Lion Rock 2026

Student bands, swinging lights and amazing covers (plus an original song!) made up Lion Rock, KGV’s annual concert which rocked the school hall last night. For those of you who weren’t there, you missed out on quite the show put together by our brilliant student musicians with support from Ms. Carlile, Mr. Thompson, and Mr. Edwards.

Lion Rock saw bands playing songs that you might love (or be really tired of hearing) including Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor and Supermassive Black Hole by Muse (yes, the Twilight song). Whether or not you would sing along to those tunes, you would surely have enjoyed the original song Desire by Resonance, which was made for “those who are single on Valentine’s Day”. According to the band members, writing and composing this original song was the hardest part of the preparation, but their efforts culminated in a spectacular performance that washed a wave of euphoria over the crowd.

The experience of sitting in the hazy darkness, while the stage lights shined red and blue over the stage is truly unmatched. Lion Rock was described by those present as “explosive”, “marvelous”, and “wonderful”, and having been there myself, I absolutely agree.

The crowd was composed of students supporting their friends, parents, teachers, and people just enjoying the music. We were all blown away by the brilliant performances from Afterglow, Resonance, and The Spice Hatters, whose covers of songs such as Starlight by Muse, Better Than Revenge by Taylor Swift, and Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana were exciting and full of passion.

Last night’s success was only possible because of the hard work of all ten bands, who have been preparing for Lion Rock for 6-7 months (Somehow, that’s actually the case), which has evidently paid off. Despite the challenges faced by the bands, such as finding time to practice with conflicting schedules, or issues booking music rooms, the night turned out wonderfully. 

Congratulations to the winners — Third Time’s The Charm — who were actually the ones who played the Twilight song. Their music was marvellous, and they certainly deserved the win. 

All in all, Lion Rock was quite the memorable occasion, and we can’t wait to see how next year turns out!