Since the dawn of civilisation music has been held up as a pillar of modern society. Through every era and age the greatest and most accomplished performers are always heralded with grandeur and laurels. Even in the present-day pop icons are cultural powerhouses. The effects of music on the world cannot be denied.

What has yet to be properly appreciated is the music of video games. Originally made of beeps, boops and midi files, video game music as an art form has been scoffed at. Yet this attitude couldn’t be further from the truth. Nathan Cummins and the Woodville Concert Band aim to shine a light on this unloved genre of music.

From Super Mario’s Brothers, Halo and my personal favourite, Final Fantasy, the Woodville Concert Band demonstrate how impactful video game music can be. This is produced two-fold in beautifully orchestrated renditions of your favourite memories accompanied by dramatic and rich videos displayed on screen.

The Woodville Concert band continue to demonstrate their prestige and expertise by showing their ability to adapt to serval musical and performance styles. Video games are all about immersion and that extends to their music. Nothing tries harder to convey a theme or character than a platform where you play or interact with that environment. The Halo theme is an embodiment of this philosophy by conveying so many different emotions and pacing in one song. For those familiar very few songs can be as gut-wrenchingly sad as Aerith’s theme by composer great Nobuo Uematsu.

Cummins has once more produced a musical masterpiece and has tapped into a growing market that needs more attention. Whatever it may be the Woodville Concert Bands next project is always worth a visit and even if you don’t play games the tracks that embody them a well worth a listen.

Words by Jonathon Tonkin