Do you remember when Blur went up against Oasis in 1995? The NME (remember that, too?) referred to it as the British Heavyweight Championship as even John Humphries reported about the ‘battle’ on the BBC News. Well, there might not quite have been the same level of hype or hysteria as there was when Blur topped the charts with Country House, relegating Oasis’ Roll With It to number two, but the competition was no less fierce in our Battle of the Bands. Hotly anticipated, the children had been working together - with only occasional adult support - for a number of weeks as they learned their allocated songs and refined their ensemble skills. As the day approached, rehearsals stepped up a gear and before anyone could blink it was show time! 

The Recital Hall was packed to the rafters as the audience squeezed in cheek by jowl (something we’ve not seen for a long time!). Hannah Williams, 2021 finalist on ITV’s The Voice, had come to adjudicate and she opened the concert with a masterclass in stage presence and vocal fireworks as she sang Aretha Franklin’s Rock Steady. We knew we were going to be in for a treat and, rather than intimidating the children who were yet to perform, Hannah’s warmth and enthusiasm inspired them to be more like her.

Fifty-six children, from Years 4-7, then performed in 12 different bands. Mr Hough, Mrs Barnfather and Mr Mullowney had carefully put the bands together to be in similar year groups and chosen a song which could be tailored to suit the abilities, experience, taste and style of each group. Up until the day, the bands had only been given a number, eg. Band 6 (although for some reason there never was a Band 6!), but for the concert, Mrs Henderson had ingeniously created a name from each band’s number and so we enjoyed the following performances:

One O’Clock Rock - Song 2 (Blur)
The Two Timers - Gimme Some Lovin’ (The Spencer Davis Group)
Thru’penny Bit - Yellow Submarine (The Beatles)
Hit for Four - Exs and Ohs (Ellie King)
Infamous Five - Believer (Imagine Dragons)
Seventh Heaven - Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
The After Eights - Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day)
The Ninepins - Fast Car (Tracy Chapman)
Times Ten - Twist & Shout (The Isley Brothers)
Eleventh Hour - Summer of ’69 (Bryan Adams)
The Disciples - Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons)
Unlucky for Some - Back to December (Taylor Swift)

Space doesn’t permit me to review each performance, and it’s impossible to single any out: no drummer missed a beat, no guitarist hit the wrong chord, the keyboardists were all ‘on point’ and the vocalists, flawless. Every child gave it their all and they were, without exception, outstanding. Thankfully for me, the unenviable task of choosing a winner fell to Hannah, who had once again taken to the stage, this time accompanying herself on piano, to belt out another soul classic, this time Bill Withers’ little known I Wish You Well. To say Hannah was impressed was an understatement, but those who stood out for her, earning prizes were Hugh G, Tommy G and Jessica P. The runners-up were Unlucky for Some (India G and Cici L - vocals; Amber B and Miles Y - guitars; Isabelle B - bass; Hannah M - drums) whilst the undisputed victors, whose engagement with the audience was second-to-none, were Thru’penny Bit (Iona G and Tallulah S - vocals; Bruno de S and Bertie W - guitars; Nina A - keys; Henry E - drums).

At the end of it all, the prizes seem slightly irrelevant; the performances were a triumph from start to finish. Mr Hough had masterminded the whole evening with the help of Mrs Barnfather, Mr Mullowney, Mrs Henderson and Mrs Rockhill. Thanks to these amazing teachers, everyone was a winner and the performers did us all proud.

Marcus Reeves
Director of Music

Please see more photos of the Battle of the Bands on your Planet eStream account.