MEET THE BAND

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

NATHAN WATERMAN

Nathan’s first brass playing was on Cornet aged 12 at Thrapston Town Band. Within months he moved onto Tenor Horn which remains his instrument to date.
Nathan has played for many top bands including; Brighouse & Rastrick, Desford Colliery and most predominately The GUS Band which he joined on Principal Horn in 1991 and from which position he retired after his 14th appearance at the National Brass Band Finals at the Royal Albert Hall in Oct 2019.
 
Nathan has been a featured soloist on tours of America, Canada and Europe. Also on shows such as ‘Friday Night is Music Night’ and ‘Listen to the Band’ on BBC Radio 2.
He has played alongside brass legends such as Maurice Murphy, James Fountain, Rod Franks and John Wallace, and singers like Madonna, Laura Wright and Faryl Smith.
 
Nathan has been fortunate enough to have played under many amazing conductors such as Bramwell Tovey, Russell Gray, Howard Snell and feels especially lucky to have been mentored by the great John Berryman, a close friend.
 
Nathan enjoys teaching, band training, arranging and conducting.
 
Nathan lives in Kettering with his wife, Carly and two beautiful daughters, Eleanor and Hazel.

CORNETS – Front Row

EMILY

Instrument/Position

PRINCIPAL CORNET

SIMON

Instrument/Position
SOLO CORNET

NICK

Instrument/Position

SOLO CORNET

Date Started Playing
1984

Favourite pieces
Slane, Gabriel’s Oboe & For The Love of a Princess (Braveheart)

Least Favourite pieces
Padstow Lifeboat

 

Most memorable event(s)
Being awarded Bandsman of the Year Trophy – 2015
The 150th and 160th Anniversary Concerts

Interests
Brass banding, caravanning and reading.

CORNETS – Back Row

DAVID

Instrument/Position
SOPRANO CORNET

Date started playing

Favourite piece
Least favourite piece

Most memorable moment

Occupation
Interests

 

 

PETER

Instrument/Position
REPIANO CORNET

Date Started Playing
1963

Favourite band piece
To play: Purcell Variations
To listen to: Partita (Wilfred Heaton)

Least favourite band piece
Force of Destiny

 

Most memorable event
Contesting at Belle Vue

Interests
Is there anything in life other than banding?!

ELVIS

Instrument/Position

2nd CORNET

Date Started playing
2011

Favourite band piece
Gymnopedie

Least favourite band piece
None

 Most memorable event
When I won the Ernie Baldwin Shield & also coming first in the Midlands Area Regional Championships 4th Section in 2023

Occupation
Apprentice carpenter/joiner

Interests
Carpentry, X-box, Sport, Tae Kwon Do

CHRIS

Instrument/Position
2ND CORNET

Date started playing
1982

Favourite piece
English Heritage & Seascapes

Least favourite piece
A life lived with grace

Most memorable moment 
Coming 4th with Kibworth Band at the Grand Shield in 2005 beating GUS & Desford

Occupation
Carpenter & Joiner

Interests
Taxi driver for my twin daughters, watching sport & enjoying a few beers at the weekend!

PHIL

Instrument/Position
3rd CORNET

MAGGIE

Instrument/Position
3rd CORNET

Maggie is a founding member of  Boobs & Brass, the all female band which has raised over £260,000 for Breast Cancer research.

Date started playing
1964 with Fairfield (Buxton) Band

Favourite piece
Too many to choose from but the older test pieces that have “a tune”

Least favourite piece
Anything that is all “noise & notes”

Most memorable moment  
Boobs & Brass sharing the stage with Brighouse & Rastrick Band at Huddersfield Town Hall, especially when we played Procession to the Minster – surrounded by a wall of sound. Felt very privileged to be invited

Occupation  
Retired Finance Manager

Interests  
Gardening, Helping my niece & nephew with their 9 kids!

 

DIANA

Instrument/Position
FLUGEL HORN

Date Started Playing
1989

Favourite piece to listen to
Essence of Time!

Favourite pieces to play
Pieces that put a smile on people’s faces!!

Least favourite piece
Valero

Most memorable event:
Playing my first flugel duet at Welland Park

Occupation
Teacher

Interests: cake baking, reading, sewing, running

HORNS

AMEY

Instrument/Position
SOLO HORN 

Date Started Playing
2000

Favourite piece
Slow Melodies

Least favourite piece
Over the Rainbow (Arr. Frank Bernaerts)

Most memorable event
Thrapston Town Band playing at our wedding

Occupation
Animal Health & Welfare Scientist

Interests
Long-distance running, and food

MARION

Instrument/Position
1st Horn

Date Started Playing
1965

Favourite piece
Anything that makes the audience smile!

Least favourite piece
None!

Most memorable event
Playing at the Festival of Remembrance in the Royal Albert Hall in 1972 with the WRAF Central Band

Interests
Family and banding

JANIS

Instrument/Position
2nd HORN

Date started playing

Favourite piece
Least favourite piece

Most memorable moment

Occupation
Interests

 

JULIE

Instrument/Position
2nd HORN

Date Started Playing
1987

Favourite pieces
Serenata by Goff Richards

Least Favourite pieces
Pieces in which I spend a lot of time counting many bars rest

Most memorable event
Playing underground in an empty cruise missile hanger.

