THE WORLD premiere of a new show by poet Ian McMillan will be among the highlights of a four-day music festival later this month (July 16-19).

Last Train to Elvet, which tells the apocryphal story of a circus train visiting Durham Elvet Station in 1953, will be part of this year’s Durham Brass Festival, which runs from July 16 to 19.

The show features brass music, circus themes, drama and live cartooning and also involves Tredegar Town Band, Olympic composer Luke Carver Goss and Private Eye cartoonist Tony Husband.

McMillan, known as the Bard of Barnsley, said: “Music, words and live cartooning tell the amazing (partly) true story of the circus train that was the last train to Durham Elvet Station in 1953, packed with animals and clowns and acrobats.

“Capriciously, the train breaks down. Now what will the circus do? Come along and find out.”

The festival, inspired by Durham Miners’ Gala and the county’s brass heritage, will also feature brass and classical concerts, workshops, the Fun Lovin Criminals and much more.

Brass:Pitch will feature four special new commissions: Bandstand by photographer Rob Bowman; Derive by artist Haroon Mirza; Things That Aren’t There by sculptor Rob Olins and composer and sound artist Ryan Cockerham; and Last Train to Elvet, which will be at Elvet Methodist Church on Saturday, July 18 at 5pm and 7.30pm.

There will be Big Brass Bash outdoor events in Consett, Shildon, Trimdon Village, Seaham and Spennymoor and Streets of Brass will return to the streets of Durham city centre.

Tredegar Town Band and Cory Band from Wales, two of the top-ranked competition bands in the world, will perform at the Gala Theatre on Sunday, July 19.

For the first time there will be a fringe programme, with an empty space in The Gates shopping centre turned into The Alligator Club for four nights of jazz, funk hip-hop and blues hosted by arts group Empty Shop.

The festival started in 2007 and organisers say last year attracted almost 70,000 visitors. It is supported by the Arts Council. More information and full listings can be found online at brassfestival.co.uk