A Bridhouse and Rastrict Band performance not to be missed!

Lovers of brass band music are guaranteed a rare treat at the TF Royal Theatre,  Castlebar, on Sunday, November 22, at 2.30 p.m. when the highly accomplished Bridhouse and Rastrict Band perform at the venue as part of its two-date Irish tour.

All proceeds from the event are in aid of the the new state-of-the-art music facility being provided by Mayo Academy of Performing Arts at Breaffy Road Industrial Park in Castlebar. Tickets (€30) are on sale at Downtown Records, Castlebar and Westport, ticketmaster.ie and the TY Royal Box Office. 

The West Yorkshire band is regarded as the best and most consistent ‘public subscription band’ in the world.In its time the majority of premier band championships have been held by the band, which has also attracted a formidable reputation for highly entertaining concerts for both the general public and brass band connoisseurs.

The band was formed over 125 years ago through public donations given by the townsfolk of the adjacent villages of Brighouse and Rastrick that face each other across the River Calder.

Today, it still continues to be supported through public subscriptions and its own fund raising efforts. Its amateur members traditionally pride themselves on being financially independent, never having been beholden to any commercial interest, yet they are still regarded as one of the ‘elite’ on the contest and concert platforms.

Followers of the brass band website, 4barsrest.com, voted Brighouse and Rastrick and its conductor, David King, ‘Band of the Year 2011’ and ‘Conductor of the Year 2011’ respectively.

In November 1977, the band reached number two in the UK Singles Chart with their recording of ‘The Floral Dance’, where they stayed for nine weeks, only surpassed at the time by ‘Mull of Kintyre’, the first UK single to sell more than two million copies. The corresponding album, The Floral Dance, reached Number 10 in the UK Albums Chart.