The hill lewding sp to Dobcross is steep and long. Bul, when you stand at the top on a Whit Friday you cnn see u remurkable sight.
of Britsin's best bres hadas are surging up the hil moving slowly towarda you la a massef colour and power. The colburs are indistinet at first roerged by the summer's base instruments glinting in the sun. The bands strain STK TUHE apainst chehill, playing as they go. Like some oo sceamo cogin adjusting thespeed of themnanch to the steepoess of the hill. It'scalled the Saddleworth Band Festival — you won't see any of al in the media but le's atrended by tens of thousands of people. Each band plays in cach of the sever villages around Saddleworth. The names of the bands themselves are lyrical — Brigbouse and Kastrick Fairey Engineering, Enst Lanc Paper Mills, and the marvellousty MELICE MAmmORO S NEC Dam At Delpb, anocher village, eact band comes marching in down the hill. the ibusic burssine nhead ol them, It's an awe-inspiriog sight.
don't we have them at So what's this got lo do with Sanal mar lis up teil, realy socialism? straining to make il lo the top sives you a grand feeling of th power of the working class, and ol working class cullure, proud and and brass neglecied part of iL, Ir's probabl the only music in Britain thar s ot the people, by the people, and for the peopie.
Soif you waut te give brass band music n try, there's the miner' In September TEHOULI there's the British championships at Belle Vie Manchester, and Dex! Whit Friday che Saddleworth Band Festival a great working class festival, a great day out and the bars are opemrall day long See you there.
PETER BURTON