The Central Band of the Royal British Legion
Encyclopedia
The Central Band of the Royal British Legion is a concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
associated with the Royal British Legion.
In 2004 it celebrated its Diamond Jubilee, marking sixty years of music making dating back to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The Band’s origins stem from what is now affectionately known as Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, its founder members, many with First World War service, having all played in the Band of the 56th (Surrey) Battalion Home Guard based in Epsom
Epsom
Epsom is a town in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England. Small parts of Epsom are in the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. The town is located south-south-west of Charing Cross, within the Greater London Urban Area. The town lies on the chalk downland of Epsom Downs.-History:Epsom lies...
. However, by 1944, with the possibility of a German invasion no longer a threat, the Home Guard was stood down bringing to an end four years of comradeship.
As with all organisations, the breaking up of a band is a traumatic experience, so much so that a group of musicians from the Dad’s Army Band resolved to keep the spirit alive by forming a new band under the aegis of the British Legion. Thus began 62 eventful years, which have seen the Band progress to its present proud status, enjoying the acclaim not only of audiences everywhere but also of its peers in the world of military music.
The Central Band is the Legion’s premier and 'Flagship' Band and as such, represents the Legion on high profile occasions as well as fulfilling a large number of varied engagements around the country. The Central Band is no stranger to high profile events, many of which are televised and include Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
and BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV's Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise
Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
, seen by millions.
The current Director of Music is Captain David Cole MVO MMus ARAM RM.
Notable Performances
In 2005, the band joined the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
for an End of War Commemoration concert, in which they performed world premiers written especially for the occasion by the Master of the Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. In 2005 and again in 2007 the band recorded a programme for BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
’s Listen to the Band.
In 2006 and 2007, the band performed at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
, during the Ladies Finals Day and Men's Finals Day.
The band has also performed during the lunch break at several test matches at Lords, including the 2005 Ashes test. In addition to this the band has performed at the past two Commonwealth Games Baton Relay
Queen's Baton Relay
The Queen's Baton Relay, similar to the Olympic Torch Relay, is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The Baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London...
ceremonies, playing on the forecourt outside Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
whilst HM The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
handed the Commonwealth Games baton to a famous athlete.
Recordings
The Band has made many recordings, including ‘The Best of British’, which was recorded live with Max BygravesMax Bygraves
Max Bygraves OBE is an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs...
at the Beck Theatre
Beck Theatre
The Beck Theatre is a 600 seat theatre in Hayes, in the London Borough of Hillingdon. It was built in 1977 at a cost of £2.5 million.It was one of 40 buildings considered for the Royal Institute of British Architects London region award in 1978, and won an Access Award from Hillingdon Council for...
.
At the end of 2004 the band recorded Celebration, this was followed with The Shadow of Your Smile in 2006. This was produced by Major John Perkins and includes Ave Maria, Pirates Of The Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
, Goodbye to Love
Goodbye to Love
"Goodbye to Love" is a song composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. It was released by the Carpenters in 1972. On the "Close to You: Remembering the Carpenters" documentary, Tony Peluso stated that this was one of the first, if not the first, love ballads to have a fuzz guitar solo.Upon...
and The Gladiator's Farewell.
In March 2007 the band recorded at the BBC Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
studios for BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
's 'Listen To The Band' feature.
The band recorded their own version of the "new-rave" band Klaxons
Klaxons
Klaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
' hit Gravity's Rainbow
Gravity's Rainbow (song)
"Gravity's Rainbow" is a song by British act Klaxons which appears on their album Myths of the Near Future. It is named after Thomas Pynchon's novel of the same name. The song was first released on Angular Records as a Double A-side with "The Bouncer" in March 2006 and was limited to 500 copies on...
in May 2007. The band later performed this song for the 5th birthday party of MTV Two's flagship rock show, Gonzo.