ConsTest

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 🍻 Now that the dust has settled on a fantastic weekend, it’s time for us to reflect on our 4th event! With thanks to our fantastic sponsors, collaborators, audience members and adjudicators, ConsTest welcomed a complete lineup of 18 bands to compete at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, for the second year in a row! We were so fortunate to hear 16 different pieces of music, all prepared and delivered greatly by our performers. Congratulations to all of the bands who took part, our prize winners & our Newmoon Insurance Champion Band, Derwent Brass🏆 Without any of your support, this weekend would not have been possible, so thank you so much! If you missed out on our Ale As Yet Unsold, we’re down to our final few crates… so please contact us if you’d like to purchase! 🍺 Catch up with all of the action at NXTOD.com & keep your eyes peeled at for all of the day’s photography, courtesy of Evie & Will! 📸 We’ll now be taking a break to recover, who knows what will come next… 5️⃣?

ConsTest 2026 Results! 🍺 After a brilliantly busy day in the Bradshaw Hall, Derwent Brass are the Newmoon Insurance Champion Band of ConsTest! 🎺 We’ll be posting a full summary of the days events, but for now, here are the full results and our prize winners! Thank you for all your support this year - we hope you had a wonderful day.🏆 1. Derwent Brass* 2. Parc & Dare Band** 3. Sovereign Brass 4. Usk Brass Band 5. Jackfield Band 6. Tewit Silver Band 7. Harborough Band*** 8. Stamford Brass Band 9. Carlton Brass 10. Oddfellows Brass 11. Towcester Studio Band 12. Syston Band**** 13. University of Warwick Brass Band***** 14. Bedworth Brass 15. Wellington (Telford) Brass Band 16. Wigston Band 17. Arrow Valley Brass 18. Croft Silver Band *Craven Fawcett Highest Championship Section Band **Highest Placed 1st Section Band ***Highest Placed 2nd Section Band ****Highest Placed 3rd Section Band *****Highest Placed 4th Section Band Most Promising Lower Section - Syston Band Denis Wick Best Instrumentalist - Luke Barker, Cornet from Sovereign Mick Foley Memoriam Best Cornet - Parc & Dare Band Best Euphonium - Derwent Band British Bandsman Best Bass Section - Usk Brass Band Best Back Row Section - Sovereign Brass Highest Supporters Attendance Prize - Carlton Brass

We’re into our final 6 bands here at ConsTest! Take a look at Tewit Silver Band in action! 🎺 All of our photos will be available after the contest, from Visuals by Evie - a massive thank you to Evie & Will for providing us excellent pictures of each band! 👏

We’re in full swing now with Band 10 about to take to the stage! 🎺 Tune in on NXTOD.com if you haven’t already 📺

Time for our first break of the day! ☀️ The suns out, the beer is flowing and band 7 are preparing to take to the stage! 🎺 NXTOD.com 📺

ConsTest 2026! 🎺 One more sleep… we can’t wait to welcome you all tomorrow! 🍻 Grab your tickets from our bio! 🎟️ Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Bradshaw Hall📍 11th April, 2026 🗓️ 10:00AM ⏰ Adjudicators: Stephanie Binns & Dr David Thornton. 1. Wigston Band (Colin Jones) - Lake of the Moon (Kevin Houben) 2. Syston Band (Alex Bland) - Viking Age (Thierry Deleruyelle) 3. Wellington Telford Brass Band (David Nicholson) - Variations on Laudate Dominum (Edward Gregson) 4. Arrow Valley Brass (Alex Bland) - Dark Side of the Moon (Paul Lovatt-Cooper) 5. Derwent Brass (Jack Capstaff) - Music of the Spheres (Philip Sparke) 6. Sovereign Brass (David Maplestone) - Un Vie De Matelot (Robert Farnon) 7. Harborough Band (Ben Smith) - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Phillip Harper) 8. Parc & Dare Band (Dewi Griffiths) - Music of the Spheres (Philip Sparke) 9. Stamford Brass (Julian Bright) - Purcell Variations (Kenneth Downie) 10. Towcester Studio Band (Ian Knapton) - 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Phillip Harper) 11. Croft Silver Band (Henry Dunger) - Stantonbury Festival (Ray Steadman-Allen) 12. Bedworth Brass (Jonathan Mott) - Vitae Aeternum (Paul Lovatt-Cooper) 13. Tewit Silver Band (Martin Hall) - Elgar Variations (Martin Ellerby) 14. Oddfellows Brass Band (Sarah Fellowes) - Renaissance (Peter Graham) 15. Jackfield Band (Ryan Richards) - Spectrum (Gilbert Vinter) 16. Usk Brass Band (Jamie Jones) - Five Blooms in a Welsh Garden (Gareth Wood) 17. University of Warwick Brass Society (Tom Stoneman) - Corineus (Christopher Bond) 18. Carlton Brass (Matthew Ludford-King) - 49th Parallel (Phillip Littlemore) Make sure to visit our traders Larch Music, Blossom Hill Cards and Gifts and British Army on Floor 0; don’t forget about our An Ale As Yet Unsold too, served outside Floor 0! 🍻 Our evening finishes with a FREE performance from El Dude Brothers, in Boults Cafe, bringing some acoustic sing-along hits 🎸

