Let's hear it for the Bands!

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Harrodian's aspiring rock and pop stars came together to celebrate the power of musical collaboration at this year's Battle of the Bands (BOTB) competition.

On Friday, 7 March, the School Theatre echoed with the sound of original contemporary music as young musicians, from duos to rock bands, competed for the coveted 'Silver Stratocaster' trophy and the chance to perform on the Isle of Wight Festival stage this summer.

Since its introduction in 2008, BOTB has become a beloved institution at Harrodian and a highlight of the school calendar. Director of Music Kay Le Doujet explains its enduring appeal: "Everyone loves the Battle of the Bands because it has a special mix of ingredients. The prize – performing at the Isle of Wight Festival – is obviously a huge draw, but there's so much more to it. It’s the genuine love of music that our Harrodian performers have, the chance to share this passion with other people who feel the same about music, it’s the support they receive from the audience, the feedback from the judges and opportunity to learn from them so that they grow and mature as artists.”

She further elaborates on its importance for musical growth: ‘This event is all about working together. We want our pupils to experience the challenges and rewards of collaboration. Being in a band means learning to listen, compromise, and create collectively. This is one of the reasons we changed it to a group-only format last year, and it’s great to see that some of the bands are still together this year, performing again albeit with a few lineup changes but still going strong.’

This year’s programme featured six bands from the 12s to Sixth Form – Matt Black, Kyle, Altas, Cinder, Esquire and Demo – three of which made a return from last year’s competition with some adjustments to their members, either adding new faces or switching things up. To introduce a fresh challenge, each band was asked to perform both a cover song and an original track, helping them to develop their style.

An additional highlight of the evening was the return of Killing Time, one of last year’s two winning bands, featuring Sixth Formers Harry C and Rocco D, both aspiring to study music at university, along with Woody S, known for his role as Danny in Harrodian’s musical production Grease. They were joined by Olivia W (Lower Sixth), a previous solo winner, who opened the show with a performance of her own original song 'Perfection' accompanied by Music Technician Mr Dan Almond on guitar. Olivia's single 'Waves' has also just been released and is available on Spotify here. 

Former parent and MD of Solo Music Agency, John Giddings, returned this year to reprise his role as head judge. As the man behind the success of the Isle of Wight (IoW) Festival, his presence adds an extra level of professionalism to the event. This year, he brought Matt Tuck (Bullet for My Valentine) and Charly Beedell Tuck (Head of Solo Agency) to help him judge the competition. The panel found it tough choosing the top two best bands because the standard was so high. But in the end – Kyle (Kyle and Ramsey  – 13s/Year 9) and Esquire (Sam – 14s, Mack, Ramsey and Charlie – 13s) came out on top, earning a spot to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival, alongside the likes of Sting, Stereophonics, and Justin Timberlake.

Kyle shares his inspiration behind the duo's winning track, explaining, 'I started by writing a song to celebrate my grandad, who passed away. The lyric in the chorus says it all – ‘I wish you could have stayed.’ It all began with four simple chords, and then I asked Ramsey to help expand on it. One of my biggest influences is Adele, particularly her piano ballads, and I wanted to create a song that might have the same sort of emotion in it.” The judging panel was particularly impressed with the track’s melody and lyrics, with one judge, Charley, commenting on how well the two elements complemented each other, adding to the song’s emotional impact.

The other winners, Esquire, were originally formed by Ramsey and Mack (13s) three years ago. Since then, Sam (14s) has joined on bass, and most recently, Charlie (13s) came on board this year as the keys player, completing their lineup. They like to think that their sound draws from the band 1975 but with a rock edge and big guitar solos. When asked about the songwriting process, Ramsey, the band's lead singer and guitarist, describes it as a natural flow: “I start with a bank of riffs – maybe 10 or 15 – and sit on them for a while. When it comes to writing the song, it’s a ten-minute job and it just flows. I start with the music and melody, around chords and the hook first, then I add the lyrics. For me it’s like a shirt – you have the fabric and the stitches, which represent the melody, and then the colour and design of the shirt is the lyrics.”

Mack, Esquire's drummer, who cites Tré Cool of Green Day as an influence, is thrilled about their upcoming Isle of Wight performance and the chance to make their mark in the industry. “We play as a band quite a lot out of school, so we have a solid bank of songs – both originals and covers. We might write a couple of new ones, but the good thing is that we have plenty of material for our 20-minute set,” he says.

Head Judge John Giddings praised Esquire for their infectious energy, catchy tunes, and ability to get the audience singing along. Matt, the third judge, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the band’s originality, especially in their Chapel Roan cover, before going even further by calling Ramsey a “ready-made rock star.”

So what advice do these rising stars have for those thinking of competing in future BOTB events? "The chemistry of the band is the most important thing," says Mack. “Making sure you are in a band with people that you like and that you enjoy hanging out with is a good idea, because you spend a lot of time rehearsing together!” Ramsey, from a creative perspective, offers his advice: “If you can be eclectic with your music genres and listen to as much different music as possible, it will really help when it comes to writing and composing your own songs.”

While the winners deserve their well-earned recognition, it's important to celebrate everyone who took part in the competition. Each group delivered an amazing performance, and a massive congratulations goes out to all the participants in this year's event.

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