A question for you: what do the music of Glenn Miller, Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury have in common? Not sure? The answer is that all three featured on the programme for Uppermill Band’s Yanks Weekend concert, along with a number of other well known hits. 

 Yanks Weekend has long been a feature of the Saddleworth area’s summer calendar, giving residents and visitors the opportunity to dress up and recall the 1940s. This year the official event was sadly cancelled but a number of local businesses decided to invoke that wartime spirit and carry on regardless; Uppermill Band were very happy to support the venture, and thus ended up playing to a large crowd - a number of whom had dressed up especially for the occasion - outside the Uppermill Conservative Club on Sunday afternoon. 

 The band’s well received number featured several big band classics including a lovely arrangement of the Count Basie chart Li’l Darlin’ which featured on his iconic album The Atomic Mr Basie. Sousa marches (Star and Stripes Forever and the Liberty Bell) opened each half and the concert finished with Philip Harper’s brilliant arrangement of Queen’s hit Fat Bottomed Girls, which could only be topped by the encore; Elvis Presley’s American Trilogy. Uppermill band are very grateful to Mark Peacock of Longridge Band for stepping in as guest conductor and compère for the afternoon.