City of Chester Bluecoat Band are a 2nd section brass band based in the heart of Chester city centre. We are a friendly and sociable bunch who rehearse every Monday and Wednesday, 8pm - 10pm at our bandroom on Bedward Row. The band is currently under the musical direction of Ewan Easton, principal tuba player at the Halle Orchestra.

If you are interested in either of the current available positions, or are local and looking to join a new band, please drop an email to our band secretary, Jon, on [email protected] along with your playing experience

Big thank you to all the organisers today at ConsTest for putting on a fabulous contest and well done to all the bands who took part!

Big thank you to all our lovely supporters in the audience and those who gave us such positive feedback on our performance

On a more positive note, our wonderful principal cornet player was awarded for his 60 years of service to brass banding! Well done Phil

Onwards and upwards!

Big thank you to Acceler8 for inviting us to play. Also well done to Crewe Brass, Rode Hall Silver Band and Silk Brass Band for their wonderful performances. All the best for next Sunday!

Big thanks to our friends at Royal Buckley Town Band for letting us use their space. It’s always a great opportunity to get out of our comfort zone before a contest!

Starting in January. While the band were busy with preparations for the areas, our solo horn player was busy becoming a new mother. Kirsty gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby boy, and he is already showing signs of becoming a fantastic percussionist!

In February, the band were in Blackpool. We were back in the 2nd section and faced with the challenge of performing The Pilgrims Progress. The band came a very respectable 12th place, which has kept us up in the 2nd section for another year!!

March & April were quiet months for the band, but things soon picked up again as we went into summer. Starting in May, where the band had a few Coronation jobs dotted around as the country welcomed our new King to the throne.

The month of June started in the best way, as the band were back over in Saddleworth for the Whit Friday Marches. This year we performed Glemdene on the stand, receiving some cracking results! For the rest of June, the band were busy with jobs, including performing at Knutsford Music Festival, Bunbury Village Day, and leading Chesters Armed Forces Day parade.

July saw us back at Shrewsbury band stand again for another concert in the park. Always a pleasure to be asked back and perform

In August the band had the honour to play at the wedding of our assistant principal cornet player, Sarah, to her husband Nathan. It was an absolutely beautiful day, and we wish Sarah and Nathan a lifetime of happiness together! To finish off August and our busy summer season, the band lead the Chester Pride parade. A wonderful experience and we thank the organisers for inviting us back to take part!

September was a month of big celebrations for the band, as we turned 170 years old!! To celebrate we took to the walls of Chester, where we played our favourite marches and hymns to the public around the city. We also celebrated 60 years of service from our principal cornet player, Phil. The band once again thank Phil for his continued dedication and service to the band after all these years.

October saw the band back at Glossop Old band room for our annual matinee concert. Big thanks to Glossop Old Band for inviting us back to entertain your audiences, we hope to see you again next year!

November is the beginning of the bands busy winter season, starting with Remembrance Sunday. It was a very soggy day but nevertheless it is always an honour to be apart of Chester’s parade. We finished off November with a joint concert with our training band, Bluecoat Brass. It was a very successful evening, and a great experience for all involved!

And then comes December, which is always our busiest month of the year. This year the band had a total of 12 jobs over the month which ranged from big concerts to local care homes. A huge thank you to all who came to listen to the band this festive season, we hope you enjoyed yourselves! And a huge thank you to our secretary Jon, who once again did a fantastic job at organising another Christmas!

Unfortunately the band said goodbye to some players this year. However, the band are very lucky to have players within who have stepped up to new challenging seats and also have new talented players join. On behalf of the band, I would like to welcome and thank our new players and thank those current players who have moved around. It is a very exciting time for the band as we build up a new team!

Finally, the band would like to thank those who have continued to support us during 2023. We already have a lot in store for 2024 and we look forward to where next year will take us!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year