has it all, celebrating brass music in its many forms, from traditional big band music to inspirational artists taking brass in a new direction. As well as boosting the economy and raising the county’s reputation as a cultural destination, BRASS aims to bring communities together to create unforgettable experiences for people of all ages.
“It’s a perfect example of the diverse artistic offering and commitment to cultural-led regeneration that makes County Durham such a strong contender in our bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.”
Prestigious performers and unique interpretations
Durham Cathedral
On Friday 15 July, in the first of two performances at the iconic Durham Cathedral, LYR together with The Easington Colliery Band will premiere live “Firm As A Rock We Stand : A Commemoration and Celebration of County Durham’s ‘Category D’ Villages.”
The band, comprising of author and current British Poet Laureate Simon Armitage CB, musician Richard Walters and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Pearson, will perform for the first time live and in full this incredible collection of songs, specially commissioned by BRASS Festival in partnership with the Durham Miners Association/ Redhills CIO.
In a memorable one-off gig, Richard Hawley will perform a Saturday night headline slot on 16 July in the truly unique venue of Durham Cathedral.
Hawley, who found success as a member of Britpop band The Longpigs and then as Pulp’s guitarist, earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his breakthrough soulful solo album Cole’s Corner. He has gone on to record seven more critically acclaimed albums and worked with Arctic Monkeys, Texas, Manic Street Preachers Elbow and Paul Weller.
Hawley said: “I am genuinely excited; I think it’s going to be one of the most memorable gigs I’ve ever played.”
He will be accompanied by one of Durham’s most popular bands, the NASUWT Riverside Brass Band. The band, which was founded in 1877, rehearse in Pelton Fell, Chester-le-Street, and are concert and contest veterans.
Gala Theatre
Gala Durham will stage a night to remember on Thursday 14 July, when Ibibio Sound Machine present their uniquesound-clash of Western African funk, disco and electro, and the wonderful vocals of Nigerian singer Eno Williams.
On Friday 15 July tweed-clad brass powerhouses Old Dirty Brasstards will wow audiences with a contemporary brass makeover of exhilarating party jams, indie favourites and rock and roll classics. The quirky 10-piece will perform their unique interpretations at Gala Durham.
Family favourite and double MOBO Award winner YolanDa Brown treats fans of all ages to two special performances, both afternoon and evening, at Gala Durham on Saturday 16 July.
For the afternoon performance, little music-lovers and their grown-ups can enjoy all the fun of YolanDa’s Band Jam,in a live version of the saxophonist’s acclaimed CBeebies TV show.
In her second show of the day, YolanDa Brown and her band will deliver a delicious fusion of reggae, jazz and soul.
Often lauded as the most famous brass band in the world, the multi-award-winning Black Dyke Band will perform at Durham BRASS festival for the very first time on Sunday afternoon 17 July at Gala Durham.
North East Talent
An array of northeast talent will also be showcased at the festival, beginning with Sunderland duo Field Music on Sunday 10 July at Gala Durham.
Peter and David Brewis have gained a reputation for an ambitious and intellectual approach to making music, with eight full albums, Mercury Award nominations, plus numerous commissions and side projects under their belt.
Their show, “Binding Time – Songs & Stories from the Durham Coalfields,” has been commissioned by BRASS in a new partnership with the Durham Miners Association/ Redhills CIO funded by Arts Council England.
Fellow Mackem, Ben Lunn, will reflect his North-Eastern heritage, how disability impacts the world around him, and his working-class upbringing in his appearance at Ushaw College on Wednesday 13 July.
Conductor, musicologist, teacher and composer, Ben is one of three exciting artists chosen to create work for the festival’s Bold as BRASS, an inclusive and accessible programme which champions the talent of disabled artists, inspired by brass music.
Also returning and coinciding with the BRASS festival, is the ever-popular Durham City Run, on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 July. The festival will see hundreds of competitors race through the city centre, accompanied by live music from BRASS’s street bands.
For tickets and further information, visit www.brassfestival.co.uk
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