Editing Leatherhead (section)

===Music===
The Leatherhead Operatic Society was founded as the Leatherhead Pierrots in 1904. Two years later, the group was reformed as the Leatherhead & District Amateur Dramatics & Operatic Society and gave its first performance, ''[[H.M.S. Pinafore]]'' by [[Gilbert and Sullivan]]. The group performed at the Victoria Hall until 1922, when the venue was turned into a cinema. For the next seventeen years, the society used a number of venues in the local area, until the Crescent Cinema opened in 1939. Since 1970, the group has staged its summer performances at the Thorndike Theatre and the Leatherhead Theatre, with a brief hiatus between 1996 and 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.los.org.uk/history/ |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2019 |publisher= Leatherhead Operatic Society |access-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-date= 20 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211120170300/https://www.los.org.uk/history/ |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|p=88}}</ref>

The Leatherhead Choral Society (LCS) was formed in 1907, but its early history is unclear. It was refounded in 1928 to take part in the [[Leith Hill Musical Festival]]. [[Kathleen Riddick]] conducted the group in 1939 and LCS continued to perform during the Second World War. A musical work was composed by [[William Blezard]] to celebrate the society's 50th anniversary in 1978.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/history |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Choral Society |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 12 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210212232121/https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/history |url-status= live }}</ref> In recent years, the LCS has typically given concerts in the summer and in early December, as well as participating in the Leith Hill Musical Festival around Easter.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/what-we-do |title= What we do |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Choral Society |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 14 February 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210214152149/https://www.leatherhead-choral.net/what-we-do |url-status= live }}</ref>

The Leatherhead Orchestra traces its origins to an [[adult education]] class established {{circa|1954}}, but was formally founded in around 1958 by Kathleen Riddick.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/history.php |title= A short history of Leatherhead Orchestra |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Orchestra |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211101215142/https://www.leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/history.php |url-status= live }}</ref> Since 2015, the group has given three concerts each year.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/past_programmes.php |title= Past programmes 2015-2019 |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Leatherhead Orchestra |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 27 November 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201127223759/https://leatherheadorchestra.co.uk/pages/past_programmes.php |url-status= live }}</ref>

The Leatherhead Town Band was founded in 1887. Its activities ceased during the First and Second World Wars and, on its reformation in 1947, it was known as the Bookham and District Silver Band. In 1974, it changed its name again to the Mole Valley Silver Band, to reflect the formation of the new local authority area.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.molevalleysilverband.org.uk/history.html |title= History |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Mole Valley Silver Band |access-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-date= 8 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200208092118/http://molevalleysilverband.org.uk/history.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Heath|Tarplee|2005|p=91}}</ref> The band performs regularly in and around the towns of Leatherhead and Dorking.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.molevalleysilverband.org.uk/home.html |title= Home |author= <!--Not stated--> |publisher= Mole Valley Silver Band |access-date= 13 November 2021 |archive-date= 8 February 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200208174444/http://molevalleysilverband.org.uk/home.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

The band [[John's Children]], which included sometime frontman [[Marc Bolan]], was formed in the town in 1963 by [[Andy Ellison]] and [[Chris Townson]], former pupils of nearby [[Box Hill School]]. They occasionally appeared at the Chuck Wagon Club on Bridge Street.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.johnschildren.co.uk/ |title=John's Children official site |access-date=16 August 2009 |archive-date=30 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130182936/http://www.johnschildren.co.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= George |first= Sarah |date= 22 January 2018 |title= The Bluesette Club: The fascinating history of Leatherhead's much-loved former live music venue as plaque is unveiled to commemorate its influence |work= Surrey Live |url= https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/bluesette-club-fascinating-history-leatherheads-14186353 |access-date= 24 July 2022 }}</ref>

[[Nigel Gray#Surrey Sound Studios|Surrey Sound recording studio]] was established in 1974 by producer [[Nigel Gray]] in a former village hall in the north of the town. Early demo pieces for, among others, [[the Wombles]] and [[Joan Armatrading]] were followed, by the recording of much of the early repertoire of [[the Police]].<ref name=NigelGray>{{cite web |first=Craig |last=Richard |url=http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14657438.Doctor_who_recorded_The_Police_albums_in_Leatherhead_dies/ |title=Doctor who Recorded The Police albums in Leatherhead died |publisher=yourlocalguardian.co.uk |date=2 August 2016 |access-date=4 August 2016 |archive-date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817115903/http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/14657438.Doctor_who_recorded_The_Police_albums_in_Leatherhead_dies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{#tag:ref|Police songs recorded at Surrey Sound Studio included "[[Roxanne (The Police song)|Roxanne]]" and the band's debut album, ''[[Outlandos d'Amour]]''; ''[[Reggatta de Blanc]]'' and its singles "[[Message in a Bottle (The Police song)|Message in a Bottle]]" and "[[Walking on the Moon]]"; and the [[Grammy Award]]-winning ''[[Zenyatta Mondatta]]'' and its hit single "[[Don't Stand So Close to Me]]".<ref name=NigelGray/>|group= n}} Other groups recording there included [[Godley & Creme]], [[Siouxsie and the Banshees]], [[Rick Astley]], the [[The Lotus Eaters (band)|Lotus Eaters]], [[Alternative TV]] and [[Bros (British band)|Bros]]. The studio was sold by Gray in 1987.<ref name=NigelGray/>

[[Robyn Hitchcock]] refers to Leatherhead in the song "Clean Steve".<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/26866015/Robyn+Hitchcock |title= Clean Steve lyrics |author= <!--Not stated--> |year= 2021 |publisher= Lyrics.com |access-date= 1 November 2021 |archive-date= 2 November 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211102104149/https://www.lyrics.com/lyric/26866015/Robyn+Hitchcock |url-status= live }}</ref>