Hythe
Town Concert Band
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Band History This year (2009) sees the 129th
anniversary of the Hythe Town Concert Band which makes it (probably) the longest
running town band in the country. Very little is known about the band's formative
years except that reference is made in a press article of August 1890 to the
formation of a 'Brass and Reed Band' from the existing town band which had, at
that time, been running for at least ten years. In August 1891 the band gave a
notable public performance which prompted the following comment in the local
press: 'The
Hythe Town Band played in front of the Sea View Hotel, Seabrook, last Tuesday
from 8 - 10pm. This is the first time the band has appeared in uniform, which is
very similar to the undress uniform of the East Kent Volunteers, excepting that
it is a little neater!' In 1894 the band's name was
changed to the Hythe Town Military Band. At the turn of the century the band split up after disagreements and in September 1900 some musicians broke away to form the Hythe Excelsior Band.
By 1903 it would seem that whatever had
caused the rift had been resolved and the two bands decided to amalgamate and
during that year gave 89 public performances. A successful period followed
and by the 1920s the band had won an impressive list of competitions and
medals. There
had also been occasions when the band played to support public appeals, possibly
the most notable being in 1912 when the band took to the streets to raise money
for the relatives of the victims of the Titanic.
Kent Evening Echo 4th. June 1927 In 1939 the band voluntarily broke up as the 'call - up' took its toll. It was resurrected in 1945 and was able to be ready to play for the VE Day celebrations.
As the Hythe Town Military Band it continued to play until the early 1990s when the name once again changed, this time to the Hythe Town Concert Band.
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