Mind the Gap from Highams Park School take top prize with their original track Work It Out

Battle of the Bands winners Mind the Gap, with their music teacher

Ten bands competed at Leyton Sixth Form College’s theatre to become the tenth ‘Battle of the Bands’ winner in Waltham Forest.

Organised by Waltham Forest Music Service, the annual competition is open to local bands, solo performers, songwriters and producers aged from eleven to 18 years. It gives young people the opportunity to perform and receive supportive feedback from a panel of experts from the music industry and when they take part in the competition, young people step on to the stage and become “stars for the night”, giving them a performance platform that builds their confidence and musicianship.

The 2023 Battle of the Bands winner is Mind the Gap from Highams Park School, who performed their original song Work it Out. The band was praised by the competition judges for their originality, confidence and technical expertise.

Lead vocalist Celeste Shaw said: “Writing and performing this song has meant the world to us, we’ve had so much fun rehearsing together the last few months. We never expected to win today, it’s a huge surprise! Winning will definitely inspire us to make more music!”

Over ten years, the Battle of the Bands competition has supported over 450 pupils performing in more than 100 acts, with the majority having formed at their secondary schools, supported by their music teachers, rehearsing in their lunchbreaks.

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