Latest news with #BattleofTheBands
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Fun time with kids rocking out
IN 2003, Hollywood actor Jack Black made a splash with his comedy 'School of Rock'. Written by Mike White and directed by Richard Linklater, it followed an out-of-work rocker who becomes a substitute teacher in an uptight private elementary school, where he tries to turn his class into a rock band. The hit movie eventually spawned a musical in 2015, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Julian Fellowes, that has enjoyed successful runs on Broadway and the West End. The Cempaka Performing Arts Company recently staged its rendition of 'School of Rock The Musical' in KL. An iconic rock musical performed in a school production needed a serious look-in to see if our kids were all right. So theatre reviewers from two different generations were game to rate the results of the production by the Cempaka students. The Gen X'er, Elaine Tan, old enough to be a grand-aunt to the younger performers, said she never liked Jack Black. "All his characters are on hyperdrive. Which means he was perfectly cast as Dewey Finn in the 2003 movie 'School of Rock'. "Which means the lead actress in the Cempaka rendition of the musical did a great job, because I was almost rooting for her to skip the maths lesson and sneak her students out for Battle of The Bands despite the character's glaring lack of any responsible virtues." Tan added: "My co-guests, aged 10 and 16, when asked who they liked most, had no such compunction, with the little girl enthusiastically and approvingly declaring 'She's so loud and craaazy!'. My vote went to Miss Mullens for Best Voice." Tan mused that for grown-ups with all their adult problems, this was a time to sit back and watch the kids performing their hearts out, adding, "to chat with our young friends in the audience and hear their opinions; to note how well put together the event was, complete with a snack stand. "It is always a kind of pleasure experiencing kids doing things — even the prefect usher who asked to see my ticket when I stepped outside the hall to check my phone." Tan summed up the show by the Cempaka Performing Arts Company, known for winning Boh Cameronian Awards, as "a lovely family and friends evening with the young ones". Meanwhile, the Gen Z'er, Darren Tio, who was its target demographic when the movie that inspired it first came out, said: "I love Jack Black, his mannerisms, his energy, and I thought Illena Matin did an excellent job capturing his manic yet affable essence." "The original School of Rock was a staple school movie growing up, shown whenever English teachers felt like too lazy for lessons, and it isn't hard to see why. "It featured an actual likeable cast of child actors led by the fun, non-conforming rebel in Black to perform original and catchy mid-2000s pop-rock, all in a fun and cheery beat." Tio said his expectation for the musical was tainted by nostalgia, but also tempered by knowing it was a student production. "I wanted it to be good, but I wasn't sure if it was fair of me to have high expectations. In the end, I felt wowed by almost everything in this production. 'From the performances, some of whom were clear stand-outs, to the production quality to the music (especially Puteri Azahara's rendition of 'Where Did The Rock Go?')." He added that what impressed him most was the scale of the whole thing. 'In the end, when every performer, dancer, and actor comes on stage for their curtain call, you become aware of just how big the production was, and how excited each of them was to be there. "This was a show that brimmed with excitement and fun from every cast and crew member, imbuing it onto the audience easily so that even we were cheering at the closing number. Elaine Tan was a theatre and food critic while in communication, project management, and strategic planning. Darren Tio is a KL-based writer who grew up in Pontianak, Indonesia, and has a degree in creative writing.
