A ROCK show set up with help from Pete Townshend of The Who is set to blast onto the stage at Bedales.
Showcasing the musical talents of the students at the school in Steep, the Bedales Rock Show is being presented on January 18, and 19, at 7.30pm. The show on January 20 has sold out.
This promises to feature original songs, eye-catching choreography and assured musicianship.
The origins of the popular annual event date back to the summer of 2002 when it was held at Bedales Prep School Dunhurst in Steep, but it was at the second concert in 2003 that things really took off.
The Who legend Townshend was watching his son Joseph perform and he mentioned to organisers that if they could get permission to use the Olivier Theatre at Bedales for a rock show, he would send his band’s road crew to help.
So, the following year, The Who’s renowned sound engineer Bob Pridden and his team arrived at the school with a ten tonne truck full of the very best sound equipment. The Bedales Rock Show was born.
A school spokesman said: “Each show brings a new level of professionalism and originality, not only through the increasingly flamboyant costumes, distinctive lighting designs and daring song choices, but also with the collective feeling of optimism and solidarity shared by everyone involved.”
Past performer Freddy Sheed added: “The Bedales Rock Show was an essential learning experience that helped me acquire the tools needed to work as a professional musician.”
Tickets are £20, with £15 concessions. Funds raised will go to the John Badley Foundation. This provides bursaries for talented students who family circumstances mean that a Bedales education would not be possible.
Book online at: bedales.org.uk/bedales-arts