Latest News

The band is one of 18 entries to this year’s Butlins Mineworkers Contest, to be held on Saturday 19th January 2008.

Fourth Section:

1. Backworth Colliery (Colin Harris)
2. Banovallum Brass (Steve Ingham)
3. Bestwood ‘Black Diamonds’ (Brian G Draper)
4. Coleshill Town (Stephen Fagg)
5. Ireland Colly (Chesterfield) (Ian Knapton)
6. Kingsway Printers Cleethorpes (Steven Askew)
7. Maltby Miners Welfare (Terry Clifford)
8. Market Rasen RPC (Alan Needham)
9. Martlesham Brass (Bruce Eyley)
10. Pontypool Brass (Patrick O’Leary)
11. Rolls-Royce (Derby) (Graham Cardwell)
12. Royston Town (Simon Jones)
13. Skegness Silver (Geoff Weeks)
14. Tewkesbury Town (Nigel Morgan)
15. Thoresby Colly. Youth (Christine Gent)
16. Thurcroft Welfare (Ken Vernon)
17. Watford Band (Richard Graves)
18. Whitwell Brass (David Fretwell)

Ref: http://www.4barsrest.com/news/detail.asp?world=uki&id=6965

The main contacts for the band have updated their email addresses due to emails that seem to be getting lost in the system.

To contact Colin mail colin@vauxhall-senator.com, and to contact Teresa contact cornetteresa@googlemail.com.

If you believe you have sent an email in the past and got no response, try one of the email addresses above or phone Colin on 01670 790 412.

The main contact page has also been updated.

The band has once again been nominated for Themouthpiece.com’s website of the month for November.

To cast your vote, click here.

Backworth Colliery Band are delighted to announce the awards of a grant of £5,000. The grant, which was kindly donated from the Sage Community Fund via the Community Foundation, forms the first part of an ambitious £24,000 fund raising project initiated by the band.

The grant will enable the band to buy new instruments and to also purchase a new set of walking-out uniforms, something that the band has badly needed due to the increasing number of outdoor jobs the band is being employed for.

Colin Harris, Musical Director and Chairman, states:

“Without the support of funds like the Community Foundation and Sage Community Fund, the band would struggle to provide its members and future members with the right musical instruments and equipment. It is our ambition to continue providing an outlet for the community’s music makers, especially the younger players in the area.”

“The band is self-funding and has been for 7 years – in that time our income from concerts and public performance has barely covered the running costs of the band, leaving no money for purchasing new instruments or music. As it stands several members of the band are playing on instruments which are now past their best or are playing on instruments kindly loaned by other bands. We also have a waiting list of players in both the senior and junior bands who cannot join us because we do not have the right instruments for them. This is a sad situation but one we are addressing with the assistance of grants such as this.”

New players

The band is also delighted to officially announce the signing of four new players to the band.

Verity O’Hara joins on principal cornet from RMT Easington Band. Verity is no stranger to the band, having been a member on two previous occasions. She has vast experience at playing at the highest level of banding and her sheer presence leading the cornet section is invaluable.

Cath McAllister joins the band on Trombone. Cath, who was born and bred in Scotland, has played with many bands and brings with her a wealth of experience. She has recently relocated to the Newcastle area from spells with her job around the country.

Geoff Howe is a ‘local lad’ having lived and played in the Westoe area before moving South. He has since returned to the North East and has joined the band on E-flat Bass along with Matthew Fletcher who initially joined the Junior Band. His talent was soon spotted by the Junior Band’s team and Matthew has quickly established himself as part of our euphonium and baritone section.

All four players debuted at the Borders Entertainment Contest in Innerleithen, Scotland on 3rd November.

Future Plans

The band are busy preparing for a packed Christmas Concert programme across the region including performances in Whitely Bay, Newcastle, Hartlepool and Bamburgh.

2008 will start with three major contests as the band prepare for the Butlins Mineworkers Contest in Skegness, Brass at the Guild Hall in Preston and the Regional Qualification Contest in Darlington.

Courtesy of Dave Morris, a friend of BBb-Bass player Peter Barker, we have some splendid shots of the band marching in Forest Hall on Sunday 11th November.

Please click here to view the photos.

Notice we are all marching in step!

Backworth Colliery Band played at the Borders Entertainments Contest in Innerleithen on Sunday for the first time in their history.

Drawn number 4, the band played a programme consisting of Golden Lady, Gabriel’s Oboe, Norwegian Wood, Someone to Watch Over Me and Breezin’ Down Broadway.

The band finished 11th, but was not to disappointed in what was an open contest competing against bands higher up the ‘brass band’ ladder.

It was the first contest for several players and the band enjoyed the opportunity to perform at a new venue.

Full results are at available from sbba.org.uk

Details for the Borders Entertainments Contest, Saturday 3rd November.

7.30 Bus leaves Backworth
9.30 Band arrives
10.00 Practice
11.00 Registration
11.30 Performance

19.30 Leave Innerleithen (we may leave earlier depending on circumstances)
21.15 Bus returns to Backworth

Backworth Colliery Band is one of three brass bands shortlisted this month for the “web site of the month” award for October at popular brass band website “The Mouthpiece".

If you like our website, please click here and register your vote.

Backworth Colliery Band are delighted to announce Verity O’Hara as the band’s new principal cornet player.

Verity is no stranger to the band, she has played with the band in 2 previous spells over the last 15 years. She brings a wealth of experience from all areas of banding, having recently rejoined the band from the RMT Easington Band. She now completes what is a very strong front-row.

