The players of Grimethorpe Colliery Band are currently counting down the hours to their appearance at this evening’s Opening Ceremony of 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Isles of Wonder

In what will be the first ever performance by a brass band at an official Olympic Opening Ceremony, the band will been seen in action as part of the spectacular ‘Isles of Wonder’ presentation which will be seen by an estimated worldwide audience of 2.5 billion people.

Band Manager Nigel Dixon told 4BR that the atmosphere at the Olympic venue is incredible – especially after the band took part in the final dress rehearsal on Wednesday night.

Amazing

"It can only be described as amazing," he said. "All the world will be watching this evening – and Grimethorpe is going to be a part of it, with all the greatest athletes and performers in the world. All I can say at the moment is sit back and enjoy every minute of it: It’s simply sensational."

Grimethorpe is due to appear in an element that sees the vast ‘green and pleasant’ landscape inside the stadium turned into the era of the industrial revolution, with the band’s performance having echoes of both its own famous industrial and filmatic heritage.

We are due at the stadium at 4.00pm this afternoon and then the countdown really begins. We are very conscious we are representing the whole of the brass band movement, so it’s a mixture of excitement and pride for everyone involvedNigel Dixon

Climax

"That’s as much as we can reveal!" Nigel laughed. "Even we don’t know what the climax of the evening will be like with lighting of the Olympic Torch, but at least we will be there to find out!"

He added: "We are due at the stadium at 4.00pm this afternoon and then the countdown really begins. We are very conscious we are representing the whole of the brass band movement, so it’s a mixture of excitement and pride for everyone involved."