Latest News
National Finals
It’s that time of year again when the band steps up to the stage in the Royal Albert Hall. The band delivered a very strong performance of ‘The Legend of King Arthur’ (Peter Meechan) with excellent execution by all soloists and received a very enthusiastic reception to finish a respectable 5th out of 20 bands. The full results are given below:
Full Results:
- Black Dyke
- Cory
- Brighouse & Rastrick
- Tredegar
- Fairey
- Flowers
- Fodens
- Reg Vardy
- Grimethorpe
- Wantage Silver
- Woodfalls
- Cooperative Funeralcare
- Virtuosi GUS
- Bury Port Town
- Whitburn
- Friary Guildford
- Tongwynlais Temperance
- Carlton Main Frickley Colliery
- Desford Colliery
- East Yorkshire Motor Services
Congratulations to Black Dyke on their victory!
The Other Boys in Blue
On Sunday Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions for the second time in three years by beating West Ham United on the final day of a dramatic season. Following their win the band were invited to play at the player’s private party on Sunday evening in Manchester Town Hall in the form our alter ego ACID BRASS. The team and VIPs were mightily impressed with the band’s unique acid house style, fuelling a party lasting until the early hours with Bollinger flowing by the bucket-load. Many thanks to the MCFC for an excellent night of entertainment!
The following day saw one or two casualties from a well lubricated evening, but there was no time to wallow in this since the band were due on stage for the public parade the next afternoon. After a quick sight read of the Yaya Toure song the band filled the stage and played to hundreds of supporters in Albert Square, and the thousands of people watching at home. The band were very excited to meet the City players (particularly 2nd trombone player Paul Coupe), but unfortunately the scheduled rehearsal that evening meant a swift departure from the square for all*.
Click here for a video of the band playing during the parade in Albert Square.
*rehearsal for a concert this weekend in St. Mary’s Church Rawtenstall conducted by Prof Garry Cutt. Program to include Spitfire Prelude (Walton), Cornet Solo Dimitri (Paul Hughes), The Irish Blessing (Eilers Bacak), Knight Templar (George Allen), Shine as the Light (Peter Graham), I’ll Walk with God (Brodsky), Labour & Love (Fletcher), Ave Verum (Mozart, Euph/Bari feature), Nimrod (Elgar), Crown Imperial (Walton).
More Area Win Photos
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- Mike and Paul
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- Jim and Jon
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- Mr Moffat
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- Chris
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- “Fruity”
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- Garry and Dave
Fairey’s Back on Form – North West Area Champions!
This is will be the fourteenth time the band have taken home the regionals trophy, leading them on to play in the National Finals in the Royal Albert Hall later this year. It is a great step forward for the band to win the regionals again (the last time being 2001), and a streak that we will fully aim to continue! The full performance can be heard below.
The full results were:
Championship Section:
Test Piece: ‘St Magnus’ – Kenneth Downie
Adjudicators: Jim Davies & Barry Thompson
1. Fairey (Garry Cutt)*
2. Foden’s (Allan Withington)*
3. Co-operative Funeralcare North West (Jef Sparkes)
4. Milnrow (Mareika Gray)
5. Blackburn & Darwen (Huw Thomas)
6. Leyland (Michael Bach)
7. Pemberton Old Wigan DW (Stig Maersk)
8. Rainford (Gareth Brindle)
9. Wingates (Paul Andrews)
10. Wardle Anderson Brass (Steven Walsh)
Percussion Award: Fairey
* Top 2 bands qualify for National Final
Recording:
“This has just enhanced a terrific work ethic and team spirit that I’ve not witnessed in banding for a long time”
Gary Cutt
Needless to say the band are delighted with the result. Sympathy goes out to our Solo Baritone player who was so overcome with paroxysms of joy that she managed to dislocate her foot upon exiting the band bus.
Late at the Tate
As part of Warp’s Late at Tate event on the 6th December 2013 the Fairey Band performed some of their uniquely styled acid house numbers to hundreds at the Tate Britain art gallery. The band were the featured artist at the evening of performances and installations from Warp Records and artist Jeremy Deller, all inspired by Deller’s work ‘The History of the World’. After the band performed they were met with a rapturous applause and demands for more! Here are a few photos from the event:
Additionally see two videos of the event below:
Back in the frame at The Open!
The Band had another late drew this year, 15th, to go with 16th and 17th in the previous two Opens! Under Musical Director Garry Cutt’s direction the Band delivered an exciting and very musical rendition of Stephen Roberts’ ‘Arabian Nights’, which was a test piece take on Rimsky Korsakov’s Scheherazade. The adjudicators placed us a creditable 5th out of the 17 competitors. The performance can be heard via the jukebox on our home page. Full results were as follows:
1. Tredegar (Ian Porthouse), 8
2. Cory (Philip Harper), 16
3. Co-operative Funeralcare (Allan Ramsay), 14
4. Foden’s (Allan Withington), 13
5. Fairey (Garry Cutt), 15
6. Black Dyke (Dr Nicholas Childs), 4
7. Kirkintilloch (David Roberts), 10
8. Carlton Main Frickley Colliery (Phillip McCann), 9
9. Brighouse & Rastrick (Prof. David King), 5
10. Grimethorpe Colliery (Luc Vertommen), 2
11. Desford Colliery (Nigel Seaman), 17
12. Hepworth (Michael Fowles), 3
13. Milnrow (Mareika Gray), 7
14. Virtuosi GUS (John Berryman), 11
15. Leyland (Michael Bach), 6
16. Reg Vardy (Russell Gray), 12*
17. Seindorf Beaumaris (Gwyn M Evans), 1*
Congratulations to Ian Porthouse and Tredegar on their 2nd win at the contest in the last four years.