The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines: it's tough to join the best

14 April 2015, 18:18 | Updated: 16 April 2015, 10:54

Major Pete Curtis of the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines spoke to Classic FM's Jane Jones about their role as the 'fabric of the nation'.

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"We are tough to join," says Major Pete Curtis, Director of Music for the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, backstage before their performance at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall. "People sometimes forget the physicality of being in the Royal Marines. We have to be as fit as we can be." And then there's the three years' of training.

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There's a reason why it's difficult to join the band - they frequently pop up at the nation's big commemorative events. "We were called the fabric of the nation by David Cameron," says Major Curtis. "There is an expectation for us to be the best, but we thrive on that, we enjoy that, and rise to it - and hopefully we are the best."

The band certainly look the part in their uniforms - and none more so than Major Curtis. Commenting on his own uniform, he said: "As the Director of Music I get more gold - which makes it more uncomfortable."