Thanks for'¨support '“'¨now back'¨it up with'¨real brass

And the region’s brass bands may have been given a resounding boost as Culture Minister Matt Hancock pledged to “bang the drum” and “trumpet the success” of the genre as he lent his support in the House of Commons.

Following a championship win for a youth band in his West Suffolk constituency, Mr Hancock said: “Brass bands, like other music organisations, can bring people together across cultural divides, from different backgrounds, and provide a point of unity.”

But members of the brass community in Yorkshire said Mr Hancock’s remarks were off key and that the industry was still racked with financial woes.

Grimethorpe Colliery Band – whose music and story featured heavily in 1996 comedy drama Brassed Off – found itself on the brink of collapse in the years after its colliery closed in 1993. Successive owners had financed the band, but when Powerfuel went into administration in 2010, the money stopped.

Trustee Peter Haigh said: “People come with these ideas but where is the money going to come from? If we were the National Opera it might be different. It’s not easy to get sponsorship.”

He maintained the fortitude of those involved with bands was the only thing that kept brass music alive.

“We all have to keep struggling on. And they struggle on because of the commitment. It’s a name we have taken all over the world, we are advertising the village and advertising Barnsley. They know Grimethorpe.”

The band is celebrating its centenary this year with a series of concerts, including the music of Brassed Off live at the Royal Albert Hall and a concert at Morley Town Hall tomorrow.

David Hirst, the secretary of the Black Dyke Band – established in Queensbury, now a part of Bradford – said even though brass band music had spread across the globe it was treated as second class culture.

“In many ways brass bands are the poor relation of the musical world.

“They are not always seen as being culturally important but they are. We have exported the concept and idea to America, Canada, Europe, Scandinavia, Japan and New Zealand. The bands are a part of the cultural identity of Britain.

“I think it would be a great thing for the Government to recognise the importance of brass band in Britain and all amateur music. The performers in top brass bands are the equivalent of any you would find in the top orchestras of all the capitals of the world.”

The flame keeps burning for brass, he said, through projects aimed at encouraging younger people into the tradition. Black Dyke continues to run numerous youth projects and awards schemes to keep the genre alive.

In 2010, cornet player Alex Bray had an idea to revitalise the style with a modern approach. In Holmfirth and later Wetherby he established an X Factor-style Brass Factor competition, which in its sixth year attracted participants from across the country.

He said: “I think the M inister is absolutely right that brass brings people together. That is what I’ve been seeing. There is nothing wrong with having that nostalgic feeling but we need to encourage new composers to create some flair for brass. The brass band sound is unique and anything that the Government can do needs to be done sooner rather later before we lose it.”