Mitcham City Brass presented, in cabaret style, two concerts on 9th and 10th March titled "Magical Movie Spectacular" to a large audience. Despite the Adelaide heat it was a very cool affair inside the Hungarian Club, with the audience dressed in their finest "red carpet" attire. This also extended to the band with coat tails to love beads being discovered in wardrobes. The band was supported on stage by the Adelaide Gay & Lesbian Qwire.

Music featured during the concert ranged from the theme music from Star Wars, The Lion King and Shrek to the poignant 'Hymn to the Fallen' from Saving Private Ryan. The program also featured music from ET, The Love Boat and Les Miserables, including some items transcribed by our MD, Steven Packer. 'Singing in the Rain' and the rousing 'Aces High' from the Battle of Britain ended the first half of the concert.

The second half featured movie themes from several James Bond films plus The Incredibles and Finding Nemo as well as Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York'. Bill Richards played a solo on cornet as groovy Austin Powers in 'Soul Bossa Nova', complete with love beads and Afro hair do! A serious moment came from Brassed Off  when, in the darkened hall, the band donned miners' helmets and pit lights to play the beautiful, haunting 'Irish Tune from County Derry' by Percy Grainger. The concert ended with 'That Old Black Magic' and, after much clamour from the audience, an encore performance of the finale from 'William Tell', also from Brassed Off. This had the audience on its feet!

Musical Director Steven Packer led the band in fine form. With his comical compering and fine arrangements of some of the movie themes, the weekend was a resounding success for the band, in their first Fringe appearance.

Brassed Off MCB playing "Irish Tune from County Derry"

MCB take part in the 2012 National Band Championships at Easter in Melbourne. The band entered into the compulsory Parade of Band's and Street March Contest held at St Kilda. After the band played in the Test Piece and Own Choice sections, whilst we were not as sucessful as last years contest a good time was had by all.

The first Mitcham Band was formed in 1878 and rehearsed in the Mitcham Institute. The band functioned until the Tee Tulpa Gold Diggings were found in 1887, when it disbanded and all the members took their instruments and other property with them and disposed of them in any way they wished.

The present band was formed in 1901 by Carl Stanley, Geo Lawson and J. Tyler and has continued to function ever since.

Practice was held in the Saint Michaels Church Hall and the band was known as the Mitcham Brass Band. Later this name was to be changed to Mitcham City Brass Band, after Mitcham became a city. To get the band started it was loaned a grand sum of forty pounds which was repaid at the rate of ten pounds a year.

In 1906 the band would congregate in Mr. Godden's cow shed in Hawthorn where they practiced by candlelight and hurricane lanterns.

In 1908, at its own expense, the band enlarged the Rotunda on the Mitcham Reserve from which many open air concerts were staged by the band.

By 1909, the band possessed 23 instruments valued at 125 pounds. The band was giving fortnightly concerts throughout the summer at this time.

In 1911, the first set of rules for the band was drawn up. This was the foundation of the current constitution of the band.

1914 saw the first set of uniforms for the band which cost the princely sum of 34 pounds. Also in this year the band moved to the Mitcham Institute for rehearsals where it remained until 1983 when it moved to its current band rooms comprised of the headmasters cottage of the old Mitcham Infant School, now renamed the Mitcham Community Centre.  

Today Mitcham City Brass is still serving the Mitcham Community. We actively compete in the ‘C’ Grade competitions in South Australia and we are the current State Champions of this Grade.

Mitcham City Brass has a long and proud history as a community based organisation. We play a wide variety of music from traditional to contemporary styles, perform at a range of concerts and compete both at National & State Competitions throughout the year.