Secondary School bands battle it out at Beau Sejour

For many years, Thirst Music School has hosted the Battle of the School Bands to celebrate local talent and popular music in the community.

Director Wayne Mahy said it is a great experience for younger musicians to get a feel for a big stage, and for some of the older students it counts towards the performance element of their music GCSE.

It was almost a sell-out show, with very few empty seats in the theatre.

The night was opened by last year's winning band 'Just Smile' from La Mare de Carteret High School who chatted to compere Josh Gabriel about how their win had given them the confidence to strive for even more in the music industry.

First up in the competition was Elizabeth College's 'Far From Nothing', followed by Blanchelande School's 'Last Resort' and St Sampson's High School's 'Rogue'.

The bands performed three-song sets and each had a unique element.

For Far From Nothing it was their electric guitarist's jumps onto and off of the stage speakers, Last Resort had taught their bass player how to play guitar in just four weeks, and the students in Rogue showed their range of skills by switching between instruments for each song.

After a short interval, the Ladies' College Twisted Laces played some real crowd-pleasers including Teenage Dirtbag and Wonderwall, and La Mare De Carteret's Emergency Exit closed the competition with so much energy and passion the audience was hanging on for more.

The judges, head of the Arts Commission Russ Fossey, BBC Radio Guernsey's Sydney Henley-Roussel, co-principal of the Cheshire Dramatic Arts Katey Cheshire and musician Nicole Wyatt, had their work cut out for them to decide on one winner as the Thirst Music School kept the entertainment going.

Head judge Mr Fossey said, while it was all very tight, the judges were all in agreement in the end.

'The standard goes up year on year at the Battle of the School Bands and it's a real credit to the young people and Thirst Music School.

'We have to have a winner, but everyone performed so well, especially on such a big stage with lights and a huge audience.'

It was Elizabeth College's Far From Nothing who walked away victorious with the trophy, a £1,000 cash prize for the band and a £500 donation to their school's music department, thanks to the sponsor BWCI.

Electric guitarist Woody James said the competition was really strong but the boys were chuffed to have won.

'We had so much fun performing, we don't get to play on a stage that big very often - especially to an audience this size and with all the lights.

'The £1,000 is definitely going on a new guitar, if the guys let me,' he joked.

For Mr Mahy, it was his favourite year to date.

'After a tough year with Covid and two lockdowns, I think we really needed that.

'It was great to get an audience together again and celebrate music.'

He praised the standard of all of the musicians, noting that some of the bands had only been playing together for a matter of weeks.