Sunday afternoon in the sun took me to the castle grounds, where glittering gleaming instruments and parping sounds indicated that a brass band concert was taking place, surrounded by a generally if not exclusively mature audience stuffing themselves with ice cream.
Enjoying the retro vibe, I got a can of old fashioned bitter shandy and parked my backside on scorched grass more akin to the Serengeti than the East Midlands.
The band hailed from Shirebrook Miners Welfare, Bassetlaw country rather than the world of Brassed Off, but the stories are pretty much the same. These bands are one of the few things that remain of our mining industry, an industry that lasted a little longer in Nottinghamshire because of the infamous split from Arthur Scargill and the NUM that didn't do them any good in the long run.
They still bring in the big crowds, so it is something that obviously still means a lot to a lot of people, and I have to say there is something rather soothing about the warm burbling of tubas and euphoniums, although things became a little sharper when the theme from "The Great Escape" was played.
I really wanted an ice cream afterwards, sadly my way to the rum and raisin was blocked a long queue of musicians in pale blue shirts wishing to cool their lips down after all that heavy blowing.
Si
All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.08.22
All looks lovely and relaxed - have to imagine the sounds of course.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great event! What a lovely bandstand you have too!
ReplyDelete