Under the spotlight: Campbeltown Brass

Campbeltown Brass came out on top in the third section at the 2016 Scottish Championships.

FRESH from its trip to the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain is third section Scottish champion Campbeltown Brass.

The well-travelled Kintyre band is conducted by Gordon Evans MBE and will be hoping its mix of youth and experience will stand the band in good stead when it performs at the Band Supplies Scottish Challenge in Kilmarnock on November 19.

Principal players

History

Campbeltown Brass is from the Mull of Kintyre, on the far west coast of Scotland. The band was formed by Gordon Evans in 1983, who went on to conduct the band for the next 20 years. The band was then led by various other conductors, notably Craig Anderson and Jamie McVicar (who was one of the young founding players in the original Campbeltown Brass) until Gordon returned to Campbeltown in 2013 and took over as conductor again. 

The remote geographical location of Campbeltown means that many young people move away from the area to continue their education or to find work which means that there are comparatively few older mature players, the larger part of the band is made up of younger players.

The past few years have seen Campbeltown Brass grow and develop into a three-tier organisation with a beginner, a junior and a senior (contest) band. Many of the members of the junior band are also part of the contest band. Despite the average age of the contest band being so young, Campbeltown Brass has always managed to compete successfully across Scotland, and the associated junior bands have consistently won their sections in the Scottish Youth Championships.

Campbeltown Brass is one of the furthest travelled bands in Scotland.  Every normal contest requires a minimum 300 mile round trip and frequently includes an overnight stay. The band has travelled far and wide and is regularly asked to perform at local concerts and other events.