Welcome to the ‘Official’ Web site of the City of Southampton (Albion) Band.
We are a brass band based in Southampton that rehearse at the Swaythling Neighbourhood Centre, just below Broadlands Road. Parking is available in the centre’s car park, via Hampton Park Way just off Broadlands Road. The postcode is SO17 3AT.
We are available for hire for all sorts of fetes, weddings, reunions and other events. Please contact our secretary for information on how to hire us.
We rehearse every Monday evening, Practice starting at 7.30pm, until 9.30pm.
We always make new players welcome, even if they are just visiting the City. If you are interested in coming along then drop us a line. We are particularly looking for trombone and percussion players at the moment.
The City of Southampton (Albion) Band was founded in 1920, and since then it has been part of the City’s heritage, cultural, and community scene playing at the Dell, (Southampton Football Club’s old ground ) for over forty years and at leading local events such as Remembrance Day, VE and VJ Day parades and at the FA Cup Final celebrations in 1976. 2016 marked the 40th Anniversary of this event and the band helped to recreate the experience on 1st May.
The COVID epidemic hit the band hard and we ended up having to postpone our 100th anniversary celebrations until 2022 when we performed a concert at the Turner Sims Concert Hall. Now that we’re back to some sort of normality the band are back rehearsing and performing concerts.
During 2024 we will be playing concerts at Romsey Bandstand, St. Michael’s Church for the Master Mariner’s Thanksgiving Service, Alresford Show and various Christmas concerts. The highlight of the year will be a tour to Portugal in June playing concerts across the Algarve whilst based in Carvoeiro.
Nick Dawson, the Band’s Director of Music, has been its conductor since 1993 and gained his earlier experience in the 1980’s with Roger Swift, Director of Music at Knellar Hall and with Jerry MacCall of the Coldstream Guards.