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After the success of the 2009 combined event, Campbelltown City Brass Band and Payneham Concert Band again combined for a community concert on Sunday 22nd August 2010.

Campbelltown kicked off under the baton of Al Kidney with good solid entertaining brass band music without a contest test piece in sight. I guess the band might suffer but at least the audience didn’t. Music including Rock Around the Clock, Salute to Elvis and Crocodile Rock were real crowd pleasers and had many a toe tapping. So too did the march Barnard Castle which showed how well Campbelltown can play with fine dynamics.

After the interval, Payneham continued under the baton of Brent Parry with more great music. Items included Tango for Band, Music Box Dancer and Daydreams featuring Carol Anderson on Alto Sax. An “in-house” arrangement of Blues on the Slide for trombones featured Fred Hardin and Sean Venning in a very well balanced duet. The band showed it’s competency in the demanding quiet passages of Dances with Wolves followed by Graeme Johnson’s trumpet mastery in Groovy Kind of Love.

The highlight of the concert was undoubtedly the two items played by the combined bands. With over 70 musicians crammed on stage the sound was magnificent and both sets of instrumentation complemented each other really well. Sounds of Brazil was adapted for both bands by Al Kidney while Pirates of the Caribbean provided a fitting climax to the concert.

In an acoustically live sports stadium this music was breathtaking and the musicians got it right in a very exciting performance which the audience greatly appreciated. This was another good opportunity for both local community bands to work together, play together and to demonstrate that music making is indeed a wonderful shared experience.