A GROUP of young musicians from Brentwood will make history in September as the first British youth band to perform in Red Square, Moscow.

The Brentwood Imperial Youth Band, formerly the Royal British Legion Youth Band, has been invited to play at the Spasskaya Tower Festival – a military tattoo – alongside musicians from all over the world.

Band member Matthew Terry, 13, has been playing drums for four years and has already performed at several prestigious venues in Europe, including the O2 Arena.

He said: “I’m really excited and proud to be going to Russia with the band. I’m from Rayleigh and it means I have to travel a bit to get to Brentwood, but everyone is really nice and they have lots of contacts to play in big shows like this.”

Matthew will be one of a 75-strong band that will travel to Moscow to perform twice over the weekend of September 12 and 13.

The youngsters will be appear ing before crowds of 14,000 in Red Square, but they are accustomed to the big stage, having entertained 17,000 at the world’s largest indoor tattoo, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, last year.

John Wyndham, founder of the band, said: “We’ve played in California twice, as well as Zurich and Germany, but this is still a big deal for us.

“The organisers must have seen us and they asked us if we would go this year.”