Bands on Bikes!

 


During an Advanced Brassed Ensemble Literature class, we watched a video of a brass ensemble festival in Belgium in which a group performed with choreography on bicycles. It blew my mind, and I had to know more!

Sources vary on how this tradition of bicycle ensembles or Velo Clubs came to be, but a few things are consistent among sources. 

In the 1890s, bicycles were beginning to be mass-produced, and with this, more and more people began riding in the streets. This came with an increase in the number of accidents. New legislation had to be put into place, and fast. The law called for a horn, bell, or bugle to be sounded when approaching intersections to warn pedestrians. Soon, these velo clubs all had at least one bugler who rode at the front of the pack, and then more and more people wanted to bring their horns, and this effect snowballed until the majority of individuals had horns with them while they rode. 

Over time, the purpose of the buglers changed to help organize things, such as when to mount the bike and when to get into a single file formation.





For more detailed descriptions of these horn calls, follow this link. 

I was blown away by the clarity these groups could achieve on bikes and how much the community cherishes these ensembles. Please enjoy a few videos I have collected. 


https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1438652160523076





Comments

  1. Not Your Standard HornApril 29, 2026 at 7:45 AM

    I loved learning about this this Biking band!!! I think marching while playing is already hard, imagine biking!!!

    ReplyDelete

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