Yes, the hills in the Yorkshire Dales are truly alive with music. There's nature's own soundtrack, provided by songbirds, the evocative call of owls, curlews, even ugly screeches of confused pheasants (their main state of mind), and babbling brooks.
But the sound that makes me feel really at home, and which I love to hear in the open air, is the sound of brass band. Actually 'brass' is a misnomer since some are silver. Reeth Brass Band and Muker Silver Bands are particularly well-known.
There's something simultaneously stirring and peaceful about a brass band playing in the open air at a country show - it seems to epitomise what a carefree summer should feel like, as you watch young and old bouncing their toes and heads up and down with the rhythm. In September, there's the fiercely competitive Hardraw Scar Brass Band Festival, making full use of the beautiful setting.
Speaking of festivals, you'll find a very broad range of styles and musicians at events such as Swaledale Festival and Grassington Festival, as well as at other events through the year. Medieval Music in the Dales draws visitors from far and wide to enjoy their atmospheric events at Bolton Castle.
Rather more modern music events can be found in many town halls and villages around the Dales. Many pubs play host to impromptu musical evenings, often with folk music. Tan Hill Inn has a growing reputation for party nights, and events featuring some of Britain's best known bands such as the Arctic Monkeys. At 1732 feet above sea-level, they not only claim to be the highest pub in Great Britain but by default also the highest pub gig venue in the country!
Perhaps the last mention should go to the Moonbeams Collective whose ‘Songs from the Dales’ reflect their deep love and affection for the countryside and culture of the Yorkshire Dales. They even have a track called the Yorkshire Tup (ram)!
But the sound that makes me feel really at home, and which I love to hear in the open air, is the sound of brass band. Actually 'brass' is a misnomer since some are silver. Reeth Brass Band and Muker Silver Bands are particularly well-known.
There's something simultaneously stirring and peaceful about a brass band playing in the open air at a country show - it seems to epitomise what a carefree summer should feel like, as you watch young and old bouncing their toes and heads up and down with the rhythm. In September, there's the fiercely competitive Hardraw Scar Brass Band Festival, making full use of the beautiful setting.
Speaking of festivals, you'll find a very broad range of styles and musicians at events such as Swaledale Festival and Grassington Festival, as well as at other events through the year. Medieval Music in the Dales draws visitors from far and wide to enjoy their atmospheric events at Bolton Castle.
Rather more modern music events can be found in many town halls and villages around the Dales. Many pubs play host to impromptu musical evenings, often with folk music. Tan Hill Inn has a growing reputation for party nights, and events featuring some of Britain's best known bands such as the Arctic Monkeys. At 1732 feet above sea-level, they not only claim to be the highest pub in Great Britain but by default also the highest pub gig venue in the country!
Perhaps the last mention should go to the Moonbeams Collective whose ‘Songs from the Dales’ reflect their deep love and affection for the countryside and culture of the Yorkshire Dales. They even have a track called the Yorkshire Tup (ram)!
RSS Feed
