A GROUP of 13 young musicians from Bromsgrove Rock School performed their end of term gig on Saturday at Stoke Prior Sports and Country Club.
The junior band opened the show with a strong performance of Wild Thing (The Troggs), with Izzy and Beth on vocals.
As the six young musicians, aged 11 to 13, settled into their set they showcased an accomplished harmony of talent, confidently tackling Radioactive (Imagine Dragons), Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day) and their comedy song ‘Jeff the chicken’ (to the tune of Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’).
Their final number, Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes) was superbly supported by the three guitarists – Sam, Harry and Reuben, whilst drummer Sam provided a thumping pulse which carried the song to its conclusion. Sam on drums was consistently awesome accompanying a band which has gone from strength-to-strength.
Phoebe took to the stage with a mixed composition blending Sleepwalking and Drown by Bring Me The Horizon. Her electric guitar playing talent was matched by her strong vocal ability, displaying a maturity well beyond her 13 years.
Joined by teenager Storm the audience were treated to an original piece written by the duo called Fear, followed followed by Nirvana’s grunge rock classic Smells Like Teen Spirit.
The pair superbly handled the vocal contrast between the softer verses and the iconic scream of the chorus.
Firm friends Dylan, Jack and Freya introduced a change in tone to the evening’s entertainment. Briefly joined by guitarists Jake and Chris, this older group opened with Natural (Imagine Dragons). Dylan clearly enjoyed playing the box-shaped percussion instrument, the Cajón.
Dylan and Freya then performed Hold Back The River (James Bay), harmonising beautifully and accompanied by Jack on acoustic guitar.
Jack showed the extent of his guitar skills with I see Fire (Ed Sheeran).
Jack and Freya then teamed up for Who Knew (Pink) and Freya belted out the lyrics while Jack played his heart out on guitar.
To end the set Freya took solo to the mic for an unpractised shortened performance of In Between (Beartooth). This experimental piece was well received by the audience and established Freya’s credentials as an accomplished and versatile singer.
Other highlights included Star Shopping (Lil Peep) with Dylan solo on vocals, accompanied by guitarists Jack, Jake and Chris; and Black Vultures (Halestorm) performed by rock duo Phoebe and Storm.
The gig ended with a fun ensemble piece, the infectious A Little Respect (Erasure).
As the lights went down on a wonderful evening of live entertainment it was apparent all the young musicians had earned a great deal of respect from the audience.
Bromsgrove Rock School, run by Brian Hoggard from Dragon Music, welcomes young musicians and singers from age ten to 18.
For information about joining for the winter term in January call 07720 211002.
