The inaugural Howick College Battle of the Bands saw six talented bands, representing each of the school’s six houses; deliver high-energy performances to an enthusiastic capacity audience.
The event which took place in the Bill Dimery Performing Arts Centre on Friday August 19 was a student leaders’ initiative to showcase talented young musicians and encourage friendly inter-house rivalry.
“The idea was inspired by our 2021 student leadership team who unfortunately never saw it come to fruition due to the disruptions created by the Covid-19 lockdown last year,” said head students Thomas Donnell and Leila Alsabak.
In the weeks leading up to the competition, House leaders and band members worked hard to select a song and perfect their performances. Each band was then critiqued on the night by a panel of five judges who ranked them based on musicianship, stage presence, and audience engagement.
After much deliberation, the MacDonald House band was declared the winner with their rendition of Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.
Other performances included Piano Man by Billy Joel, Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder, Smooth by Santana, Classic by MKTO and Why Does Love Do This to Me by The Exponents.
A free event, Battle of the Bands was extremely well received by the community, surpassing the organisers’ expectations.
“The atmosphere was something we had never before experienced at Howick College with students, parents, and staff dancing around and singing their hearts out. Students from each house left with huge smiles on their faces, regardless of their placings in the competition,” said Donnell and Alsabak.
“We feel tremendously proud that as a team we were able to have this impact on our community and we hope this highly successful event will continue for years to come.”
