London’s first brass-only street carnival is coming to Woolwich next weekend – ending in a grand finale concert featuring jazz acts including Steam Down and Ezra Collective’s Ife Ogunjobi.

The Brassworks carnival, on Saturday September 21,  will start at 11am with a free street parade from General Gordon Square, starting with the Bollywood Brass Band and picking up the all-female group She’s Got Brass, the brass quintet from the Chineke! Orchestra and ending up in the Woolwich Works courtyard at 12.30pm.

During the afternoon there will be a free carnival stage in the courtyard, with the three acts performing individually followed by the trumpeter Byron Wallen, while the National Youth Jazz Orchestra will run free tuba workshops inside Woolwich Works.

Then in the evening there will be a ticketed carnival finale, with the saxophonist Camilla George, trumpeter Ogunjobi and tuba virtuoso Theon Cross. Ogunjobi won the Mercury Prize last year with Ezra Collective while George was named best jazz act at this year’s Urban Music Awards.

Two men from Steam Down
Steam Down will be taking their sound to Woolwich Works. Image: Name Music

The Steam Down collective, who made their name with packed-out nights at Deptford’s Buster Mantis bar before moving to Peckham Levels, will headline the finale, alongside the National Youth Jazz Orchestra’s horn section.

Steam Down’s founder, musical director and conductor, Ahnansé, said: “This lineup is one of a kind, an absolute game changer in platforming London’s jazz scene, and we can’t wait to bring our high-energy big band performance to the Woolwich Works stage.”

Tickets for the carnival finale and information about the parade and tuba workshops are on the Woolwich Works website.

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