Author: GUS Editor

The GUS Band achieved an emphatic win last weekend at the area qualifing contest and have been crowned Midlands Area Champion 2026.  Playing off the number one spot, it was a fantastic performance of Martin Ellerby’s Elgar Variations, which was reflected in the adjudicators’ remarks: Dr Robert Childs commented that it was “A fine performance – always musical” while Andrea Price wrote that the performance was “So musical as well as technically accomplished”.

In addition, Rhys Cave, the band’s fine flugel player was awarded Best Instrumentalist of the day for his beautiful playing and Christopher Bond, the band’s musical director and his first Midlands Area Championship with the band, was awarded the Winning Conductor’s trophy.   This was a fantastic achievement for the band, which was made even more special as it is also remarkably their 30th win at this qualifying contest.  GUS will now, along with Desford Colliery, (runners up) and Derwent Brass, (awarded third place) go on to represent the Midlands Area at the National Brass Band Finals at The Royal Albert Hall in London in October.

It’s the 1st March and signs of spring are appearing in gardens and the countryside here in Northamptonshire. The GUS Band also have a spring in their step as they look forward to a busy calendar over the next few months. First up will be the Midland Area Championships in Bedworth next weekend, (Sunday, 8th March) where the band will be defending its championship title. On this occasion the test piece will be Martin Ellerby’s Elgar Variations and the band has already given this music a run through at the highly enjoyable concert given by them last weekend at the Holy Trinity Church, Rothwell.

GUS will be walking onto the contest stage with two new exciting and highly experienced signings, Ailsa Russell and Ben Smith. Ailsa has joined the band on Solo Horn and her vast playing experience includes the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland and for the last few successful years, the Cory Band. As well as a renowned exponent of the tenor horn, she is also a respected youth educator both here and abroad. Ben has already had a short spell at GUS before leaving school and re-joins the band on Second Euphonium. A graduate of the Birmingham Conservatoire of Music, he has had spells at Grimethorpe Colliery and Hepworth Band and was the successful Musical Director of the Harborough Band. The GUS Band gives them both a big brass welcome!

On Saturday, 10h January, 2026, the GUS Band presented another successful regionals workshop in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. Organised by The British Bandsman, the many delegates who attended from across the country including the Midlands, London, Southwest and Northeast Regions were given the opportunity to discuss and hear how the third and fourth section test pieces for 2026 could be rehearsed and performed. Questions were asked from the floor and the many challenges that these two works, Indian Summer by Eric Ball and Three Haworth Impressions by Gordon Langford, presented for the bands in these two sections were analysed with suggestions and examples provided on how bands can tackle them.  We hope the attendees went away armed with new ideas and we wish all the third and fourth section bands all the very best in their area competitions this year.

A Happy New Year to all our supporters from the GUS Band. After a relaxing Christmas break for the band, it is straight into the New Year with a bang, or rather a test piece or two! This weekend on Saturday 10th January, in conjunction with the British Bandsman we are hosting a Lower Section Workshop for 3rd and 4th section bands at Eynsham Village Hall, near Witney, Oxfordshire. The band will be taken through the regional qualifying test pieces Indian Summer, (Eric Ball) and Three Haworth Impressions, (Gordon Langford) providing the chance for players and conductors to gain a greater insight into how to bring out key aspects of the music and enhance their area contest performances. Then, the following Saturday, (17th) the GUS Band is off to Pudsey, West Yorkshire, to perform a concert at the Civic Hall as part of the Leeds Best of Brass concert series. Details for these two appearances by the band plus all our upcoming concerts can be found on the Events page of this website.

After a very busy and successful 2025, the GUS Band has finished its year with appearances at a wide variety of venues, entertaining the public with carols and Christmas music.  From a spectacular Christmas concert at St Peter & St Paul, Kettering with the fantastic Belcanto and Masquerade choirs to a motorway service station, a shopping centre, a primary school and the Northampton & County Club, people have enjoyed the festive music performed by members of the band.

So, as we all prepare to celebrate, it just remains for the GUS band to wish all their supporters and friends a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

The GUS Band have just returned from an enjoyable and very successful weekend in Gateshead. After a hugely busy couple of weeks of rehearsals and preparation, the band travelled up to Newcastle ready to take part in the Brass in Concert Championships at the Glasshouse on the 15th November. Once again, GUS had been invited to compete in this prestigious competition and after a rehearsal on the day at the venue, the band walked on stage to present “Love Beyond the Rose”, an original set devised and composed by the band’s musical director, Christopher Bond. The theme was based on the 18th century French fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast” and the half-hour stage show included solos from James Screaton and Jack Wilson, plus a horn and baritone duet arrangement of “Hymne A L’Amour” from Rob Fleming and Sarah Lenton. James, dressed as Belle’s father, Maurice, gave a sublime performance of a beautiful new arrangement for cornet by Chris of “My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose”. Jack, attired as Gaston, the boastful villager, amazed the audience with a new piece for soprano cornet called “Mirror, Mirror, I’m the Star”. Rhys Cave, the band’s flugel player, was the character Lumiere, the cursed maitre d’ and together with George Bruce, the band’s principal euphonium, portraying Cogsworth, the Beast’s butler, played solos in a further new arrangement of “Be Our Guest” from the film Beauty and the Beast.

The whole show was held together by the actor David Gilbrook who narrated and brought the story to life. The audience loved it and so did the adjudicators who placed us 4th overall. If you would like to see the performance, the band’s performance can be viewed on the WobPlay website. However, even better, the GUS Band will be reprising their performance again this Sunday, (23rd November) at the Royal and Derngate Theatre in Northampton, as part of their live performance of the animation film the Snowman.