THIS IS LONDON SEPTEMBER EDITION 2025 copy - Flipbook - Page 22
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The most successful band in the competition's history, the Black Dyke Band.
Photo: John Stirzaker
THE BATTLE OF BRASS UK
NATIONAL FINALS
The culmination of the brass band
season is fast approaching as the UK’s top
ensembles prepare to compete in two
prestigious finals this September and
October. Bands from across the country
will go head-to-head in a thrilling contest
for divisional titles, promotion and the
coveted Challenge Trophy – awarded to
the band crowned National Champion
Band of Great Britain.
At October’s prestigious Royal Albert
Hall final, on 11 October, each band will
perform this year’s chosen work Edward
Gregson's Symphony in two movements.
The famous Challenge Trophy awarded
to the winners of the Championship
Final at the Royal Albert Hall.
Photo: Kapitol Promotions Ltd
The winner will be decided by three
adjudicators who are sealed in a box in
the auditorium where they can hear the
music but can’t see the bands on stage.
The competition is judged this way to
preserve its integrity and to put less
pressure on the adjudicators. There is
also a prize for the Most Outstanding
Player.
The National Brass Band
Championships of Great Britain is one of
the highlights of the UK’s banding
calendar. Beginning in 1900, the event in
its current format started in 1945 at the
Royal Albert Hall, making this year the
eightieth anniversary of the competition
being held at the venue.
The event blends fierce competition
with camaraderie as many long-lasting
friendships and relationships have been
formed over the years and many
musicians have gone on to perform at
the highest levels in the wider musical
world. The most successful band in the
competition’s history is West Yorkshire’s
the Black Dyke Band with 24 titles, and
this year’s defending champions is the
Flowers Band from the West of England.
The Results Ceremony will be
preceded by a Gala Concert where the
current National Youth Brass Band
champions, Northamptonshire’s Youth
Brass 2000 will be the featured artist.
Box office telephone 020 7589 8212.
SABRAGE RETURNS TO
LAFAYETTE LONDON
Following the success of its smashhit run at Lafayette earlier this year,
Menier Chocolate Factory and Strut &
Fret are to return Sabrage, a theatrical
experience combining the worlds of
circus and cabaret in a unique spectacle,
with performances until 4 January. Scott
Maidment, award-winning innovator, will
direct the original cast including duo
Kimberley Bargenquast and Flynn Miller
alongside Skye Ladell, Rechelle
Mansour, Remi Martin, Christian Nimri,
Spencer Novich and Emma Phillips.
Step into the world of Sabrage, where
theatrical edge meets decadent Southern
charm. Hosted at the luxurious Lafayette
in London’s King’s Cross, this
unforgettable circus-theatre experience
delivers everything from seductive
spectacle and razor-sharp humour to
world-class acrobatics. Arrive early to
enjoy curated cocktails and Southernstyle bites, then stay late to dance the
night away with a live DJ.
Sabrage – taking after the ceremonial
practice of opening a champagne bottle
with a saber – is an extravagant evening
inviting audiences to delve into the
world of allure and seduction within this
intimate venue. Hosted at Lafayette, a
venue that has made its name for
catching the fastest rising musical acts –
ranging from the diverse likes of Charli
XCX, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Maggie
Rogers, Dave, Olivia Dean, Beck, Becky
Hill, Anne-Marie, and The Pretenders,
this production will give audiences a
new live entertainment experience like
no other.
After touring 32 countries for the past
25 years, Strut & Fret, with its unique
and world-renowned brand of opulent,
cheeky, edge-of-your-seat theatre, joins
forces with the Olivier- and Tony Awardwinning Menier Chocolate Factory
presenting a cast of international circus
elites and theatrical misfits.
For tickets, visit the website at
www.sabrageshow.com
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
