The annual House Singing competition took place on Wednesday and it was a great privilege to welcome Ralph Allwood to judge this years’ competition. Following an ‘FA Cup’ style draw earlier in term, it was Austin House who chose to perform first, performing Queen’s iconic ‘Somebody to Love’ with confidence and control. Franklin’s then grabbed the attention with ‘Hooked on a Feeling’ with a dynamic and energetic performance. Instrumental breaks coupled with strong unity in singing were evident in Pygott’s performance of ‘I’m still standing’ whilst O’Doherty’s rendition of ‘Drive by’ by Train revealed a strong sound coupled with a very solid support from their band. Stockdale’s were the final house to perform before the interval with excellent delivery, commitment and stylish moments from the band. After a brief interval, the Lower School took to the stage to perform ‘On Top of the World’ by Imagine Dragons with some lovely harmonies evident throughout. Border’s performed ‘Love Story’ with great clarity with a lovely balance from both band, singers and solos, resulting in a very effective performance. The Indie Band, Bastille then featured on the programme with School and Donnelly’s choosing ‘Pompeii’ and ‘Good Grief’ respectively. Dynamic contrast, two part harmonies alongside committed direction were commented on in the School performance whilst impressive communication and total engagement was noted for Donnelly’s. Crescent House finished the afternoon’s event with performance of ‘The Pina Colada Song’ which was varied, involved and some excellent vocal contrast in both dynamic and pitch. As always, there can only be one winner and so the joint 3rd was awarded to Pygott’s and Crescent, with Stockdale’s taking the runner up spot. However, it was School House, with both a committed and unified performance of ‘Pompeii’ who took the accolade of House Singing Champions for 2023!
