Three Yorkshire Bands Unite for ‘Vivace!’ at Huddersfield Town Hall Today

There are loud afternoons, and then there are three Yorkshire brass bands filling Huddersfield Town Hall at once.

Brighouse & Rastrick Band bring their autumn spectacular Vivace! to town today, Saturday 24 October, joined by Marsden Band and Skelmanthorpe Band for a 4pm massed-bands concert under Dr David Thornton.

It is a line-up rooted in the mill towns and villages around Huddersfield, but with standards—and histories—that travel much further. The organiser was advertising the last few tickets on Friday, so this is one to check before setting off rather than assuming there will be room on the door.

Three bands, one very big sound

The official billing promises light classics, timeless favourites and an afternoon built around uplifting, lively music. No detailed running order has been published, which means there is no honest setlist to spoil or invent, but the scale of the ensemble is the hook in itself.

Brighouse & Rastrick were formed around 1881 and remain one of the names most people recognise even if they have never followed a brass-band contest. Their 1977 recording of The Floral Dance reached number two in the UK chart, while the band’s own history still pairs it with the official signature march West Riding.

This is not simply a heritage booking. Brighouse & Rastrick won the overall Saddleworth Whit Friday title again in 2026—their fourth consecutive victory—and finished second at the 2025 Brass in Concert Championship against leading European bands.

Marsden Band brings another strong local tradition. Based at Marsden Music Institute, it competes in the championship section and sits at the heart of a village whose brass-band history stretches back well over a century.

Skelmanthorpe Band, founded in 1843, is older still. Kirklees’ own community directory describes it as one of the oldest bands in the country, based in its purpose-built bandroom on Commercial Road and continuing to welcome brass and percussion players into the organisation.

David Thornton has the baton

All three bands are conducted today by Dr David Thornton, a leading euphonium player, teacher and conductor. The Royal Northern College of Music describes him as one of the foremost brass-band musicians of his generation, known for combining virtuosity with the ability to connect with an audience.

That matters for a concert like this. A massed-bands afternoon can produce sheer volume, but the real thrill comes from control: dozens of players breathing, balancing and shaping the same musical line inside a hall made for resonance.

A Town Hall that keeps changing character

Huddersfield Town Hall has had a lively musical run. Last month it paired Pink Floyd’s music with lasers and its Father Willis organ; today the same room belongs to cornets, horns, euphoniums, trombones, basses and percussion. Read Monkey’s Town Hall rock makeover story for that very different side of the venue.

What links the two is the room itself: one of Huddersfield’s most characterful stages, being used for ambitious live music rather than treated as a museum piece.

The practical bits

Vivace! is at Huddersfield Town Hall today, Saturday 24 October 2026, starting at 4pm. The concert features Brighouse & Rastrick Band, Marsden Band and Skelmanthorpe Band, conducted by Dr David Thornton.

Check the live availability and book through the official Kirklees Town Halls ticket page. The Brighouse & Rastrick event page carries the organiser’s confirmed line-up and timing.

Monkey Supporter spotlight: classic rock at the Foresters

Paying Monkey Supporter venue Foresters Hotel in Crosland Moor has Lizard live today from 6pm, with the current listing promising a classic-rock set. It gives the other end of Huddersfield’s musical spectrum a Saturday airing once the brass starts to settle.

Check the current announcement before travelling, and find the address and regular entertainment details on Monkey’s Foresters Hotel page. Please note: it is Foresters Hotel—not “Forresters Arms”.

For more properly checked local music news, visit the Monkey GigsList blog.

Photo: Brighouse & Rastrick Band official event photograph, showing the band and audience inside Huddersfield Town Hall. No individual photographer was credited.

Sources: Brighouse & Rastrick official event page; official ticket page; Brighouse & Rastrick history; 2026 Whit Friday result; RNCM profile of Dr David Thornton; Kirklees community entries for Marsden and Skelmanthorpe bands; current Foresters/Lizard public listing.