On the night of October 6th, a wide range of bands formed by students across all Year groups came together to bring 2026’s Patana Plugged to life. Last year’s Plugged had already set the bar quite high, but this year’s concert may have just topped it – from 1970s disco classics such as ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ by ABBA to modern hits like ‘On My Soul’ by Bruno Mars, the song range of this year’s Plugged was as wide as ever..

This edition of the annual Patana Plugged concert has exceeded our expectations once more, despite taking place earlier this year. A collection of both familiar faces and newer performers proudly took the stage, bringing forth musical energy, passion and talent, while parents, teachers and friends alike all came to support the bands’ outstanding performances.

Key highlights from the concert included a beautiful rendition of ‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’ by Olivia Dean performed by the Y12 house band, ‘I Want You Back’ by the Jackson 5 and ‘God Was Showing Off’ by Bruno Mars performed by Sweet Tooth, and of course, ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry performed by our school’s iconic Golden Kazoos, who returned to close the concert’s first half in a whimsical yet tuneful manner. However, even with all the amazing bands that were present, there couldn’t have been a more powerful finish than the three-song ending produced by the Patana Jazz Ensemble, who performed ‘November Rain’ by Guns N’ Roses, ‘Ain’t It Fun’ by Paramore, and a spectacular version of ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyoncé.

Reflecting on my role as the concert organiser, I believe that even with it taking place relatively early in the school year, it was a major success and will remain a staple in the lives of our school’s musicians. All the hard work, effort, and participation from everyone involved led to a complete, breathtaking concert that made this year’s Plugged an unforgettable experience for both the performers and the audience.

To provide more insight into this year’s Plugged, here are some reflections from performers:

“The Patana Plugged of 2026 was a night that I will never forget; it was especially meaningful as it was my first year into Secondary. As a somewhat beginner guitarist, seeing all of the others gathering to showcase their groovy riffs had really inspired me. In the past, I had participated in multiple concerts but Plugged was so special to me as the whole atmosphere of the setting simply felt a lot more vivid and lively. I’m looking forward to being a part of Patana Plugged in the future.”

 “This production is a great way to step out of your comfort zone as you can connect with bandmates and experience the energy of a show. Feeling anxious before the performance is totally normal, but as soon as the song begins, it actually feels very peaceful—as if all of the other surrounding noises just get faded out like a light switch.”

 “Overall, the concert was a lot of fun for everyone, regardless of whether you were on the stage or in the audience. There was a variety of songs throughout generations in the setlist, which meant that if you prefer older bands such as Guns N’ Roses or modern artists like Olivia Dean, you still got to vibe to your favorite songs.” DaYeon (Emma) Lee, 7T

“As a musician, there are always lots of opportunities to perform, and Patana Plugged is one of the best chances to stand up on stage and play to an audience, as well as to improve your own proficiency and confidence. The grand variety of acts this year were incredibly interesting and fun to watch, especially acts such as the Golden Kazoos and Torres and Alpha’s incredible and technical duet – both performances were entertaining and characterful.

This was my first Patana Plugged despite singing for a while now, and it was a great change to my regular performances – the chance to choose your own song and put your all into it was a great factor, as well as the feedback provided by the judges after each song. It really gave students the chance to reflect on their own performances and to develop and improve.

All in all, Patana Plugged is a good way to build confidence on stage and make connections with band members who you may not know so well. The chance to all be backstage can be a sure-fire way to spark addiction – once you get the feeling of being up there with everyone as equals, it can be difficult to forget. Alternatively, the performance may go sideways, forcing you to improvise. But this can be a good thing, giving the performance a twist of your own and making it feel human – after all, everyone makes mistakes but all that matters is that we learn something from it. And that is how you get better. I hope that more people may take interest in Patana Plugged and perhaps join next year to experience the hype that I did.” Daniel Ferguson, 11L

“Ultimately, with this being the first concert of the school year, we’re off to a great musical start. We will all continue to work hard, support one another, and keep pushing our musical limits as this academic year unfolds. Let’s continue to carry on the tradition of this concert, and may the next Patana Plugged be even stronger than this year’s.” Torres Chou, 11W