Once foes of the Victorian and National banding scene, Hawthorn and Kew Brass Bands have joined together as a new band in Eastern Melbourne! In preparation for the Bendigo Eisteddfod, the merged band (which is yet to be named, but I am a fan of Kewthorn...) put on a concert on 13th May, and boy, was it a show! 

Now well and truly in love with modern brass band music, having attended the Australian Championships and watched the New Zealand Band Championships this year, I thought it was time to check out the best of the best at the European Brass Band Championships 2017 (EBBC). Although I couldn't watch the live stream due to work commitments, I did purchase the Championship Section Own Choice recordings, and it has inspired so much internal discussion, that I just had to share some of it with you! So below are six observations I made from the contest.