Grimethorpe Colliery Band at Wolverhampton Grand
The stars of hit British movie Brassed Off, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band, will come to Wolverhampton on Sunday when they headline the city's Grand Theatre.
The band are in constant demand throughout the world having won almost every brass band accolade.
Grand Theatre spokeswoman Kate Evans said: "These musicians have a highly acclaimed international reputation with numerous television appearances and recordings to their credit.
"The audience will be able to enjoy the fabulous sounds of this world famous brass band, performing favourite classics with passion and style."
The Grimethorpe Colliery band have won rave reviews with The Guardian writing: 'A thoroughly entertaining show and a must for all music enthusiasts!' and The Times adding: 'Sensational – performing your favourite classics in spectacular style!'.
The band formed almost 100 years ago, in 1917, to provide leisure activities for colliery workers.
Members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band were the first to sign up and soon they had won a series of awards.
The band won its first competition in Belle Vue, in Manchester, before featuring on the radio every month from 1941 to 1952.
They continued throughout the troubled 1980s, when many miners went on strike, and were not halted by the closure of the Grimethorpe Colliery in 1992. They famously gained 99 out of 100 in the 1992 final of the National Brass Band Competition at the Royal Albert Hall.
They soundtracked the hit movie Brassed Off, starring former Shropshire actor Pete Postlethwaite, which focused on their struggles against pit closures.
They also scored the 1976 Disney film. Escape from the Dark, by Ron Goodwin, and featured in a number of Beautiful South hits during the 1990s.
They became multiple winners of the National Brass Band Championships and also represented England at the European Brass Band Championship in Norway in 2008, where they finished second.
By Andy Richardson