Scotsman
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Youth bands battle it out for prestigious prizes at fun, family day in Haddington
East Lothian's Battle of The Bands competition takes place at The Bridge Centre in Haddington on Sunday, May 25. This all-day event, 10am to 5pm, includes free dance, drama and vocals taster workshops for young people, delivered by Brunton Performing Arts Network tutors, as well as free performances for all ages to enjoy. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Battle of The Bands is a hugely popular event, showcasing young musicians at East Lothian's secondary schools and is organised by ELJam (East Lothian Youth Music Forum) in partnership with The Bridge Centre and Haddstock. The competition has been running for 3 years and provides a fantastic opportunity for young musicians to perform and receive guidance from professionals on technique and future opportunities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Acts from all seven high schools will go head-to-head for some fantastic prizes including song writing masterclasses, professional photo shoots, festival headline gigs and studio recording sessions. Three acts will be chosen to support three professional concerts that The Brunton has programmed in partnership with Haddstock, at Haddington's Corn Exchange, the first being Saturday 7 June with Rachel Sermanni and Wayward Jane. Studio 24 at Battle of The Bands event 2024 For the first time this year, the competition is open to previous participants and more established bands as well as newcomers or beginner musicians. Bands confirmed to take part so far are: Coastal Blue & About '08 – Musselburgh Grammar First Strike & Sixteen Again – Ross High Vega & Atometal – Dunbar Grammar Blizzaard – North Berwick High SNAKLE - Rosehill The Common Room & Black Diamonds – Preston Lodge OFF GRID - Knox Academy The competition's compere is John Arnold, local actor, writer and musician and the judges are: Bruce Craigie, co-owner of A Modern Way Management Company and Record Label that has Idlewild, Fatherson, Zoe Graham, Rudi Zygadlo, Tom Joshua on its roster. Bruce has extensive experience of working in record companies and music publishing companies. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Harley Loudon, a songwriter, musician, jazz singer, therapist and storyteller with various albums out on Apple / Spotify as a solo artist and band member. She has worked in the music industry supporting emerging artists. Andy Pennycuick, lead vocalist and harmonica player for 10 piece ska band BOMBSKARE, and guitarist/backing vocalist for The Pennycuick Girls. Gica Loening, director and founder of Fun Fiddle, a traditional music organisation for adults and children. As a community music practitioner, Gica specialises in working with young people and performs regularly for ceilidhs and events around Scotland. Iain Bruce, multi-instrumentalist who has recorded extensively with high profile commercial producers and performs regularly with acts such as Callum Beattie. Iain is an experienced community musician and was instrumental in setting up East Lothian's ELJam Network (East Lothian Youth Music Forum). His latest project is with 'The Waxing Quarter' a collaboration with fellow songwriters and producers John Ferguson & Liam Clark. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This year sees a new Open Mic slot, supported by theSpace Dunbar, for young soloists or small acoustic acts, aged under 25 years. Running from 12pm – 4pm in the courtyard or cafe, acts do not no need to book for this and can sign up on the day. Mics and guitar amp or a small PA will be provided. Battle Of The Bandsis an event developed by ELJam. Managed by East Lothian Council's Arts Service, ELJam aims to support, promote and develop youth music activity across East Lothian for all young people aged 25 and under. Membership of the network is free and open to anyone who has an interest in supporting the youth music sector in East Lothian or who is under 25 and considers themselves a musician!
Axios
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Nine local bands to compete for spot at Lovin' Life Music Fest 2025
Lovin' Life Music Fest is hosting a Battle of the Bands that'll give nine local bands the chance to perform on the local stage during the three-day music festival May 2-4 in Uptown. What to expect: The competition will take place at three live music venues in Charlotte over the next few weeks, with three bands performing at each event. If you go: Bands will play a 30-minute set before a panel of judges who'll select a winner at each event. The three winners will get to play at the fest. Battle of The Bands events are free, open to the public and will start at 6:30pm. Here's who's playing and when: Thursday, March 20 at Brickyard. Willingdon, Too Hot for Leather and Council Ring. Friday, March 28 at The Music Yard. High June, Low Groves and Family Video. Thursday, April 3 at Gin Mill. Secret Formula Band, Bella Peadon and a third band that's TBD. Yes, and: In addition to playing at the festival, each winning band will receive three-day VIP passes. The big picture: Lovin' Life 2025, in Uptown's First Ward Park, will feature more than 50 artists, including headliners Pitbull, Gwen Stefani, Dave Matthews Band and Benson Boone across three stages. This is the festival's second year, after selling out its inaugural year last May. What's next: Early bird single-day tickets go on sale Friday, March 14. Three-day festival tickets are on sale now.
