The music society celebrated the end of term with a Big Easter Gig at a packed Hannafords bar last night.

The three emerging acts, Rosie Hopkins, Papa Frank and the Quebec Ensemble and Black Rosette performed for students at the SU bar in Kingston Hill campus.

Singer songwriter Rosie Hopkins, a second year Drama student at Kingston universtiy kicked of the night accompanying herself on guitar and persuaded Ollie Futcher, the drummer from Papa Frank and the Quebec Ensemble to join her for an impromptu jam at the end of her set. 

She has been playing in and around London for a couple of years but this was her first gig after a broken wrist forced her to take a seven week break and said:  “Playing live is a massive buzz and there’s been a really nice response from the audience.”

If the next band looked like a bunch of nervous school children that’s because they were, all be it an extremely talented bunch of sixth formers from Hollyfield High School who wowed the audience with their covers of classic funk as well as some original material.

It was definitely not what you expect from a group of teenage boys.  Sam Hannaford from the band said:  “We started playing this type of music because we wanted to fit all the instruments into one band.”

Papa Frank and the Quebec Ensemble are a seven piece funk band that includes a saxaphone, trombone and trumpet player as drums, guittar and bass.  They were spotted at an open mic night in Kingston the event organiser James Farrimond.

The night was rounded off by Black Rosette a blues/soul and rock and roll band made up of Kingston University students who appeared on stage armed with free shots for enthusiastic members of the crowd.

James Farrimond was delighted with how the evening went:  “Everyone’s been great and there’s been an amazing turnout.”