Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band

Rajasthan – the land of royalty – a glittering jewel set in the golden sands of the barren Thar Desert, with a wealth of rich culture, tradition and heritage.

The Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band is a living embodiment of this landscape, a spectacular celebration of its vibrant and colourful lifestyle, their music and dance a heady, exciting and hypnotic reflection of this enchanting region.

Extensive touring since 2015 has established them as the premier touring Rajasthani brass band for literally all events, from festivals and melas to parties and weddings. With a diverse repertoire spanning Rajasthani folk songs, Bollywood hits, spiritual qawwali, Bhangra beats. sci-fi and intergalactic funk and even some well loved pop songs, these vividly costumed artists cover the full spectrum of the evocative and joyous music that governs life in Rajasthan.

Highly talented musicians from Jaipur, Rajasthan’s renowned “Pink City”, the surrounding villages, make up the brass core of this rousing new ensemble on trumpet, trombone, euphoium and sousaphone, supplemented with clarinet, against an insistent background of percussion on side, bass and dhol drums.

Optional extras to the line up include a dancer and a fakir. Dancing to this uplifting music is unavoidable and is offered in two unique styles – Kalbelia, or Sapera, and Bollywood. The Kalbelia are nomadic snake charmers with the traditionally dressed and bejewelled dancers mirroring the sinuous movements of the cobra. In complete contrast, a quick change of costume and musical line-up later we are suddenly transported to Bollywood. The gravity-defying, eye-watering, mesmerising feats of the amazing fakir come with a warning for the squeamish and faint-hearted and instructions not to try doing this at home – sometimes seeing is NOT believing!

Extensive touring since 2015 has established them as the premier touring Rajasthani brass band for literally all events, from festivals and melas to parties and weddings. With a diverse repertoire spanning Rajasthani folk songs, Bollywood hits, spiritual qawwali, Bhangra beats. sci-fi and intergalactic funk, these vividly costumed artists cover the full spectrum of the evocative and joyous music that governs life in Rajasthan.

After two barren COVID years their 2022 mega UK tour began with them celebrating Coventry City of Culture’s finale street parade alongside 1,400 other performers leading on to four months of continuous appearances, highlights including the Queen’s Jubilee events for the Royal Horticultural Society Garden Bridgewater and the Piece Hall in Halifax. the return after Covid of many festivals – Glastonbury, Wychwood, Rhythm Tree Isle of Wight, Timber Festival, Birmingham Big Weekender, Moseley Folk and Arts plus Melas in Belfast, Newcastle, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells, Southend, Reading, Milton Keynes, Croydon and Southampton.

Returning in 2023 their summer tour saw repeat bookings to many of the previous year’s venues, plus many new additions throughout the UK with a stronger reformed line-up. Their refreshed repertoire with a selection of new but old songs was a massive success, surprising unsuspecting audiences with some familiar and well-known but totally unexpected popular songs.

2024 sees them back at many of their favourite locations, Glastonbury – of course – and even more festivals, melas, community events, weddings and schools.

Over the past ten years we have continually expanded the group’s network of promoters and their audience appeal, demonstrated when a number of site-specific commissions were successfully delivered :-

Bluedot. Performing a rousing tribute to cult British Science Fiction and other Intergalactic funk from the silver screen on the main stage at Jodrell Bank in both 2017 and 2018; in the Delia Derbyshire Tribute led by Dick Mills and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop where they played the Dr Who theme; The Man Behind the Mask talk with Dave Prowse, (AKA Darth Vader) and Brian Muir who made the mask, where they played the Star Wars theme; playing in the crowds around the iconic telescope and leading the parades in the main arena. Their impressive debut appearance in 2017 led to them being re-booked right away.

Glastonbury, 2015 to 2019, 2022, 2023 and now 2024!! Daily Big Top shows in the Theatre and Circus Fields and walkabouts amongst the huge crowds throughout the vast festival site; performing at Opening Number, the prestigious Thursday night reception for invited guests and media in the Pyramid backstage area; featuring on Cerys Mathews’ BBC Radio 6 Music live Sunday broadcast; supporting Greenpeace with live shows on their stage; entertaining artists and crew in the West Holts backstage area.

The Good Life Experience. Personally invited by Cerys Mathews; without a shadow of doubt the highlight of the band’s four-month summer 2018 tour. https://www.thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk/

Bestival and Camp Bestival Dorset 2015 to 2019 and both Dorset and Shropshire in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Taking genuine Bollywood music to Rob and Josie’s spectacular Bollywood Tent; leading wedding processions to the surprise of the happy couples and their guests; thrilling audiences of all ages; special guests at the opening night VIP parties.

Sziget, Budapest. 565,000 attendees, 60+ stages, seven straight days with RHBB playing every day!

Arts By The Sea, Bournemouth. Two days down on the south coast rounding off the summer season in style.

Commonwealth Games 2022, preview event in Paradise Square, Birmingham.

Liverpool River Festival. Two spectacular days along the iconic Waterfront.

Durham Brass, a week of outdoor shows throughout the city and in local schools.

Melas everywhere! Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Bradford, Leicester, Slough, Loughborough, Southampton, Middlesborough, Gateshead.

Lakes Alive, Kendal. Leading the finale torchlit parade up to the Castle

Piece Hall, Halifax. Celebrating the first anniversary of the restoration of this incredible and iconic location.

