Rocking the Travers Stage | Charterhouse School

On the last night of Long Quarter (Spring Term), following the hottest Pontifex on record, musicians of the Charterhouse Rocks Society gathered at the Ben Travers Theatre to compete for the annual Battle of the Bands.

With tickets long sold out, and over 40 pupils in 14 different bands, this was shaping up to be a huge evening. This was also the debut of the new Music Department PA system, kindly funded by The Carthusian Society, so the night promised to go off with a bang.

Special guest judge Liela Moss, lead singer with The Duke Spirit and a solo artist extraordinaire, took her spot in the crowd. After a quick technical pause to mic up some violinists, the show got underway.

The evening started with the long-awaited We Will Rock You band reunion. The musicians were still buzzing from the previous week of shows and were not quite ready to leave it behind. A rip-roaring performance of Hammer To Fall, featuring a cast mix of Emilia, Fifth (Year 11), and Jonty, First Year Spec (Year 12), reprising their roles as Scaramouch and Galileo, was the perfect way to start the show. Music Department band members Mr McKee, Dr Millard, and Mr Kellett could be accused of having too much fun. Special mention to Jonny, Fifth (Year 11), who stepped in to cover the drum duties with only a few hours’ notice.

Last year’s competition winners, Audacity, performed two of their new original compositions, Doll Face and Ordinary Soul. The band are sounding slick and professional, fresh off the back of winning the Priors Field School Battle of the Bands, where they secured a performance slot at GuilFest in July.

sheer audacity - a spot at guilfest

Introduced by Second Year Specialists (Year 13) compères Kade and Freddie, the competition then got underway. Panorama opened with a flawless rendition of The Pixies’ Where Is My Mind?, followed by Senza Tempo’s version of Amy Winehouse’s Tears Dry On Their Own, with pianist Misha, First Year Specialist (Year 12), receiving a special mention from the judge.

Redemption followed with Paramore’s Hard Times before the mood shifted as Ayaan’s Minions took to the stage. Performing the intro of Megadeth’s Five Magics and segueing straight into Metallica’s Wherever I May Roam with the amps on 11, they delivered one of the standout moments of the night.

Remove (Year 10) band FIAS 96 followed with Declan McKenna’s Brazil, with Ines praised for her vocals and bass – “authentic and holding it together” – and Felix also receiving a notable mention. FRIA then performed Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams, with Erin commended for her standout vocals, before Apollo 5 brought energy with The Cure’s Friday I’m In Love, drummer Jordan being recognised for “holding it down”.

’57 Strat performed Paramore’s Still Into You, with Isolde, First Year Specialist (Year 12), receiving a special commendation for her vocals. Magenta followed with Deep Purple’s Highway Star, with Alison, Second Year Specialist (Year 13), stepping in to learn the song with just a week to go. Twin harmony guitar solos from 1YS (Year 12) Ayaan and Fifth (Year 11) Claire drew praise, alongside 2YS (Year 13) drummer Emily for her “fills – nice fills”.

The Strangers performed Billy Joel’s Song for Leyna, with Rupert earning an enthusiastic “oh my gosh” from the judge. Singularity delivered a mash-up of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper flowing into Led Zeppelin’s Good Times Bad Times, with guitarist Ben recognised for “shredding it”.

Charterhouse Rocks veterans Pacifica performed Keane’s Is It Any Wonder before The Ballistics took to the stage with ABBA’s Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!. With eight members on stage, including violinists Amber and Ardra, their performance drew high praise from Liela Moss: “so well-rehearsed, so much depth, so together”. Vocalist Connie, Remove (Year 10), was also highlighted for her relaxed delivery.

If it had been possible, the judge admitted she would have awarded the top prize to two bands. As it stood, The Ballistics were awarded second place, and the winners of the Charterhouse Rocks Battle of the Bands 2026 were Ayaan’s Minions.

With the crowd on their feet, Ayaan’s Minions returned to the stage, clearly enjoying the moment. Congratulations to the band, who have been shaking the walls of the Music Department day and night in preparation, and special mention to vocalist Millie, who only began performing with bands this term.

The evening could not have been such a success without the support of a dedicated team behind the scenes. Liela Moss was full of praise for the talent and passion shown by every band.

Thanks go to the Music Department, including Jen Ashman-Adams for her tireless work on tickets, backdrops, and promotion, Lucia Brown for her poster design, and graduate musician Mari MacGregor for filming and streaming the event. The Operations team ensured everything ran smoothly, while Victoria Skinner at the BTT delivered a standout light show. Les Mommsen expertly built and mixed the PA across a complex set, and Alex Bevan, Charterhouse parent and guitar technician, kept everything running seamlessly backstage.

Finally, thank you to Director of Music David McKee and the wider department for continuing to support and grow contemporary music at Charterhouse, and to all the pupils whose hard work and dedication made the night such a success.