Review by Mr Murray Fergusson
This showcase of the Rock music talents of Gordonstoun raised the School's creative bar several notches. For this one night only, Gordonstoun witnessed a creative spectacle of astonishing proportions.
Those with tickets were queuing outside well in advance of the start and in true rock fashion the opening of the doors saw a rush to the space at the front of the hall. From the very beginning, the atmosphere was electric. The spaceship-like stage and rig filled the centre of the chapel, the multi-coloured lights hummed and flashed, the smoke machine and strobe effects created flickering silhouettes and shadows.
As the lights faded, the intro began and the first band emerged from stage right. Tom Antonio, Tom Harrison, Daniel Rowland and Gary Sands launched into a blistering version of One Vision. They followed it up with Message in a Bottle by The Police and Thin Lizzy's classic The Boys are Back in Town.
The changeovers between the bands were slick and it was the Fourth Form Rock band up next, opening with Queen's Tie your Mother Down and following it up with numbers by Muse, Blink 182 and their own composition, appropriately titled Law unto Myself. Ed Watson, Rory Frederiksson, Jamie Remp, Alisdair MacKenzie and Stuart Leslie made up this very impressive band and their energy and infectiously mischievous stage antics were cheered on by the audience with particularly wild applause from their appreciative fans in the Fourth Form section of the audience.
Next up were The Gen - Andrew Guild, Will Hayward and Robbie Lambie - who performed a selection of their own songs. The Fifth Form Rock band took over, with Tom Harrison returning to the stage along with the charismatic Johnnie Furnivall and drummer Rory Mackay to play a selection of rock and roll classics, including Green Day's Holiday and the haunting chart-topper, Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
The final rock band of the evening was the Senior Rock Band. Niall Govan, Joe Rodger, Tom Antonio and George Borodzin-Bidnell played the gig of their lives in a set which contained numbers by The Killers and Maroon 5. A genuinely moving tribute performance of Teenage Kicks, dedicated to John Peel, preceded arguably the performance of the night: Bohemian Rhapsody.
From first collective harmony to last, this was adventurous, a rendition of total commitment and belief. There are few, if any, songs more difficult to perform live than this one and the band's incredible delivery of the complete song without any supporting recorded material, led by Tom Antonio on piano, was met with a deafening roar and totally deserved spontaneous standing ovation at the end. This performance was something momentous to see, and as the band members hugged each other to show how much it had meant to them, the acclaim from the floor continued long after they had left the stage.
Before the final acts, other soloists provided the moments of contrast to the rock and roll. Ruth MacPherson and Rosalind Eleazar gave a typically stunning performance of Norah Jones' Don't Know Why and Gershwin's I Got Rhythm, accompanied by a backing band, and Lisaweta von Truchsess, backed by the String Ensemble, sang Freddie Mercury's ballad Love of my Life with great tenderness and sensitivity.
The impressive School Jazz Band took to the stage, and began the closing medley of Queen songs with soloists who had been selected following auditions earlier this year. Rebecca Worsley opened with We Will Rock You, followed by Rosalind Eleazar's It's a kind of Magic. Alice Jackson followed with I want to Break Free before Tom Antonio, arguably the all-round star of the whole show, sang Another One Bites the Dust. It was left to Harry Gow to lead the jumping, cheering audience in a rendition of We are the Champions.
Much credit is due to Ronnie Berry for coaching all the rock bands, Nigel Gaston for direction, Andrew Cowderoy for his professional performance on lights, all the performers and especially a wonderfully supportive audience.