This year’s Patana Plugged has been nothing but above all of our expectations – performers from Year 7 to Year 13 gathered to bring our annual concert of rock, pop, and other musical genres to life, while the parents, teachers, and friends alike flooded the theatre to support all of the bands’ stunning performances.
On the night of November 27th, a skilled collection of groups were assembled to compose arguably one of the most powerful concerts that Bangkok Patana School has ever seen – from iconic songs produced decades ago such as “Don’t Let Me Down” by the Beatles to more recent, striking hits like “Oscar Winning Tears” by RAYE. This year’s tradition of the Plugged concert has continued, becoming more diverse and unique each year. Led by our teachers, staff, MCs, and myself as the student volunteer to manage this year’s concert, the show has truly been a night filled with pure emotion and raw talent – a night to remember, if you will (a modern music reference there, if you catch it).
After the humorous introduction from our entertaining MC’s, our audience couldn’t help but be fully charged by the electrifying energy of each and every band that performed, whether the tempo was Allegro or Andante, with the judges giving powerful and well-structured feedback after each performance.
This year, there has been a rise in the number of Year 7 students performing, especially because of the newly-enlisted Rockademy ECA, which demonstrated a range of upcoming flair with iconic hits from the late 19th century such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana and “Beat It” by the one and only Michael Jackson. Of course, we’ve seen many returning performers/bands last year, bouncing back with hits that amped up the concert’s energy, with an example being the Jazz Ensemble’s interesting take on “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner.
In order for the concert to be as successful as it was, it required not only for me to take on the more leadership-oriented role of the concert’s organiser, but the collective efforts of all involved as well, as without them, the concert would never have been put together. My role included overseeing the concert order, managing the songs played, writing out schedules for soundchecks, communicating with performers etc. I learned lessons in my own time management and am pleased that the audience enjoyed it to the fullest.
A piece of work that I’m the most proud of is my advice on the submission videos, since I feel like the feedback that I gave had quite a bit of depth in each of my responses, and that they helped most of the bands with their individual performances. Through this process, I’ve also developed stronger listening skills in terms of musicality, since I was able to go into more intricate details for each video. I think that in the future, I can apply these skills to future performances with different groups, as I can adjust to how others play and give advice on what they can improve during practice.
Ultimately, even with the delay, this year’s Patana Plugged has remained as a musical staple for this academic school year, and I’m sure that it has left a lasting impression on the performers, judges, and friends, and parents, as well. Let’s continue to carry on the tradition of this concert, and may the next Patana Plugged be even stronger than this year’s.
