Durham Brass Festival 2025: new acts announced
- kelseygarbutt
- Jun 13
- 6 min read
A host of fantastic new additions has been announced to the already spectacular line-up for this year’s Durham Brass Festival.
Organised by Durham County Council and supported by Arts Council England, the festival
returns to the city, and towns and villages, this summer from Sunday 13 to Sunday 20 July.
In a first for the event, Durham Brass Festival hosts Radio 4 Loose Ends on Wednesday 16 July. Writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie will host the programme from the festival in an edition that celebrates music, comedy and entertainment from and about the North East. This special one-off show will feature a fantastic guest panel including Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Girl on the Train author Paula Hawkins, and comedian Ria Lina, with more high-profile guests in the pipeline. This special broadcast of Loose Ends takes place at Redhills and is a ticketed event.
On Sunday 13 July, the BRASS Tea Dance takes place at Bishop Auckland Town Hall. People can dance the afternoon away at this traditional social gathering with live music from the fantastic Tyne Valley Big Band, led by musical director Dave Hignett and accompanied by the fabulous vocals of Barbara Hignett. Festival-goers can show off their moves in the popular sequence dancing or sit back and enjoy the music and refreshments. This event is ticketed.
Supporting Bill Ryder-Jones at Gala Durham on Tuesday 15 July is Pet Snake, the solo project of Evelyn Halls (Clean Cut Kid). After spending the last decade playing and writing for others, Evelyn has taken strides to carve out her own path. Lo-fi folk meets expansive indie pop with nods to early 2000s grunge, Pet Snake creates a sonic landscape that’s both nostalgic and fresh while delivering every word with a voice that can silence even the rowdiest of rooms.
Making a return to the festival is the annual Party In The Park on Saturday 19 July. Taking place at the fantastic amphitheatre in Wharton Park, this free to attend event provides a
unique way to experience the high energy performances from the street bands that will gather from across the UK and beyond to perform at this year’s festival.
Come rain or shine, this is always an unmissable part of the festival.
The bands that will be appearing are as follows:
Always Drinking Marching Band: an artistic production company specialising in music, theatre and clowning.
Brazen Band: a collection of the UK’s finest female brass and percussion players.
Das Brass: a virtuosic ensemble of jazz maestros who thrive on bringing the party to life.
Diddy Sweg: uniting all beings from all corners of the galaxy through the universal language of music.
John Birks Orchestra: a sonic laboratory where hip hop, funk, jazz, Latin rhythms, and Brazilian choro blend into a fresh, explosive sound.
Mr Wilson’s Second Liners: an anarchic, street extravaganza, bursting with colour and sound, rallying impromptu raves on street corners and rousing audiences young and old into a joyful frenzy.
New York Brass Band: North Yorkshire’s only contemporary New Orleans inspired Brass Band.
Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band: an esteemed ensemble of exceptionally skilled musicians hailing from the culturally rich state of Rajasthan, India.
Yorky Pud Street Band: a heaping of jazz, a dash of oom-pah, stir in some mash-ups, and give it a New York subway busking flair.
Young Pilgrims: a jazz influenced, rock induced, nine-piece brass band, known for intense live performances.
These very same acts will also be performing in outdoor locations across Durham City over the closing weekend (Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July.) The free to attend Streets of Brass provides a fresh and non-traditional take on what it means to be a brass band.
Over the weekend (Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July), Durham Brass Festival will also take over the street and the water with Brass Boat Cruises. People can cruise along the River Wear on the Prince Bishop, with an amazing street band on board. They can enjoy wonderful music and gorgeous views of Durham City, with an atmosphere that won’t be forgotten. The 60-minute cruise will sail from the Boathouse beneath Elvet Bridge to St Hild and St Bede College, and back via Prebends Bridge. This event is ticketed.
Cllr Lyndsey Fox, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We’re just over a month away from the return of Durham Brass Festival, which has really developed into one of the region’s most popular events over the years. The 2025 edition promises to be another spectacular, with performances from a range of acts, both in our wonderful city and around the county.