Interests
Gardening, reading, crochet and lace making.

EUPHONIUMS

MARK

Instrument/Position
PRINCIPAL EUPHONIUM

Date started playing
1966 aged 7 Kettering Rifles Junior Band

Favourite piece
Carnival Romaine GUS & the solo by the great Trevor Groom

Least favourite piece
Miller Magic or anything with Glen Miller in it!

Most memorable event
Playing the duet Another Fine Mess at a prestigious concert – the first time we got it right and it brought the house down!

Interests
Exploring with our motorhome
Narrowboating & motorbiking when we can fit it in around band jobs

 

 

 

BOB

Instrument/Position
2nd EUPHONIUM

Date Started Playing
September 1974

Favourite pieces
The Lonely Mill

Least Favourite pieces
Hootenanny

Most memorable event

All players of TTB, past and present playing in the Church.

Interests
Motocross and working my 3 dogs

BARITONES

ED

Instrument/Position
1st BARITONE

Date Started Playing
1983

Favourite pieces
Trumpet Blues
Cantabile

Least favourite pieces
Rise like a Phoenix

Most memorable event
Meeting Alison… Marrying Alison… Playing next to Alison

Occupation
BMS Project Manager

Interests
Sheep!  LOL

ALISON

Instrument/Position
2nd Baritone

Date Started Playing
1985

Favourite piece
Donegal Bay

Least favourite piece
Hootenanny

Most memorable event
My daughter, Amey, playing her first solo on Tenor Horn for TTB, at the Oundle Music Festival, when she was 10.

Occupation
Sheep Farmer

Interests
Family, triathlon, running, agricultural shows, and all things SHEEP!

TROMBONES

ROB

Instrument/Position
PRINCIPAL TROMBONE

Date Started Playing
1975

Favourite pieces
Concierto de Aranjuez

Least favourite pieces
Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring

Most memorable event
The way the band stuck together throughout the pandemic. And winning the Areas in 2023!

Occupation
Brand & Marketing Consultant

Interests
Road cycling and Liverpool FC.

BRIAN

Instrument/Position

2nd TROMBONE

Date Started Playing
1982

Favourite pieces
The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Least Favourite pieces
A Winters Tale

Most memorable event
Playing for TADS for Brassed Off

Interests
Gardening & Swimming

ELAINE

Instrument/Position
BASS TROMBONE

Date Started Playing
1966 aged 11 Ellesborough Silver Band

Favourite pieces
Pirates of the Caribbean (for fun)
Scheherazade (for serious content)

Least Favourite piece
Hootenanny

Most memorable event
Exhilarating playing Seascapes on percussion at Area Championship qualifiers, quite a buzz even though we didn’t come anywhere!

Interests
Machine knitting & crafting
Playing the piano & recorder
Motorhoming, narrowboating, motorbiking,
Keeping fit & pumping iron at my local gym
Everything really!

BASSES

ALEX

Instrument/Position
Eb BASS (PRINCIPAL)

Date started playing

Favourite piece
Least favourite piece

Most memorable moment

Occupation
Interests

 

DAVE

Instrument/Position
Eb BASS

Date started playing

Favourite piece
Least favourite piece

Most memorable moment

Occupation
Interests

 

CHRIS

Instrument/Position
Bb BASS

Date started playing
Xxxx

Favourite piece
Xxxx

Least favourite piece
Xxxx

Most memorable moment
Xxxx

Occupation
Xxxx

Interests
Xxxx

CONNOR

Instrument/Position
Bb Bass

Date Started Playing
Started playing on Bb cornet in February 2010. Transitioned on to Bb Bass in September 2022

Favourite piece
Anything that’s upbeat & is a crowd pleaser are favourites for me!

Least Favourite pieces
Anything that’s REALLY slow …..

Most memorable event
Brassed Off with a drama society (Thrapston Plaza)

Interests
Gaming on PC & Xbox

 

PERCUSSION

TRACEY

Instrument/Position
TUNED PERCUSSION

Date Started Playing
2014

Favourite pieces
Pirates of the Caribbean and  anything that requires jumping from one instrument to another.

Least Favourite pieces
Cornfield Rock

Most memorable event
Playing in Brassed Off with Thrapston Amateur Dramatics Society

Interests
Holidays, holidays and more holidays.

ALAN

KIT PERCUSSION

Date started: 1993

Favourite piece
: Music For A Festival (great for kit and percussion)

Least favourite : None

 

Memorable moment: Winning the 2023 Midlands Area Contest with Thrapston

Occupation
: Security Officer

Interests: F1, photography, a good boxset to binge on, historical interests and a very eclectic taste in music

Annabel

ANNABEL 

PERCUSSION

Date started:  2019

Favourite piece

Least favourite

 

Memorable moment

Occupation: Sudent

Interests