By Eashaa Pillai (Chairperson)
The MPH is pitch black, save for the occasional flash of stage lights and neon skeletons jigging across the projector screen. All is still; everyone’s breath stays held.
The keyboards pulse in first, their eerie chords painting the ambience blue. The vocalists coax out a line, whispers blending into melody. Drums kick in, a titillating, antsy groove; keys chime again, a throbbing, palpitating progression; the air surges upwards, the beast struggles against its bars, and finally, finally, guitar, bass, and drum collide, sound crashing into a crescendo.
The song is Thriller, and this is Raffles Rock.
So if you’ve ever dreamt of belting your heart out to an arena of adoring fans, or earning your place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with your shredding skills, you might just be one of us.
The Batch ‘24 band, Ten Volt Tragedy
Nestled in the wilderness of the Block D Level 4 corridor is an unassuming grey door with a slightly ominous-looking red LED sign above it, and if you’ve been lucky enough, you might even have seen some very fabulous individuals slipping surreptitiously in and out of it.
That, dear reader, is our humble Jamming Studio—the home to our instruments, equipment, and generations’ worth of memories. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we retreat to the studio from 4-6pm.
What we do during each session varies wildly: one day, we could be power-riffing to Bon Jovi and figuring out how to replicate Serj Tankian’s screams, and the next, we could be sitting in a circle around a piano talking about childhood happiness and analysing the Mandalorian theme.
All of our (sometimes unhinged) rock education is well taken care of by our respected instructor Mr Ian Toh, who in addition to an impressive collection of Pokemon shirts, and an impressive ability to roast us to a crisp when we blunder, also possesses an impressive knowledge of the ins and outs of Singapore’s music scene, and musicality as a whole.
And we cannot forget our loyal and dedicated teachers-in-charge, Ms Ng PS and Mr Ngan WY, who play a crucial role in keeping our collective chaos in check.
But hold on: what exactly does Raffles Rock do? Well, as RI’s resident rock band, we sure know how to give Rafflesians a good time. From school events such as National Day and Teachers’ Day, to community concerts, if there’s a band bringing groovy tunes to the stage, there’s a good chance it’s us.
Aside from that, though, we hold our very own showcase concerts every year: Rock-In, which is held in school for free, as well as the main event, Rock-Out. And you should hold on to that name—for Rock-Out is an insane night of headbanging and throat-busting you definitely don’t want to miss.
Complete with dazzling lighting, intricate sets, and the coolest costuming you’ll ever see, Rock-Out is our magnum opus—a brilliantly wild showcase of all we’ve learnt in our time in the CCA. Last year, since we were fresh out of the pandemic, Rock-Out was held in school. This year, we’re hoping to bring it back with some new elements—and what exactly those are a fun mystery for now. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out!
Ten Volt Tragedy performing at Rock-Out: Exodus
So. You’ve done your research. You’ve considered your options. And you’ve decided that Raffles Rock sounds like the place for you. “But how,” you lament, “can I possibly hope to join the ranks of these swaggy, showstopping stunners?”
Fret not, younglings, for we’ve got you covered. At Open Jam, you’ll get the chance to meet and play with the seniors (us!) and see for yourself how we roll. And if you find that Rock is somewhere you think you’ll feel at home in (which we hope you do!), you can sign up for our official auditions that we’ll be holding during JIP (January Induction Programme) and JAEIP (JAE Induction Programme).
And don’t be too nervous; we don’t expect seasoned professionals in complete command of their skill and presence! All you need to do is bring with you your passion and sense of fun, and—as Kurt Cobain would put it—come as you are.
Damiano David of Måneskin once said (or yelled, rather passionately, actually) that “Rock and Roll never dies”—and here at Raffles Rock, that’s the very spirit we fight to keep alive. So if that’s something that speaks to you too, come give us your best shot. We can’t wait to welcome you into this happy, howling home of ours.
Many generations of rock reunited at Rock-Out: Exodus!
