Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas

MICHAEL DRAKE

It is a long way from Nepal to Norwich and a different musical culture but the distance must have seemed less as memories were rekindled for many ex-Army men in the full house who served with the Gurkhas.

Their concert band makes light of the changes to western music, being trained at such establishments at Knellor Hall, as they immediately showed in the opening Royal Salute.

Moving via Suppe and Sousa a cornet duet was crispy clean and an American Trilogy, arranged by the band's director, Captain Neil Morgan – who also had a ready wit in his introductions – gave a swinging start to the second half.

A trio of roving trombonists preceded the traditional Nepalese Kukri Dance in which a quartet of light-footed recruits skilfully avoided knifing each other.

The theatre's acoustics sometimes lent a rather thin sound to the ensemble but they were heard to full effect in a rousing finale. We'll Meet Again was part of a sing-along and brought more nostalgia but the sentiment was echoed all round.