ROCK NIGHT RAISES THE ROOF

Always a very popular date, on Thursday 26th January we were greeted with the return of Rock Night. The crowd-pleasing event joins the forces of skilled musicians from both Bedford Girls’ School and Bedford School; allowing them to display an array of memorable performances to a lively audience in true concert fashion, whilst also raising important funds for the Bedfordshire Music Trust.

BGS 2022 leaver Miss Alex Harrison, who currently works as a Music Facilitator in the Music Department, reviewed this iconic event.

“Before the crowds arrived, The Quarry Theatre was reconfigured into a music venue with the lighting and sound set to captivate the audience.

The student-led band Apostrophe kickstarted the night which set the tone for the evening and held the audience’s attention as Toby L’Estrange and Tesha Wikramanayake performed a duet of Dead Ringer for Love by Meatloaf - a notoriously dynamic and lively piece. With spirits high and the audience thoroughly engaged Steph West and Fiza Hasnain took to the stage, singing their outstanding rendition of Telepath by Conan Gray. Shortly after Funk Band filled the stage with an array of instrumental sections. As soon as the first beat hit, it was clear that they would be performing Beggin, a song made famous by the American band The Four Seasons.

“Throughout the evening, it was incredibly delightful to see so many of our students take centre stage with bands such as Counteract, Steal the Moon and Occupied displaying their personalities through unique performances.

One of our soloists, Sienna McFarlane, got the crowd singing and dancing along to her covers of History by One Direction and There’s Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes.

“Our final two acts of the night were Alice Toone, who sang What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club before Tesha Wikramanayake returned to the stage towards the end of the evening and awed the audience with her flawless renditions of Use Somebody by Kings of Leon before closing her act with Finesse by Bruno Mars.

After an extensive collection of performances from both schools, the annual student DJ set closed the night, allowing both the crowd and performers to enjoy the remainder of the event together.”

BGS Director of Music, Mr Keating-Roberts reflected: “We aim to provide our students with a variety of opportunities to experience performing and Rock Night is the perfect example of a more casual yet popular event, which enables students from both communities to perform together and explore a plethora of pieces and instruments. This was reflected through multiple students hopping from one instrument to another, truly allowing their musical skills to flourish and experience a gig performance. Every year students take on a large amount of responsibility for the event, from set up to sound checks of the performers themselves. Rock Night provides the opportunity to discover different passions whilst allowing enough room for independence and maturity. It was absolutely fantastic to see numerous students return to the stage to form exceptional ensembles alongside an abundance of new individuals who took to performing with ease, making any nerves impossible to detect.”

BGS Lower Sixth Former, Alice Toone who performed on the night, added: “I really enjoyed playing at Rock Night and being able to perform with my peers once again. It had such a positive atmosphere throughout the night and it was a great experience to really build up confidence.”

Lower Sixth Former, Tesha Wikramanayake, who is an experienced performer also commented: “In my opinion Rock Night is one of the best nights of the year for music! Getting to not only watch my friends perform but also perform myself is truly extraordinary. Being able to perform in a venue like The

Quarry Theatre and in such an invigorating environment is and will continue to be one of my fondest memories.”

Miss Harrison concluded: “At BGS we always challenge our students to really step out of their comfort zone and explore their talents and passions in a supportive environment with a range of performance opportunities; from smaller, more intimate concerts such as the lunchtime and teatime events to the larger and more formal concerts that happen at the end of each term. The collaborative events such as Rock Night provide opportunities for students to collaborate and strengthens their communication skills and creativity whilst allowing them to discover self-assurance and confidence by performing in front of a crowd.”