By Alex Harrison (Music Facilitator) 

Thursday 26th January saw the annual return of Rock Night over at The Quarry Theatre in collaboration with Bedford School.

The Quarry Theatre was transformed into the ideal performance area through mood lighting and a standing zone for the crowd to dance the night away, as the student bands directed the event with upbeat and captivating performances.

As always, there were a wide variety of song choices ranging from Finesse by Bruno Mars to the lively singalong hit, Chelsea Dagger. by The Fratellis. Each act showcased their talent with confidence and creativity, making each and every one just as memorable as the last.

The night saw the likes of bands such as Apostrophe, Counteract, Steal the Moon and Occupied alongside the ever-popular Funk Band who performed Beggin, creating a bustling and dynamic atmosphere which persisted throughout the event, keeping the crowd largely animated. Many soloists and duets were also within the mix of performances, with Tesha Wikramanayake and Toby L’Estrange capturing the audience with their lively performance of Dead Ringer for Love by Meatloaf before Sienna Macfarlane delivered covers of One Direction’s History and There’s Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes. After an extensive collection of performances, the annual student DJ set closed the night, allowing both the crowd and performers to enjoy the remainder of the event together.

Mr Keating-Roberts (Director of Music) reflected: “Rock Night enables the students from both communities to perform together and explore a plethora of pieces and instruments - reflecting through multiple students hopping from one instrument to another, truly allowing their musical skills to flourish and experience a gig performance. Every year the students take on a large amount of responsibility for the event with this being made apparent from the student-led sound checks and backstage crew to 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 - Massive Congratulations to you all, you should all be immensely proud!”

View photos from the event here.