The band, whose full title is Puff Uproar and the Shimmering Sound Affair, started life quietly as a community project called Fiesta Fusion.
Now a recognised local band, they are set to record their first EP, return to Big in Falkirk, and squee
ze their 15 musician – and counting – line-up into the cramped carriage of a subway train when they play the Glasgow Subway Festival on May 24.
The Falkirk Herald caught up with the Puff posse at their rehearsal space in St Modan's Parish Church Hall in Falkirk, where they meet to keep the beat and have a bit of a blow every Wednesday between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Brass man Rory Clark (24), from Glasgow, said: "We have a lot of sax and French Horn, just a real mix of music really. Some of our tunes are originals and some are our arrangements of popular tunes played to a Samba style beat.
"We even do a couple of tunes by 60s surf band The Ventures. Basically anything with a really good tune – we add a bit of brass and make it loud.
"We're completely acoustic we just need our instruments to play – we don't need amplifiers to get a big sound."
Percussionist Susan Appelbe (25), from Larbert, said: "Anyone over 16 can come and play with us – we've got people in the band from all over Central Scotland.
"It's always a really good atmosphere at rehearsals and everyone is really good friends."
The band even has it's own, very loose, dress code with both male and female members sporting some kind of shimmering garment, everything from headbands to glam rock sequin jackets, as they pound on drums or puff into mouthpieces.
Falkirk Council arts development officer Elaine Craig, who plays saxophone in the band, said: "The initial idea was to create something for Big in Falkirk, some kind of performance based street art that members of the Falkirk community could get involved in.
"We got two professional tutors, Marcus Britton and Olivia Furness from Edinburgh's Orkestra del Sol, to come along and organise the project and now Susan and Rory, who are great musicians in their own right, are carrying things on.
"We hope it will keep going – all the people who are involved in it keep coming back and more are always welcome."
After making their public performance debut at last year's Big in Falkirk, the band went on to play the West End Festival, the Merchant City Festival and the Big Man Festival in Glasgow and some local events too.
Puff Uproar hope to use their debut EP to get themselves more gigs and give them a larger fan base before they celebrate their first anniversary with another performance at Big in Falkirk in May.
They will also have a come and try event at BIF for people to try out instruments and join in with the band.
"It brings people together," Elaine added. "We have students, we have people in their 40s in full-time employment. We have people from France and Portugal.
"It's a real community music collective."
Visit www.myspace.com/falkirkfiestafusion or call Elaine on (01324) 503741 for more information about the lads, lassies and brass of Puff Uproar.
