STUDENTS from Southampton demonstrated they could give the cast of hit movie Brassed Off a run for their money with their efforts in the penultimate day of the city's music festival.

The youngsters, from Tauntons College, wowed the judges with their renditions of timeless classics in the brass section of the competition.

The Southampton Festival of Music and Drama is the largest in the South and has involved 2,500 young people over the past two weeks.

Judging their efforts at Town-hill Park House was John Edney, a coach in brass chamber music and the London Schools Symph-ony Orchestra organisation.

The best performers will be given a further hearing at a special festival concert at the Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton University, on Friday at 7.30pm.

In the presence of the mayor and festival sponsors, the best musicians and actors will be chosen to represent the city at a millennium festival of the amateur performing arts in Leeds in November.

Tickets for this event are available from the secretary, Diana Tizzard on 023 8055 6981.

For a full round-up of the results of the festival see the Daily Echo on Wednesday.

Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.