This year’s Battle of the Bands was nothing short of legendary! In December 2024, the vibrant atmosphere at “Alice” Cooper Hall was electric as 16 talented bands from our Secondary school took the stage to showcase their creativity and passion for music. The event featured a mix of classic rock anthems and original songs, captivating the audience and impressing our judges. In a thrilling finale, Collective Braincell were named the winning band, along with nine other bands that made it to the Finalist Showcase later in January 2025 at Timbre+ One North.
The excitement continued at the Battle of the Bands Finalist Showcase, where Timbre+ was filled with a fantastic audience of friends, family, and staff, all there to support and cheer for our talented young musicians. Ten bands delivered incredible performances, showcasing their talent and energy on a professional stage in a live music venue. In an art-imitates-life moment, the audience had a sneak preview of a scene and a song from our upcoming school musical, ‘School of Rock.’
Mrs Hyland, our Deputy Head of Secondary, reflected on the event, sharing, “For those of us who attended the DCIS Battle of the Bands last year, it was hard to imagine how the event could get any better. However, this year's performances surpassed all expectations! The atmosphere was buzzing, with a professional venue filled with adoring fans, family members, teachers, and friends supporting our performers. The students really rose to the occasion, delivering impressive individual performances. Most importantly, they were each other's biggest champions, clapping and cheering from the sidelines throughout every song. The bravery, professionalism, and talent displayed by our students are truly astonishing. In the end, we were also treated to a preview of what’s to come: a scene from our upcoming show, ‘School of Rock.’ I’m so excited to see this already! A huge thank you goes out to our fantastic music team—none of this would be possible without their hard work, support, and personal guidance.”
We spoke with two Year 9 students, William and Ishayu, to hear about their experiences in the Battle of the Bands.
William, who performed as the bassist and vocalist in Hairy Mangos, shared, “Stepping on stage was nerve-wracking at first, especially while waiting to go on. But once I was up there, I felt confident. Participating in the Battle of the Bands has definitely helped me grow as a musician. I met Luke, our lead guitarist, in Year 5 when he was playing piano, and I was playing violin. We combined our classical instruments with rock music at the first Battle of the Bands, where we performed ‘Killing in the Name.’ The following year, we played ‘Sweet Child of Mine.’ This year, we formed our own rock band and performed an original song called ‘On the Run.’ I’m looking forward to continuing with rock music in the future. If you want to win, you need to do things that other bands wouldn’t do. Creativity is key!”
Ishayu, who played guitar in both Collective Braincell and Liberal Echoes, commented, “I felt really nervous before going on stage, but once I was up there, it felt natural, and I completely lost that nervousness. The experience has given me a lot of confidence and taught me how to move on stage instead of just standing still. Visuals matter just as much as the music on the rubric, so work on your stage presence and rehearse some choreography!”
Thank you to everyone who participated and supported our young musicians throughout these events. We can’t wait to see the upcoming school production ‘School of Rock’ in June 2025.
