Brassed Off!

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a b Walker, Alexander (2005), Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984–2000, Orion, p.280 . As we arrived at the hall, we were met by hundreds of people all cheering us on. It seemed like much more than just the normal contest goers. There were of course the obligatory 4 or 5 camera crews that followed us into the bowels of RAH. In the competition field, the band took part in a total of 42 contests between 1932 and 1945. The results were – 19 firsts, 11 seconds, 4 thirds, 6 fourths and 2 fifths. Quite an achievement in any class. Shortly after George Thompson’s return, he was responsible (in 1960) for the formation of the Grimethorpe Colliery Junior Band. Garden Rain’ by the Japanese composer Takemitsu was originally written for the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble in 1974 but Howarth was allowed to re-score it for the full band. It is a reflective piece, both elegant and poetic (and very slow) which explores the softness of texture and colour that up until then had not been fully explored by brass band composers. The band played at the World Premiere of Brassed Off at the Odean Cinema Leeds as part of the Leeds International Film festival. They were invited to play at the 50th BAFTAS at a star-studded event at the Royal Albert Hall. Virgin Radios Chris Evans also invited the band to perform on the Christmas show of TFI Friday for Channel 4 television.

In 1996 Grimethorpe became Yorkshire Champions once again as well as the top English band at the National Finals, thereby qualifying for the 1997 European Championships at London’s Barbican where the band gained 3rd place.The following year the band got booked for 70 concerts and this took some reducing, even now the band are doing 50-60 concerts / competitions a year and has a full concert list a year in advanced. After graduating from Manchester University, Elgar Howarth studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music, working with composers Harrison Birtwistle, Alexander Hoehr and Peter Maxwell-Davies. When first hearing Grimethorpe he said that there was a unique sound from virtuoso players which had not yet been used by the composers with whom he normally worked. Because of the success 2 years ago, with the popularity of the band with audiences, this tour was more relaxed with the first week being spent in the Kings Cross area of Sydney. The tour didn’t start on a good footing with all the luggage being lost on the flight over, arriving a day late, with the bands music arriving on the morning of the first concert. Apparently it had made a small detour to America. The tour started on the 25/01 at Wollongong Entertainment Centre, then 26/03 Civic Theatre – Newcastle then the main concert of the tour on 27/01 at the Concert Hall of the Sydney Opera House. This concert was a complete sell out including 200 people standing for the whole performance and we were informed that the concert could have been sold out another 2 times. Then the final concert in Australia on the 27/01 at The Hills Centre – Castle Hill before travelling onto New Zealand. 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 lads were visibly moved by this very emotional rhetoric from Frank and turned on their heels determined to play the performance of their lives.

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. The story starts in March 1992 on a spring Sunday afternoon. The day of the Yorkshire Regional Championships at St. Georges Hall, Bradford. Gloria Mullins has been sent to her home town of Grimley to determine the profitability of the pit for the management of British Coal. She also plays the flugelhorn, and is allowed to play with the local brass band after playing Concierto de Aranjuez, affectionately known as “Orange Juice” by the characters, with them. The band is made up of miners from whom she must conceal her purpose. She renews a childhood romance with Andy Barrow, which soon leads to complications. Andy is bitter about the programme of pit closures and determined to fight on, but he is also realistic about the circumstances and predicts a 4-to-1 majority for closure and redundancy. When Andy realises that Gloria is working for management, he accuses her of naïvety for thinking that the Coal Board is considering whether the pit has any viable future and argues that the decision to close Grimley would have been taken years earlier. It is later revealed, during a confrontation between Gloria and the management of the colliery, that the decision to close the colliery had been made two years previously, and that this was to have gone ahead regardless of the findings of her report; the report was simply a public relations exercise to placate the miners and members of the public sympathetic to their plight.You don't have to be a fan of brass bands to enjoy "Brassed Off", but it couldn't hurt. The music is a central focus of the film, but not as a compromise to the story of a town in turmoil. Coal mines being shut down in the name of progress puts many men out of work which naturally also jeopardizes the existence of the colliery band. The music combined with brilliant storytelling (and editing) is merely a platform for some superb acting, particularly from Pete Postlethwaite. Simmo: [about Gloria] You had her. Behind the bus station. Andy: No, I didn't. Simmo: You told us you did. Andy: No, it were top half only. Phil: I love the band - we all do - but there's other things in life, you know, that's more important. Danny: Not in mine there isn't. And then there’s the heart-breaking shot. Herman’s close-up on Tompkinson’s tear-stained face, arguably the character whose family has lost the most, is perfect.

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. Due to the massive success of the Australia/Japan tour in 1999, International Concert Attractions booked the band again for a further tour of Australia in 2001 but this time including concerts on the North and South Island on New Zealand and a one off date in Hong Kong on the way home.In June 1985, half a dozen players appeared in the film All Creatures Great and Small, the actual recording being done in the North Yorkshire Village of Askrigg. October saw the band record excerpts for a Russell Harty profile on the Michael Parkinson programme. 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. 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. In 1995, Major Peter Parkes became Professional Musical Director and Garry Cutt became Resident Musical Director in a three year partnership deal. Also in this year the band moved into new premises in the Acorn Centre in the village of Grimethorpe. These premises, offered by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, are part of a regeneration project funded by European grants in response to industry closure, and are located in the refurbished Coal Board Area Headquarters buildings. The Major left the band in 1999 where Garry Cutt took over the mantle of Professional Conductor.

a b Douglass, David John (2005). Strike, not the end of the story. Overton, Yorkshire, UK: National Coal Mining Museum for England. pp.42–43. 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.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: How can God take John Lennon and yet Thatcher lives?’ … Stephen Tompkinson, left, and Pete Postlethwaite. Photograph: Allstar/Channel 4 Grimethorpe incidentally did not take part as Elgar Howarth was in the box with William Relton and Roy Newsome, but such was the furore that many conductors thought it “undesirable” and the following years saw the Open revert to ‘Epic Symphony’, ‘Diadem of Gold’ and ‘Benvenuto Cellini’. 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. During 1987, the band took part in the opening celebration of the 750 years anniversary of Berlin, held in the international Conference Centre of West Berlin. They also gave concert performances in the St. Magnus Festival held on the Orkney island of Kirkwall.