Current Role: Brass & Visual Staff
Year First Joined: 2002
Simon started playing the Cymbals, the Eb Bugle, and then Tenor Horn at the age of 11 for TS Superb (Nautical Training Corps) Marching Band in 1987. Here he performed at places such as Navy Days in Portsmouth, and the Royal Albert Hall. He spent all of his late teenage and early twenties playing in the Drum & Bugle Corps United Kingdom band circuit (DCUK) with Southern State (Sussex) and then The Black Knight’s (Kent). During that time he played and competed all over the country and won lots of national competitions.
Since 1998 he has played Lead played Lead Trumpet in the following group’s non Drum Corps groups: Second Generation Ensemble (2G), Network (a very successful Funk group), ConChord Big Band, Brass Impact (Scotland), and the Milestone Big Band (current). He has also studied music part time at London’s Goldsmiths UNI, and Sussex UNI. As well as doing music he also took his hand to musical theatre where he played a principle role with the Musical History theatre group.
Regarding 6th Hove, he has been involved since 2002 as a
staff member. He was a marching staff member in 03 to 06 which was
the dawn of a new era for 6th Hove under new
directorship. In 07& 08 he took time out of the main corps but
helped set up the 6th Hove Big band which he still co
runs today. In 2008 he marched Lead Trumpet with the Senators Drum &
Bugle Corps before returning to the 6th Hove Main corps
in 2009 as Visual & Brass staff (as well as still being one of the
musical directors in the 6th Hove big band).
Outside the 6th Hove group Simon plays 1st Trumpet for the Milestone Big Band (based near Gatwick). The band does tailored gigs suited to the event (normally corporate/general private events).
Simon says “6th Hove is a very close corps that offers so much more than just the band itself. The corps membership is very local to the Brighton & Hove area which is very rare these days for the standard of the corps. I have taken some time away from the band but something always pulls you back in.”
Simon Fry
