As part of Making Music's 90th anniversary celebrations, we're speaking to member groups across the UK about their stories, their communities and the joy of making music together.
In the heart of Accrington, a town steeped in industrial heritage and wartime sacrifice, the East Lancashire Concert Band has been making music, and history, for over 180 years. Since 1842, the band has played a central role in the musical, military and civic life of the region.
A band born of rivalry
The story begins with a touch of local one-upmanship. In 1841, Blackburn formed a town band. Not to be outdone, the 'great and the good' of neighbouring Accrington responded swiftly. A local landowner and businessman enlisted George Ellis, a music teacher from Blackburn, to establish a rival ensemble. Thus, the Accrington band was born.
'They were playing instruments like the serpent and the ophicleide,' says Ian McGuinness, long-time band member and publicist. 'This was before modern brass instruments had evolved. It must have been quite a sound!'
From the outset, the band was at the centre of civic life. In an era before radio or television, live music was a vital part of public gatherings. A 1901 newspaper report describes a Sunday concert in Oak Hill Park, where the 'Old Band' played hymn tunes while birds overhead provided a 'novel and charming accompaniment.' The review noted that the music was 'fairly well rendered, though not free from defects', a charmingly honest critique.
Marching through history: The Accrington Pals
The band’s military connections stretch back to 1859, when it became affiliated with the 7th Lancashire Volunteer Rifle Corps amid fears of a French invasion. Over the decades, it adopted various names reflecting its military role, including the Accrington Military Prize Band and the County of Lancaster Battalion Home Guard Band.
But perhaps its most poignant moment came in 1914, when the band led the first parade of the newly formed Accrington Pals battalion. 'They were marching in celebration,' Ian explains. 'They thought it would be a great adventure, over by Christmas. Of course, we now know how tragically wrong that was.'
This connection was rediscovered during research for the WWI centenary. Ian and fellow band member Nick Holm unearthed a newspaper article and photograph in Accrington Library, confirming the band’s role in that historic parade. The discovery, aided by historian Andrew Jackson, helped the band participate in national commemorations and brought them renewed attention from the BBC and local press.
'When I joined the band, I’d never heard of it,' Ian admits. 'And most people I spoke to hadn’t either. But that Pals connection changed everything.'
The band today: rehearsals, repertoire, and resilience
Today, the East Lancashire Concert Band is a tight-knit group of around 25 musicians who rehearse on Sunday mornings at St. Christopher’s Sixth Form College in Accrington.
Most members are over 50, but the band has welcomed younger players when possible. 'We’ve tried everything to attract younger members,' Ian says. 'More modern music, themed concerts, but it’s a challenge every band faces.'
Despite this, the band’s repertoire remains vibrant and varied. They’ve performed everything from military marches and film scores to themed concerts marking the Titanic centenary and the band’s own 175th anniversary. A recent programme included selections from The Greatest Showman, and even a Meat Loaf arrangement, purchased with a donation from a grateful audience member in Morecambe.
'She said she’d donate money on one condition: it had to be spent on music,' Ian recalls. 'Not admin, not travel, just music. That’s the kind of support that keeps us going.'
From YouTube to the big screen
One of the band’s most unexpected achievements came during the COVID-19 lockdown. A recording of The Pals March, a 1914 piano piece arranged for band by Nick Holme, caught the attention of filmmaker Rory McColl. Rory, it turned out, was the grandson of Lt. Col. Arthur Rickman, commander of the Accrington Pals.
'He asked if he could use the piece in a documentary he was making,' Ian says. 'We said yes, but then we thought, why not go further?'
With a grant from the Arts Council, the band commissioned a full suite of music from composer Peter Meechan, then composer-in-residence for the Band of the Grenadier Guards. The resulting score became the entire soundtrack for The Men Are a Good Deal Rattled, a moving documentary, premiered at Accrington Stanley Football Club and now available on YouTube.
'At the end, the credits roll and there we are: East Lancashire Concert Band,' Ian says with pride. 'It was surreal.'
East Lancashire Concert Band at Morecambe's Happy Mount Park 2025
Preserving the past: The Birtwistle connection
While researching the band’s history, Ian discovered that none other than Sir Harrison Birtwistle, one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary composers, had played clarinet in the band in the 1950s. Ian got in touch and to his surprise, Birtwistle called him back.
'I told him we were commissioning a piece for the Pals centenary, and he said, ‘I haven’t got time to think about it, let alone do it.’ But then he started reminiscing about his father’s service in Gallipoli and his own time in the band.'
That conversation led to another legacy project. When the band moved venues, a mountain of old sheet music was nearly thrown away. Ian rescued it, filling his garage, and with Birtwistle’s help later donated it to the Royal Northern College of Music, where it is now preserved as the Accrington Military Band Collection.
A personal journey
Ian’s own path into music is as unlikely as it is inspiring. A retired chartered accountant, he stumbled into brass playing after buying a £15 tenor horn in a junk shop. 'It was in bits, but I thought it looked complete,' he says. 'I soldered it together, bought a mouthpiece, and suddenly I was £40 deep into a new hobby.'
After some lessons and a few more instruments, Ian found himself playing trombone in a community band and eventually, with East Lancashire Concert Band. 'It’s been the perfect antidote to 50 years in accountancy,' he says. 'I’ve played twice at the Bridgewater Hall. The people I’ve met, the doors it’s opened, it’s been life changing.'
Looking to the future
Attracting younger members remains a challenge, but Ian is hopeful. 'Now that we rehearse at a music-specialist school, we might be able to connect with students there,' he says. 'It’s early days, but if they realise there’s a serious band on site, maybe they’ll come and sit in.'
The band also benefits from a strong online presence, thanks to a member who now runs the official website. 'His sons played with us as teenagers and still come back when they’re home from university,' Ian says. 'That’s the closest we’ve come to continuity.'
Lancashire remembers
One of the band’s proudest moments came in 2018 with Lancashire Remembers, a major concert at Preston Guildhall on the eve of Armistice Day. Organised by Nick Holm, the event drew nearly 1,000 people, was broadcast on BBC Radio Lancashire, and earned the band a Royal British Legion award for fundraising.
'It was the biggest gig we’ve ever done,' Ian says. 'And a real testament to what a community band can achieve.' One of the pieces the band performed was RAF March Past, written by Walford Davies and Sir George Dyson, the co-founder of Making Music.
To learn more about the East Lancashire Concert Band, visit their website and follow them on Facebook
