Battle of the School Bands Final

The big names at BASSINTHEGRASS will be given a run for their money when the winners of the NT Battle of The School Bands hit the stage.

By Tamara Howie

NT Music School principal Bill Grose says this year’s competition has unearthed some great talent for the final, which will be held this month to decide who claims bragging rights and a spot on the BASS line-up.

“The standard is really high this year, they’ve kicked it up a level,” he says.

“We’ve got some real stars, so it’s going to be a really tough competition.”

21 bands and soloist from 10 schools entered this year’s competition with a diverse mix of sounds coming from young musos.

“We’ve got some quite intense rock bands, and one with three saxophones and no guitars – they’re definitely writing some original material,” Grose says.

“The sounds range right through to some beautiful acoustic guitar ballads and everything in between.

“The one thing that amazed me most is the quality of song writers.”

Grose says one of the great elements born out of the competition is the chance for the young artists to travel from Alice and Nhulunbuy to Darwin for the final and meet each other.

“They all come together and it’s a fantastic couple of days where they’re all camped out in the Green Room, and there’s a strong sense of community at that age level,” he says.

The annual competition has become a right of passage for many born-and-bred performers, with several alumni forging a strong presence in the local music scene and father afield.

Battle of the School Bands Final Fri 3 May | 6.30pm | Railway Club | Free | ntms.net.au