Published: 10 June, 2010
by SEBASTIAN COLE

BANDSTAND music for balmy, and not so balmy Sunday afternoons is being played for free over the next couple of months.

On Sunday, there’s a choice between Life on Venus at the Parliament Hill Bandstand and the Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band at the Golders Hill Bandstand, both starting at 3pm and lasting for a couple of hours.

Life on Venus is a combo made up of stunning vocal/sax duo Amanda Jane Thirkell and Catherine Shrubshall accompanied by startling keyboardist John Miller.

They’ve played Parliament Hill for the past four years and, says Hampstead Heath leisure and events manager Paul Maskell, their performance is one of the highlights of the Heath’s summer programme.

“Their sound is a fresh take on soulful music – perfect for a long, hot summer day,” he says.    Fingers crossed for the “hot” summer day.

The Chalk Farm Salvation Army Band is very different,  the epitome of sweet melodious music. It’s one of the army’s best-known brass band, dating back to 1883. Its line-up of 15 musicians include four cornets, one flugelhorn, two tenor horns, one baritone horn, two trombones, two euphoniums, two tubas and a drum kit.

Expect to hear hymn tunes and marches, together with  classical music and vocals.

Also lined up to play at the Parliament Hill Bandstand over coming weeks are the Flying Chaucers folk group, Balkantics jazz and brass band and Jimmy Beckley jazz trio.

Over at Golders Hill, future engagements include Hampstead guitarist John Etheridge and his Sweet Chorus jazz combo, Sentinals of Rhythm and Tziganka playing Russian and Gypsy music.