THE Durham Brass Festival returned to Barnard Castle last week for the first time since before covid.
The Little Brass Bash saw two bands take to the stage in the grounds of The Witham while a third performed on the café balcony when rain forced the festivities indoors.
The show opened with Oompah Brass, who performed a 40-minute set of favourites by artists such as Oasis and Britney Spears to get the large audience clapping and singing along.
Next up – and a highlight for many – was the Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band.
Their performance featured a number of south Asian favourites and tunes familiar to any devotees of Hindi movies.
For those new to the genre, the band’s infectious playing and energy soon attracted new fans.
By the time their set was finished, rain came and the final performance of the evening, by London-based Das Brass, took place indoors with just about everyone packing into the café to listen.
The Little Brass Bash was part of the annual week-long Durham Brass festival which saw more than 20 bands taking part in a programme of performances at venues including schools, parks and community centres.
Brass drew to a close on Saturday with Loud Noises representing the festival at the Durham Miners’ Gala. Played alongside other brass bands during the event’s traditional parade through the streets of Durham, before performing at the Big Meeting at the Old Racecourse.