Festival No. 6 Portmeirion 2017. Fulfilling two missions in one day – participating in the 50th Anniversary of the release of The Beatles seminal Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, parading while playing When I’m 64 and other famous tunes; and playing the theme from The Prisoner during The Prisoner Appreciation Society’s annual visit to the birthplace of the cult TV series.

BBC’s World on 3. Surprising Kathryn Tickell with a riotous live session on Radio 3’s flagship World music show and giving the Dr Who theme an airing in its spiritual home.

Roald Dahl Day. Joining the Fantastical Creatures on parade and enjoying a day of whizzfizzing fun in Aylesbury, with a selection of entertaining children’s music – three years running!

The New North and South. Getting the new three-year long festival of South Asian culture underway with a rousing performance at Manchester’s famous Band on the Wall, the day after Circus Raj and Caravan Raj had delighted vast crowds outside The Whitworth Gallery.

Social Media links.

facebook : https://www.facebook.com/RajasthanHeritageBrassBand/?epa=SEARCH_BOX

twitter: https://twitter.com/rhbrassband?lang=en

instagram: https://wwwinstagram.com/rajasthanheritage_brassband/

RHBB on BBC Radio 3 “World on 3” 14 July 2017 playing Dr Who theme and “Cantina” from Star Wars
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p058xcxy

RHBB on the Orbit Stage at Bluedot festival opening up with Darth Vader’s Imperial March for Dave Prowse and Brian Muir.https://www.twitch.tv/videos/158270811

RHBB Press Quotes

Endearingly Shameless
Enormously Enjoyable
Songlines Magazine

Glorious
BBC 6 Music

Magnificent
Gigwise

From Rajasthan to Mos Eisley. Don’t underestimate the Force of the RHBB
BBC Radio 3

An absolute blast
C|Net

Brilliant*****
The Londonist

Rajasthan Heritage Brass Band

Technical Conditions

Team

7 artists

1 driver

1 Director

Hotel: 2/3 stars (when agreed in contract)

1 twin, 2 triple and 1 single room, with attached bathroom, telephone and if possible on the same floor.

Breakfast, wi-fi and safe parking for one van to be available in the hotel.

Catering:

Served after the performance

9 hot and very spicy Indian meals cooked by North Indians or Pakistanis.

In case of no Indian meals available, please prefer vegetarian or North African or Italian meals (halal chicken is agreed, pork and beef are strictly prohibited).

Cold drinks, mineral water, tea will be available.

Backstage:

One rooms with shower, hot water, one towel for each person, mirrors, chairs, tables.

Refreshments provided prior to the performance : Platter of vegetarian sandwiches, vegetarian salads, cold chicken, yogurts, fruits, bread, butter, cheese, spicy sauce, green chilies, salt, black pepper, juice, coffee & tea making facilities. (Yellow Lipton tea bags, milk, sugar, hot water)

Room must lockable with two keys supplied to the group.

Timing:

The whole program runs for about 90 minutes, with 20 min interval.

Production team.

A stage manager should be available and local production assistants to assist with loading in and out.

Stewards should be positioned to ensure the audience remains outside of the performance and backstage areas.

Stage and sound plan :

Please request current stage plan documents and refer to tech rider below.

TECHNICAL RIDER

The Rajasthan Heritage Brass band performs an energetic set involving much dancing while playing their instruments. The musicians also double as vocalists engaging the audience in call-and-response refrains from traditional Rajasthan folk songs and Bollywood classics. For this reason we prefer the band to perform with dedicated wireless clip-on microphones and separate vocal mics on stands for each player. If wireless clip microphones are not available and the band is required to perform a more static stage show, a standard set of cabled SM57 and SM58s will suffice.

	1. Euphonium 1	2. Euphonium 2	3. Trombone Doubles Sousaphone	4. Trumpet	5. Clarinet Doubles Alto Saxophone	6. Side Drum	7. Bass Drum	8.Optional compere or additional percussion
i. Wireless clip microphone	Shure PGA 98H or Sennheiser e908T	Shure PGA 98H or Sennheiser e908T	Shure MX150 or similar	Shure PGA 98H or Sennheiser 908T	Shure PGA 98H X2 or Sennheiser e908T X2	Sennheiser E604	Sennheiser E604 X 2
ii. Cabled Instrument Microphones & stand position if wireless option not available	SM58 Boom mic stand positioned behind musician	SM58 Boom mic stand positioned behind musician	SM58 down the bell in a sock Very long cable please as the musician likes to dance during the set	SM58 Boom stand in front of musician	SM58 Boom stand in front of musician	SM57 Boom stand in front of musician	SM57 X 2 2X Boom stand s at either side of drum	SM58 Stand in front of musician
Vocal Microphone on stand	SM58	SM58		SM58	SM58	SM58	SM58	SM58

Lighting :

Lighting is not required for daytime outdoor shows.

If required, lighting must be as natural and discrete as possible.

Basic Lighting rig with 2 colour wash + open white orchestra wash and Full Moving light rig to follow the artists on the rope and pick up them in light.

Cyclorama (if available)

Backlight and Sidelight.

Contacts:

Main contact in relation to enquires relating to the Bookings/Shows/Logistics:

Graham Breakwell Access All Areas Booking Agency

Tel 01743 235384 or 07850 734182 Email: [email protected]

Access All Areas

44, Alexandra Avenue, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 9HS

www.accessallareas.info