Last Friday night, the Richards Hall was transformed into a venue fit for Rock N Roll.

The evening consisted of two Abbey School Rock bands, two Berkshire Maestro Bands, some extremely talented soloists (Mady, Maria, Alexis, and Will), and the professional band Side Hustle. It was truly a night to remember.

The dance floor was filled as the crowds danced to renditions of Taylor Swift and Guns n Roses. The opportunity to share and take in the music that we had all been preparing this year was really inspiring. I particularly enjoyed watching the drummers perform – as a drummer, I enjoyed watching people performing at a level that I hope to reach soon.

Our band Eclipse performed Take Me Out, Supermassive Black Hole and Mad World. It was interesting to play on such a different kit to the one I ordinarily play on, and it was cool to see the different nuances and aspects of a professional kit – whilst I did find it challenging and whilst I managed to drop my sticks a few times, the experience was brilliant.

My favourite piece to perform was Take Me Out as it was the piece I knew the best and found the most fun to play on the drums. Poppy and I also shared a few laughs on stage as I had managed to rest in the wrong break three times (whilst it wasn’t noticeable off the stage it was incredibly funny on stage).

An added bonus was the snacks on the tables; it was a different experience from our more formal concerts, showing the diversity of music on offer at The Abbey. There really is something for absolutely everyone from Bach to Franz Ferdinand. I’m excited for next year’s Night of Rock and can’t wait to see what it has in store. 

Written by Hope, Lower VI