Band music a crowdpleaser

The theme songs to well-known movies as well as traditional military march numbers were among the tunes presented to about 200 people by the Hastings Citizens' Band at the Creative Hastings Summer in the Park event at Cornwall Park in Hastings yesterday.

It was the fourth concert in the Summer in the Park series and was called Brass, Pipes and Drums, featuring the City of Hastings Pipe Band, Hastings Citizens' Band and guest performers from the Port of Napier Brass Band.

The live concert, under the trees in the park, also included set pieces and popular Scottish tunes accompanied by keyboardist Ngaire Anderson and Highland dancers.

Works by American composer John Williams featured highly in the Hastings Citizens' Band's set, which played the theme songs to movies such as Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Pirates of the Caribbean. All three film scores were composed by Williams.

The theme song to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone movie was also on the programme, as was Walt Disney's Wish Upon A Star, the theme song to Pinocchio. The band played its rendition of the 1980s hit anthem, The Final Countdown by Europe to officially conclude the set.

It was the military march, Colonel Bogey, played as the encore which pleased traditional brass band fans at the concert.

It was the event's 13th year and featured the Paint The Park exhibition for the first time, produced by the local art community.