ConsTest is TOMORROW! 🎺🍻 Can’t make it? Don’t worry, NXTOD have you covered! Full coverage of the entire competition and results is available through a NXTOD subscription. For more information, go to: 📺

ConsTest 2026 Merchandise! 🎺 Thanks once again to @burrowedintoyourbrain , T-shirts and sweaters will be available alongside our lager, courtesy of @atticbrewco on 11th April (this Saturday!)🍻 Featuring our brewery inspired designs, the printed T-shirts and embroidered sweaters will be available from our ticketing & merchandise desk on Floor 1! We only have limited stock, so make sure not to miss out! T-shirts: £25 👕 Sweaters: £32 🧶 Programmes: £5 📖 Posters: £5 🏙️ Stickers: £1 ©️ Get your tickets from the link in our bio before the event, to be able to vote for your band (see codes on the website!) 🎟

Adjudication Update: Due to illness, Paul Holland has unfortunately had to step aside from judging ConsTest this year. We wish Paul a speedy recovery and thank him for his preparations leading up to our event. All of us at ConsTest are immensely grateful that David Thornton will be stepping in to replace Paul on 11th April, 2026. /tickets

REVOLUTIONARY ADJUDICATION🚨 ConsTest is delighted to announce that we have amended our adjudication for this year. On April 11th, our adjudicators will be the first to judge ‘deaf’, rather than the usual ‘blind’ adjudication that we all know and love. Our judges will focus on the intricacies of technique, and compare bands on whether they successfully looked like they played well. This revolutionary step in adjudication removes all the unnecessary roadblocks such as intonation, tone quality and right notes… No more asking whether the adjudicators heard the same performance as you - because they didn’t! In fact, then won’t hear any of it! Happy April Fools! 😉 Get your tickets now for our event this year, on April 11th 2026: /tickets 🎫

REMINDER: Tickets for ConsTest 2026 are on sale! Get your tickets from the link in our bio! 🎫 Once again, you’re able to show your support for the bands when you purchase a ticket, with each band having a chance to claim the highest supporters prize! 🏆 Use one of these codes at checkout to show your support for your band: ARROW BEDWORTH CARLTON CROFT DERWENT HARBOROUGH JACKFIELD ODDFELLOWS PARC&DARE SOVEREIGN STAMFORD SYSTON TEWIT TOWCESTER WARWICK USK WELLINGTON WIGSTON *The competition will close the day BEFORE ConsTest, so please purchase your tickets in advance, if you wish to vote.

Tickets for ConsTest 2026 are now on sale! Get your tickets here: link in our bio 🎫 Once again, you’re able to show your support for the bands when you purchase a ticket, with each band having a chance to claim the highest supporters prize! 🏆 Use one of these codes at checkout to show your support for your band: ARROW BEDWORTH CARLTON CROFT DERWENT HARBOROUGH JACKFIELD ODDFELLOWS
PARC&DARE SOVEREIGN STAMFORD
SYSTON TEWIT TOWCESTER WARWICK USK WELLINGTON WIGSTON *The competition will close the day BEFORE ConsTest, so please purchase your tickets in advance, if you wish to vote.