Gastric Band and Snapped invited to play before rugby match

Two bands from Whitworth Community High School that took part in a Battle of the Bands competition are now set to play before a rugby match.

The groups were invited to play before a rugby match at Rochdale Hornets and Gastric Band will also be recording at a studio in Whitworth.

Year 11 students Oliver Norris and Ryan Pye have been playing as a duo for about a year, but just before the Rochdale Rocks competition they were joined by fellow Year 11 student’s drummer Joe Fallows and keyboard player Isabel Dexter.

They hastily renamed themselves Gastric Band, and took part in the competition, at Hollingworth Academy, Milnrow, when they performed three songs.

Ryan, 15, who plays lead guitar, said: “I had been having guitar lessons with the teacher in school and he told me about a bronze arts award and suggested we get a band together.

“Being friends with Oliver, I knew he played instruments and I asked him to learn bass guitar, which he did very quickly.

“Then Joe came along to play the drums and Isabel on keyboards.”

Ryan stepped up to take on the role of singer and in the competition the band played two Arctic Monkeys songs and ‘I Saw her Standing There’ by The Beatles.

Also playing were Snapped, a duo formed by 12-year-olds Carys Scott, singer, and guitarist Madeline Kelsey-Lyon.

Madeline said: “We chose the name because I kept snapping guitar strings on the school’s electric guitar. In the competition I played acoustic guitar and I didn’t snap any strings.”

They played four songs two by Imagine Dragons, one by Ruth B and ‘Panic at the Disco’ by High Hopes.

Madeline said: “We picked quite short music and I got to do a guitar solo.”

Snapped has only been a group for six months, and only found out about the competition a month beforehand. Both described it as traumatic and admitted they were really nervous.

Although neither band won, the groups were invited to play at Rochdale Hornets and Gastric Band will also be recording at Studio Studio in Whitworth.

Oliver said: “We will make the recording available on Spotify and also get a CD made. We hope to continue playing and for it to be more than just a hobby.”

Snapped has now been joined by drummer Jack Stevenson and keyboard player Connie Ward, both from Year 9 at Whitworth.

Madeline is also looking forward to competing in Whitworth’s Got Talent.