By Benjamin Lim (19S03I), Vanessa Lur (19S06Q) and Chloe Wong (19S07C)
Photos courtesy of Jiang Jin Liang (19S06N) and Amy Lin (19A01B)
Batch Night 2018 certainly was a night to remember. The performances. The food. The games. Everything seamlessly flowed from the start to the finish, with the audience enjoying every single performance by the many talented individuals in this institution. The halls of the Albert Hong Hall Auditorium opened timely at 6.30pm, with several groups of people milling around, queueing for the tasty food before the night started.
Around 7pm when the auditorium was filled with many excited Year 5s, the performances started. Raffles Rock, Raffles Jazz as well as the group performers involved helped to rally the entire student body together with their powerful vocals and amazing performances. Everyone was bobbing along to the sweet tunes throughout the evening.
First up: Wild². This four member band consisting of Ryan Ng (19S06N), Evan Choo (19S03B), Theodore Kuah (19A01B) and Sherwin Lam (19S06O), performed classics such as “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys. The mellow tunes sung by the entire team helped to lift the entire mood in the auditorium, as well as set the high expectations for the following performers.
The break then gave way to a surprising but memorable performance during the break. The performance – though unscheduled – was surely a delight to watch. After all, who can say no to watching six rugby players dance to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”. Their rendition of the iconic dance drew lots of laughter from the crowd, further hyping everyone for the rest of the night. Everyone was already thoroughly enjoying themselves. Although the performance was unplanned, we think we can safely say that everyone would definitely not mind seeing it again.
It was then time for Street Dance, who put up a striking and energetic performance, dancing along to pop songs including Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” and 5 Seconds of Summer’s “Youngblood”. The catchy music, coupled with the incredible dance moves, had everyone’s eyes glued to the stage. Many even began singing and moving along to the music.
They were followed by Raffles Jazz, who provided great music such as “I Wish” by Stevie Wonders. The therapeutic music helped calm the crowd down, providing a relaxing respite from the otherwise exciting night. In addition, their own renditions of Paramore’s “Still into You” and “Treasure” by Bruno Mars showcased their excellent singing and composition abilities.
The lively atmosphere filled with laughter and smiles brightened up the mood of the hall. Throughout the night, students were getting snacks, taking photos at the photobooth and jumping around with friends, and laughter and chatter could be heard all around the hall. Furthermore, the food catered for Batch Night certainly did not disappoint, with the large array of jelly doughnuts, churros, chilled drinks and ice pops satiating the stomachs of many hungry students. The churros especially, seemed to be very popular amongst Rafflesians with its queue only growing in numbers every break (much to our annoyance, unfortunately).
All good things have to come to an end, but who said things couldn’t end off with a bang? Raffles Rock certainly did not disappoint. By inviting everyone to move towards the stage area, the rock band lead by the two vocalists Manish Vikram (19S03T) and Sneha Bobba (19S06K) created an amazing concert experience. At the end of “Everyone Talks” by Neon Trees, Raffles Rock already had everyone jumping up and down to the song. It was no surprise that the finale song “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk The Moon had lifted everyone’s spirits sky high.
Everyone was singing and dancing along. At one point in the night Raffles Rock even got everyone jumping left and right based on the lyrics of a song. Some people were even witnessed jumping up and down with their friends despite being stranded in a food queue. It was certainly remarkable how Raffles Rock managed to end off Batch Night on such a high note.
It is probably safe to say that almost everyone had thoroughly enjoyed Batch Night (we sure did!). By the end of the night everyone had smiles on their faces and were chattering excitedly with their friends. Some people were even still bouncing about excitedly despite the music having ended. The fact that the council members had to eventually shoo a reluctant crowd from the hall was further evidence of the success of Batch Night.
So, what exactly made Batch Night so unforgettable? Was it the lucky draw? Was it the food? Or, was it the great music by Raffles Rock and Jazz?
Personally, we had fun dancing and eating, while catching up with friends. A large portion of our time at Batch Night was spent queueing for churros, but in the end the wait was worth it due to the time spent and conversations we had with friends, which were much more enjoyable than the sugary goodness of the churros.
We think everyone who attended Batch Night 2018 would agree with us — our companions were the best part of the night. Everywhere we looked, people were either swaying along to the songs or standing around with their friends and talking, making memories that would last for a long, long time.