In a pioneering initiative to be launched at the Brass: Durham International Festival in July, it has been announced that the highly respected indie rock band British Sea Power (above) will be undertaking a UK tour during the Autumn accompanied by a number of brass bands.

Bands

The opening concert in Durham will feature the NASUWT Riverside Band followed by performances from Redbridge, Jaguar Land Rover and Ulverston Town Band, which hails from close to the group’s home town of Kendal.

A cluster of January 2015 dates is being planned to hopefully feature the likes of Foden’s, Flowers and Derwent Brass amongst others, on a tour that will see the group play venues from London to Cumbria.

Cross fertilisation

The 'Sea of Brass' concerts will marry British Sea Power's atmospheric, finely crafted songscapes with the evocative strains of a brass band in a compelling cross-fertilisation of musical cultures.

With their most recent album, ‘Machineries of Joy’, reaching number 19 in the UK album charts, British Sea Power has built up a substantial cult following whilst also acquiring a reputation for working in unusual spaces, including installation pieces at venues such as Tate Britain.

Acclaimed

They have also provided live soundtracks for film, most recently the acclaimed British Film Institute's 'From the Sea to the Land Beyond', a poignant and historically valuable portrait of the British coastline utilising archive film footage.

Rewarding

Speaking to 4BR, the project's executive producer Katharine Walters said: "The project has been two years in the making. It’s been a long journey, but one which has been extremely rewarding.

British Sea Power’s clarity of vision has shone throughout and the project has grown exponentially from a small concept to a national tour.

We couldn’t have got here without the passion and enthusiasm of the brass band community who have embraced this new endeavour with a positive attitude and a flair for going beyond the norm."

Arrangements

Respected arranger Peter Wraight has been appointed to provide the arrangements, which will feature many of the groups most popular and enduring songs including ‘Machineries of Joy’, ‘Albert’s Eyes’, ‘Atom’ and ‘Warm Wind’.

He added: "From the outset I knew that I wanted to create arrangements which made full use of the forces within a full brass band.

I didn’t want to lean on some of the pastoral associations with brass music, but instead create something challenging for the players and hugely rewarding for the listener.

It’s about playing with textures, and I’m using a full percussion section to compliment the toned instruments and create drama and excitement."

We couldn’t have got here without the passion and enthusiasm of the brass band community who have embraced this new endeavour with a positive attitude and a flair for going beyond the normproducer Katharine Walters

Sea of Brass

PRS for Music Foundation has also been involved in funding 'Sea of Brass' as well as Arts Council England.

Tickets are already selling fast for the opening concert in Durham, with the tour certain to be of great interest to both brass band fans as well as British Sea Power's large body of loyal fans.

The project gratefully received commission funding from all touring venues, with special thanks to Barbican Centre and Brass: Durham International Festival for their generous contributions.

Full listing

A full listing of tour dates and ticket details can be found at: www.britishseapower.co.uk