Tonbridge talent shines in the 2025 House Music Competition

Over 230 Tonbridge pupils performed on stage to a capacity crowd for this year’s House Music Competition last Friday.

The event required boys from each of our twelves houses to arrange and perform two pieces each: one acoustic and one amplified. Featured artists included Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, Kings of Leon, Bastille, Coldplay and The Killers.

The Whitworth backing dancers and singers delighted the audience with their inspired costumes and full commitment to synchronised dancing, air guitar and air saxophone during their rendition of I’m Still Standing (Elton John). Similarly, Smythe House were the worthy winners of The Paul Gamblin Award for the Best Amplified Item, following their gritty performance of Come Together (The Beatles).

This contrasted with the hushed silence that pervaded the theatre when fifteen pupils from School House played an acoustic version of Robbie Williams’ Angels in perfect synchrony (recognised with the Cullen Award for Best Acoustic Item). The boys’ contributions ended on a high with an acoustic arrangement of How Deep Is Your Love (Bee Gees), devised by Oscar (OH4) which won him the prize for the Best Arrangement.

Many thanks to this year’s adjudicator, Rebecca Lodge-Birkebaek, a singing coach from Benenden School who has previously sung professionally for the Royal Opera House and BBC Singers.

The competition is judged on criteria including standard of performance, variety of programme, musical innovation, age range and number of performers.

Oakeshott were crowned winners of the House Music Cup, with School House runners up.

Mark Forkgen, the school’s Director of Music, said he was hugely impressed not only with the musicianship on display, but the creativity and teamwork the boys had shown throughout the process. He said, “The boys’ always impress by bringing their own interpretations of familiar songs. They take risks, experiment and galvanise groups of up to fifteen performers, ranging in age from the Novi to Upper Sixth.”

Boys were also involved in the stage management of the evening, providing sound and technical support, as well as filming and production, enabling it to be live-streamed around the world, and to our Big School hall, where Novi and second year boarders watched.

House Music Competition results:
House Music Cup: Oakeshott
Runners up: School House
Cullen Shield for Best Acoustic Item: School House for Angels
The Paul Gamblin Award for Best Amplified Item: Smythe House for Come Together

Best Arrangement: Oscar (OH4) for How Deep is Your Love

Pictures by Clair Miller.