Founded by coal miners (a colliery is a coal mine complex) for recreation and entertainment, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band has become famous far beyond the world of English brass bands. The Grimethorpe Colliery Band was formed in 1917. The band has commissioned works from leading contemporary composers. Until the early '90s, many members of the band remained employed at the Grimethorpe Colliery, but the closure of the mine in 1995 precipitated a crisis in the band's existence. The group was aided by the 1996 film Brassed Off, which the band played on the film's soundtrack. The group appeared in the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and continued its prize-winning ways with the first prize at the 2015 British Open band championships. In 2023, the Grimethorpe Colliery Band issued the album Postcards from Grimethorpe.