The St John’s College Battle of the Bands returns for its latest edition, giving most finalists the biggest stage of their careers.

Now in its second year, the competition drew 29 entries, with 22 senior bands competing for five places in the senior final.

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Ten school bands will play at Sognage in Strydom Park on September 19, sharing the bill with three working bands.

There will be special performances by Hiraeth, Canvyr, and Crash and the Void, three working rock bands off the Gauteng circuit.

St John’s College Head of Contemporary Music Jonathan Thorburn said: “We’re hoping to bridge the gap between school bands and live show performances, giving our future generations of musicians live concert experience.”

Doors open at 14:00 and tickets are R150 from https://sjc.co.za/BoB26 or R200 at the door.

Finalists ready for the big stage
Five junior bands and five senior bands came through the earlier rounds, drawn from schools across Johannesburg.

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The junior division is made up of:

• The Cactus Quills from St John’s Preparatory School
• Fusion from St John’s Preparatory School
• High Voltage from School of Rock
• The Pridwin Rock Band from Pridwin Preparatory School
• Strangers from Kyalami Preparatory School
• The senior division is made up of:
• Perennia from St David’s Marist Inanda
• The Removed from St John’s College
• Rifftide from De La Salle Holy Cross College
• The Treble Makers from Kingsmead College
• Wiretap from St John’s Sixth Form
• Industry panel to evaluate performers

Panel
The panel includes producers, promoters, a live sound engineer, a DJ, working musicians, and music teachers, and their feedback is part of what the finalists take home.

• Marty du Plessis is a musician and music scene content creator
• Michael Bower is a producer from 5FM
• Alana Britz is a promoter at Emalyth Events
• Robin Norris is a sound engineer from As Above Studios
• Marius Schutte is a music teacher and musician in Crash and the Void
• Catherine Grenfell is a DJ
• Buhrmann Steenkamp is from Rockschool South Africa
• Studio time and gear vouchers up for grabs

Prizes

• First prize will be a sponsored session at As Above Studios to record the band’s own original track, valued at R5 000.
• Second prize will be a voucher for every member covering their next Rockschool examination, book included, valued at approximately R2 500 per band member.
• Third prize will be a professional photo shoot from Black Rock Studios.
• Best original track will win a Marshall Music voucher worth R1 500 per member, up to seven band members.
• Best marketing for the artwork each band submitted with their entry will get a T-shirt of choice from Rockio Clothing.

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