A big thank you goes to the previous incumbent, Stephen Bushby, who has given sterling support in playing principal cornet for the band in many contests and competitions over the last 2 years. He will now move to bumper-up.

The Backworth Colliery Band would like to welcome all new students to the Newcastle Universities this year - if any ‘freshers’ at University are looking for a brass band to play with whilst they are in the area then the band would like to invite them along.

We are close to Newcastle, a few metro stops from the City Centre and also easy to get to by bus. We also have several members who live in the area and transport can be arranged in most cases.

We rehearse on a Tuesday night and Sunday morning and have many interesting events planned for 2007-8.

For more information, please contact us.

A very interesting article has been uncovered, detailing a concert held to raise funds for the formation of the band. This article dates to 1871.

The band will not be participating at this year’s Durham League contest, as we are venturing North to the Borders Entertainments Contest instead.

Both events are on the same weekend, and it would be asking too much of the band members to travel on both days of the weekend.

We wish the best of luck to the DCBBA and all who enter the contest.

The band would like to welcome Cath McAllister to the band. She has recently moved to the Newcastle area, and has joined us on Trombone. Cath is a very experienced music and is a wonderful addition to the band ranks.

We have also placed a results archive on the site. It is part of our history project, to research into the band’s past and its association with the collieries.

If any members past or present can help fill in the gaps, or extend the information further into the past, it would be lovely to hear from you.

The band has two new bookings via Chester Le Street council on 27th October and 22nd December. Please check the events page for further details.

Backworth Colliery Band, the last remaining brass band in the Newcastle area, has formally announced their decision to revert back to their original name.

The band, formed in 1886 in close association with the Backworth Collieries, have been known as Five Rivers Brass from 2000 after a sponsorship deal with the Five Rivers Group, based in Salisbury. Although the sponsorship was only over 12 months, the band decided to continue to wear the name for 7 years until 2007.

The band has now changed their emphasis, now attending more to being part of the local Backworth community. The junior band, now in its 3rd year, was the first project started, and subsequent involvement in local activities made the change of name back to Backworth Colliery Band obvious and logical.

The band has re-launched their website, www.backworthcollieryband.org.uk, to reflect the change of image and to include more detail about the band, its history and its objectives. The website also contains video and imagery from the band past and present.
This summer has seen the start of a number of ambitious projects, from a £24,000 fund-raising project, working with Alan Fernie, strengthening ties with the local council and community and starting a research project into the 120-year history of the band.

The band performed for the last time as Five Rivers Brass at the Easingwold contest for the first time in their history. The competition, featuring a road march and a contest, saw the band play “Out of the Blue” and “Glemdene” on the stage. Being drawn last, the band was also honoured to perform a set of hymns to entertain the crowd whilst the marks were being collated.

Many thanks to the players who helped cover for holidays.

As of today, the band formerly know as Five Rivers Brass are reverting back to their original name, the Backworth Colliery Band.

An official announcement will be made soon outlining the reasons and the exciting times ahead for the band.

We have withdrawn our entry from the DCBBA DLI Entertainments Contest.

The band performed in 5 contests at the annual Whit Friday marches on 1st June. The band marched to “Out of the Blue” and performed “Glemdene” at 5 venues in the Oldham and Saddleworth Area.

Many thanks to the band and players, especially those who helped out from other bands.

Five Rivers Brass are starring at the Theatre Royal this week, performing as the marching band in the WEOS’ production of “Hello Dolly".

The band are performing two pieces from the musical, marching on stage to “Yonker’s March” and then bringing the Act I finale to a close with “Before the Parade Passes By".

It is a fantastic opportunity for the band to perform in front of a wide and varied audience. As an aside, the band look very fetching in their sashes and feathered hats.

The band had a very successful weekend attending the various competitions held as part of the Wansbeck Brass Festival/NBBA Contest.

On Saturday 28th April, various members of the band and junior band performed in the morning solos competition; Callum Harrison, Chris Travis, Rebecca Brannan and Christina Campbell all played very difficult solos. Chris gained the best remarks and a 3rd position for his rendition of Tuba Smarties.

In the afternoon, Colin Harris gained first place in the open solos competition playing Fantasia on Jenny Jones on Tuba (although the 31-year-old was described as a ‘daft old bugger’ by adjudicator Alan Fernie) and the junior band finished off the day with a very impressive mini-concert. The band were awarded a trophy and special credit was passed to the conductor Teresa Harris for choice and style of music played. A big thank you to Emma Todd, who accompanied many of our players today.

Sunday 29th April saw the senior band perform at the open own-choice test piece, with the band laying a few ghosts to rest with a creditable performance of “Prelude and Jubilate", gaining first place. The band must thank Lynda Brown, who traveled from the Midlands to help us out.

The band has enjoyed a very successful weekend and the awards and progress for the junior members was a great reward.

Despite being tipped to be amongst the favourites, today the band came 7th and last in the 3rd section of the area contest in Darlington. Although the band had high hopes, a last place was small reward for the effort the band had put in to the challenging test piece. It is hoped that the band will avoid relegation to the 4th section, however the decision is pending review by the regional committee.

But the band move on. There are many challenges ahead for 2007, including competitions at Wansbeck, Whit Fridays, Easingwold and the DLI contest.

The usual assortment of opinions and comments on our section are now online at http://www.4barsrest.com/articles/2007/art688a.asp