“There really should be something for everyone and by bringing people out to enjoy Brass we are pleased to be increasing footfall for local businesses, which in turns helps our economy. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our amazing festival and county in a few weeks’ time.”
Sue Collier, artistic director of Durham Brass Festival, said: "Durham Brass Festival is about celebrating all things brass and this year we’re cranking it up to eleven. From boat decks to dance floors, schools to care homes, city streets to historic venues, radio waves to park stages, there’s nowhere BRASS won’t go. We can’t wait to share it all with everyone."
Durham Brass Festival won Performance of the Year at the 2024 North East Culture Awards for Public Service Broadcasting featuring NASUWT Riverside Band and Felling Male Voice Choir.
Performers for this year previously announced include Bill Ryder-Jones, Barry Hyde, Simon Armitage and LYR, Brassed On, NETOA Wurlitzer and Stanhope Silver Band, and The Fairey Band.
Bill Ryder-Jones will perform his critically acclaimed and much-loved album Iechyd Da in full, for a special, one-off show with NASUWT Riverside Band at Gala Durham.
The Futureheads’ frontman Barry Hyde will perform music from his forthcoming concept solo album, Miners’ Ballads with the Durham Miners Association Brass Band. Commissioned by Sunderland City Council and Paul Emerson, the record is inspired by the coal mining heritage of the North East of England with emphasis on Sunderland and
Washington.
On Friday 18 July, the festival will host BBC Radio 4’s The Adverb with presenter Ian McMillan, featuring Simon Armitage and LYR performing Firm As A Rock with Easington Colliery Band at Redhills Durham Miners Hall.
Brassed On will present a show which pairs North East artists including Faithful Johannes, Amateur Ornithologist and Liz Corney. The performance takes place on Saturday 19 July and is in partnership with BBC Music Introducing and NARC. Magazine.
Also performing on Saturday 19 July are the NETOA Wurlitzer and Stanhope Silver Band. Howard Beaumont, together with the Stanhope Silver Band will perform a wide variety of music - old and new, popular and classical with world famous NETOA Wurlitzer.
On Sunday 20 July, The Fairey Band presents a spectacular concert of music and animation, performing a brass arrangement of Pictures at an Exhibition to accompany animated interpretations of Mussorgsky’s masterpiece. The animations, created by Ion Concert Media in collaboration with the USC School of Cinematic Arts, bring Mussorgsky’s musical response to Hartmann’s visual to life, offering an immersive experience filled with rich fantasy, whimsiness, and adventure.
In a first for Durham Brass Festival and also performing on Sunday 20 July, The Fairey Band presents Acid Brass, its take on Acid House anthems with a traditional brass band.
Tickets, where appropriate, are on sale now. For more information, visit www.brassfestival.co.uk
Durham Brass Festival 2025 – the line-up as it stands…
Sunday 13 July
BATH Tea Dance featuring Tyne Valley Big Band - Bishop Auckland Town Hall (minimum age 14) SOLD OUT
Monday 14 July
Barry Hyde performing Miners’ Ballads with Durham Miners Association Brass Band - Redhills Durham Miners Hall
Tuesday 15 July
Bill Ryder-Jones and The NASUWT Riverside Band performing Iechyd Da + Pet Snake – Gala Durham
Wednesday 16 July
Durham Brass Festival hosts Radio 4 Loose Ends - Redhills Durham Miners Hall
Friday 18 July
Durham Brass Festival hosts BBC Radio 4 The Adverb Featuring Simon Armitage and LYR performing Firm As A Rock with Easington Colliery Band - Redhills Durham Miners Hall SOLD OUT
Saturday 19 July
Party In The Park - Wharton Park
Saturday 19 July
Brassed On featuring Faithful Johannes, Amateur Ornithologist and Liz Corney – Gala Durham
Saturday 19 July
NETOA Wurlitzer and Stanhope Silver Band: Brass & Pipes - New Victoria Centre SOLD OUT
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July
Streets of Brass – Durham City
Brass Boat Cruises - River Wear
Sunday 20 July
The Fairey Band present Pictures at an Exhibition – Gala Durham
Sunday 20 July
The Fairey Band present Acid Brass – Gala Durham
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