The excitement was palpable as the hall steadily filled with teenagers and adults alike. George Ward students, their uniforms consigned to bottom drawers for the weekend, looked the part in an assortment of street fashion as they gathered at their school to pay homage to the school's brightest rock and pop stars.  | | Mel Austin |
Mel Austin has been running the Rock concert for some time, and each year he does his level best to ensure that the occasion is one which will remain in people's memory until the next one. The question on everyone's lips was : will this year be as good as last year's concert? With Touch PA providing the system, DJ Toxic was playing the discs so that drum and bass vibes reverberated through the school's foundations as the audience took their seats. Programmes purchased, you could see the audience eyeing up the CDs, so that in the event of the gig being better than expectations, they could re-live it day after day. As soon as the lights went down, James Chillman and Paul Seemeyer provided the spectacle of breathtaking lighting effects. The line-up consisted of George Ward students ranging from just twelve-years-old to eighteen-years-old. Laura Lewis (12) was the first to perform. She was supported by the house band, comprising of skilled and versatile musicians. Her song, a Good Charlotte cover, Say Anything was well-executed, and she gave a confident and excellent performance.  | | Beth Turrell |
Natasha Harris (12) also managed to give a spirited version of How Do I Live? by Lee Anne Rimes. She belted the song out with considerable volume, her voice being complemented by the support backing vocals of Beth Turrell and Stephanie Tuttle. Laura and Natasha were joined by Simon Partington to perform their original Next To You. Simon's rapping with a Northern twist cut the mustard. Excellent! Next up we saw Sobriety Test open with an excellent throbbing bass-line, even though we were told the bass player, Reno had only been playing for a couple of months. "We had to make up our name quickly for the concert," Reno had told me earlier. Their music reminded me of Ian Dury with its emphasis on catchy rhythms, and memorable guitar riffs. Their version of Dylan's 'Knocking on Heaven's Door' would raise a smile on the great man's face, I feel sure.  | | Reuben Tyghe |
Reuben Tyghe, ever the consummate professional, dropped his plectrum no less than twice during his cover version of Coldplay's "Shiver" but nobody noticed. They were too busy being transported to a different place by his beautiful voice and guitar playing. Reuben has 'come of age' as a performer, and has a real presence on stage. The gigging around the locality has paid off in terms of his stagecraft and professionalism. Reuben's tuneful and contemplative lyrics contrasted starkly with Stab The Holy, whose lead singer must surely live on a diet of throat sweets. His rasping, chainsaw powerhouse style suited the thrash metal put out by the band. Great stuff ! All of the front row threatened to pogo at one point. Well their heads were nodding anyway! The first half was ended by singer Kelly Woolford, who sang her own composition. A superb performance! In the second half, Sara Lee sang two of her own original songs, in which the house band included some excellent guitar solo work by superb guitarist, Ant. Her songwriting expertise was not in question, and had some of the audience clapping and singing along. A future writing similar material is assured I feel certain! Desid ( Matravers Battle of the Band Winners) were second act on after the break. Matthew, the lead guitarist's excellent guitar solos made me think that Brian May or Jimi Hendrix were in the room. The songs gave a full spectrum of colour to the show, as the audience lapped up what the guitar was shown to be capable of. He dominated the stage, and as a 'rock-star' friend of mine who has played Glastonbury four times commented, "He worked the crowd!" Absolutely marvellous! Blitz were great. Singing Stronger by the Sugarbabes, they combined harmony with powerful voices, belting out their songs so that everyone could hear just how good they were. Their own compositions , Walking Alone, were excellent, with sisters Becky and Stephanie singing superbly. They were followed by Beth Turrell. Beth opened with "White Flag", and I must say that I was impressed at the range and power of Beth's voice. She has a great voice which communicates emotion powerfully as she sings. Her own composition , in which Reuben joined her on acoustic guitar was one of those "John Peel - moments" from the backstage tent at Glastonbury festival - you know the kind , where a famous rock legend sings a wholly acoustic version of a classic song. Absolutely great! Just when I was thinking that it couldn't get any better, Lambs Bread gave me yet another reason to tap my foot. The dry ice was flowing in plentiful supply. They did three originals, and every one had me entranced. Superb guitar work abounded. Den Novo brought the house down! The drummer will need some new skins for his drums, as he was thumping them that hard! The climax to the evening had me wanting to see it all over again. A brilliant night out! Had the evening met up to expectations ? No, it had surpassed them! Would I buy the CD? Try and stop me! Jim Marshall | 
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