Ahead of their Brass in Concert challenge on the weekend, Hammonds Band has announced a number of new signings who will be making their mark at Sage Gateshead on Saturday afternoon with the Yorkshire contenders.

Signings and returnees

The vastly experienced Mike Kilroy comes in on solo euphonium, whilst Jon Davies is a returnee from the YBS era on solo Eb tuba following the departure of Dave Smith.

Claire Skipsey comes in the front row after a number of years with the likes of Black Dyke and City of Bradford Bands, whilst the cornet section is further strengthened by Paul Dale and Nick Lees — both former YBS era players. They are joined by Haydn Osborne and Alex Parker.

Thrilled

Speaking about the new signings, MD Morgan Griffiths told 4BR: "It has been great to welcome such a fantastic group of players, and equally good to see the return of some former YBS stalwarts.

Lockdown has certainly been a challenging period for banding, and, as we begin to see some return to normality, I'm thrilled that we have been able to continue to strengthen our team."

He added: "We are looking forward to Brass in Concert at the weekend, followed by a busy period of concerts through Christmas and into January and the contest season beyond that".