Day #3 | Sussex Rocks 2013 with Richard Perkins

Well that is it for this special 3-day half-term Sussex Rocks course at CMP Studios in Eastbourne.

Day 3 began at the unsightly hour of 8am at the Winter Garden Floral Hall with an 8:20am sound check for the performances at 2:40pm and 3:30pm.

After the sound check students reconvened at CMP Studios for a final rehearsal session. Bands finalised their set lists and running orders before heading back to Winter Garden for the afternoon performances.

Congratulations to Chantalle, Amber, Callum, Red, T-J, Harry, Luca, Sam, Lawrence, Alex, Frank for putting on a fantastic all-round performance. Well done!

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Day #2 | Sussex Rocks 2013 with Richard Perkins

Day 2 of Sussex Rocks at CMP Studios continued in fine form as students tightened up the performances of their favourite classic rock tracks in readiness for the Winter Gardens gig on Tuesday 29th October (2:40pm and 3:30pm).

Bands rotated between studios to rehearse with head tutor Richard Perkins and were joined by drum tutor Phil Drew in the afternoon to help out the resident drummers.

A few more songs were added to the set list today, including ‘Go Your Own Way’ by Fleetwood Mac and ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes. The as yet unnamed bands performed timed sets at the end of the day to ensure they can get on and off stage, set up and play their songs within 20mins.

Set 1
Paranoid – Black Sabbath
Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
Highway To Hell – AC/DC

Set 2
Teenage Kicks – The Undertones
Foxy Lady – Jimi Hendrix
Sunshine of Your Love – Cream
Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac
We Are The Champions – Queen

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Day #1 | Sussex Rocks 2013 with Richard Perkins

Day 1 of the half-term Sussex Rocks course at CMP Studios started with a group discussion about which songs to perform at Winter Gardens on Tuesday 29th October.

The Sussex Rocks bands will be performing from 2:40pm and again at 3:30pm in the Floral Hall at Winter Gardens, as part of the Eastbourne Youth Event. Come along – it’s free!

During the song discussion lots of ideas were shared, including; ‘Teenage Kicks’ by The Undertones, ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ by Cream, and Queen’s ‘We Are The Champions’.

The group split into two scratch bands and immediately began learning, arranging and rehearsing songs in the studio live room.

Group 1 rehearsed ‘Tennage Kicks’, ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ and ‘We Are The Champions’.

Group 2 rehearsed ‘Paranoid’, ‘Eye of the Tiger’, and attempted ‘Crazy Train’.

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Sussex Rocks (3-day Rock Camp) 27-29 October 2013

Sussex Rocks returns from 27-29 October, 2013 at CMP Studios for an intensive 3-day music course covering all aspects of classic rock, funk and blues, climaxing with full-band performances at Winter Gardens in Eastbourne on Tuesday 29th October.

Once again Richard Perkins (Bath Guitar School), and Phil Drew (Ravebugs), together combining over 30 years of experience, team up to deliver three days of expert advice and tuition about songs, bands, live performance and studio session work.

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Performance Videos | Sussex Rocks 2013 with Richard Perkins

Hurrah – finally we have footage from Sussex Rocks 2013!

A big thanks to Maxim Gamble for editing and uploading these performance videos. More to come soon…

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Dakota – Stereophonics

Come Together – The Beatles

Billie Jean – Michael Jackson

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Wishing Well – Free

Sussex Rocks 2013 with Richard Perkins | Day 5

So, that’s it for 2013, Sussex Rocks has finished for another year, and we went out on a high note! Many students performed for the very first time in front of an audience (50+ strong in attendance) while others were honing their stagecraft and showing what they’ve learned over the past week with confidence and style.

From all the instrumental tutors; Richard, Jason and Phil, we thank all the students for a great week, and roll on Sussex Rocks 2014!

Sussex Rocks – Class of 2013

All bands spent the whole day rehearsing their songs for the end of week performance.

Where: Willingdon Community School
When: Friday 2nd August, 2013
Time: 4:30pm
Entry: Free

Bands performed the following:
Dakota by Stereophonics
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Come Together by The Beatles
Wishing Well by Free
Highway To Hell by AC/DC
School’s Out by Alice Cooper
Don’t Believe A Word by Thin Lizzy
Texas Strut by Gary Moore
Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett
Diamonds and Rust by Judas Priest (Excalibur feat. Amber Satchwell)

Photos and videos to follow…

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Closing
A huge thank you to Jacqui for organising Sussex Rocks! x

Sussex Rocks 2013 with Richard Perkins | Day 4

The penultimate day of Sussex Rocks 2013 saw bands in all-day rehearsals to fine-tune the song arrangements for Friday’s end of week performance.

The started with a band with a mega 2-hour full-band rehearsal session before lunch. All bands had the opportunity to perform alongside head tutor Richard and drum tutor Phil.

This session was a huge success and many students benefited (esp. the drummers) from having an expert on hand to guide them through the tracks.

Bands rehearsed the following:
Billie Jean by Michael Jackson
Sweet Home Alabama by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Wishing Well by Free
School’s Out by Alice Cooper
Highway to Hell by AC/DC
Don’t Believe a Word by Thin Lizzy
Come Together by The Beatle
Dakota by Stereophonics

Intro Riff: ‘Dakota’ by Stereophonics

The intro to ‘Dakota’ begins with a synth riff playing the fifth of each chord (E-B, C#-G#, and A-E). A guitar can emulate this sound with a light delay and phaser set to a slow and deep sweep. Have a go!

After lunch bands continued to rehearse their songs with the extra help of Jason Stocker.

The student concert will begin at 4:30pm on Friday 2nd August at Willingdon Community School, Eastbourne, East Sussex. Entry is free and we welcome anyone to come and show their support.

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