Review: Hackney Colliery Band at Grassington Festival

AS A granddaughter of the South Yorkshire coalfields I am suspicious of my cultural heritage being hijacked by southern types. Also I hate brass bands. I parked up in Grassington wondering vaguely what I was going to hear, and whether the Hackney Colliery Band did a good rendition of Amazing Love. But first, the support act.

“Come closer to the stage,” Issimo singer Abi invited us, “It's alright, Marc's had a bath.” So we did and these two – a quarter of the full band – took to the stage explaining that the others had got lost on the way there.

I suggest that these six people might want to get their sat-nav sorted out, because the duo's set absolutely took the roof off.

The audience danced the first part of the night away to an acoustic set featuring rock, salsa and reggae. Some sort of Greco-Russian circle dance sprang up and it was great. Really, really great. Look Issimo up online, then boogie on down. Follow that, you pretend miners.

So the pretend miners did. The Hackney Colliery Band appeared on stage with no muss, no fuss. A solid slamming drumbeat started up and the nine-piece got to work. And work they did, without let-up. They worked harder than Arthur Scargill on an exercise bike.

Their style ranges from improvisational jazz to Kanye West by way of modern classical. Hard to describe but perhaps the word “bangin'” will suffice. Their funk-jazz dance music had the audience throwing some shapes down in front of the stage and their sheer energetic power had the whole building throbbing.

This is clearly a band that rocks a festival on a regular basis; powerful, at a volume that would blast all the earwax out of my whippet. I am hoping that next time Grassington Festival will give this outfit the massive stage they deserve. Then you can rush to see them. Bring your dancing shoes, mind, or your clogs. They're not bad for a bunch of southerners.

By Rosalind Fairclough