St Swithun’s pupils organise Battle of the Bands to raise money for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance

24 Jan 2013

Two St Swithun’s pupils, Flora Gossage and Bella Lloyd Webber, produced and directed an inaugural Battle of the Bands evening in the school’s performing arts centre at the end of term. The evening raised £1200 for local charity the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.
The highly competitive event drew musicians from Peter Symonds, The Academy of Contemporary Music, Marlborough, Radley and St Swithun’s. Performances took place in front of a packed auditorium and music industry luminaries. Chairing the panel was Jeremy Marsh, vice chairman of Warner Bros Records UK, who gave frank and honest feedback when it came to critiquing the talent. Sitting alongside Jeremy and offering words of advice and encouragement were David Wilson and Fiona McDougal members of the band Untouched.
“It was a real pleasure to come here and judge the bands,” said Jeremy, “I have seen some incredible talent this evening, and with a few more gigs behind them I can see a number of the bands going a long way.”
The first prize went to the group Badlands from Radley School winning them tickets to see Muse at the Emirates stadium next summer.

Photo: St Swithun’s pupils and Battle of the Bands organisers Bella Lloyd Webber and Flora Gossage presenting the show