Hurst 'n' Brie 2012

When a rock concert meets soft cheese and biscuits it can only mean one thing, the end of year music extravaganza, Hurst 'n' Brie.

In true festival style, thankfully minus the mud, Hurst’s talented singers and musicians performed a set of over two and a half hours that highlighted the College’s musical vitality. 

With the ever unpredictable threat of rain that only an English summer can bring, this year the stage was placed inside a marquee within the College’s Inner Quad.

Richard Hadfield opened the evening’s show with the warm tones of three Jazz numbers,  proof positive that it’s not just about power chords and 4/4 time.

As the early acts continued, including an original composition from Molly Singer and acoustic hits from Finn Clancy and James Hadfield, more people gathered with their drinks and nibbles in hand.

Before the Shell band covered some of the all-time Rock classics, including All Right Now by the band Free, Patrick Haynes and Fred Barker gave a first public airing of their own composition, which they freely admitted, had only reached completion earlier that day!

Every Senior School year group had performers ready to take to the microphone and there were even appearances from Prep School backing singers in The Remove Band. 

Hurst ‘n’ Brie is the final musical event of the year and has become a traditional finale to Hurst’s Prize Day and Sports Day celebrations.

Speaking after the show, Alabama Jackson (Shell), who performed Birdy's Skinny Love said, "This was the first musical performance that I have done at Hurst and it has given me a boost of confidence to do more next year."

For Richard Hadfield (UVI), this was a final Hurst 'n' Brie before he leaves the College this summer. With plenty of performance experience at the College, he said, "It's the best Hurst 'n' Brie I've done which makes me extremely happy...I believe it's one of the greatest oppurtunities Hurst offers to any budding musician and is a true showcase of the musical talent held within the walls of Hurst.

Derek Austin, whose own musical credentials go way back to working with The Animals in the 1960s, has been mentor to various Hurst rock bands alongside his Music Technology teaching.  He has masterminded the annual show for almost a decade with the assistance of an ever changing team of technical assistants.  He said; “We've had a very high standard of singers in the past couple of years, as well as talented songwriters. Exams this term are all-consuming and I'm amazed at how the pupils find the time to practise. Somehow or other, it always comes together, usually at the last minute.”