Rock School
Encyclopedia
Rock School is a British reality TV series starring Gene Simmons
(from the band Kiss
), in which he has a short time to turn a class of school children into a fully fledged rock
band
, at the end of which they must perform in a supporting slot for a leading rock band.
Rock School is made by British production company RDF Media
and has been shown on Channel 4
in the UK, RTL 7
in the Netherlands, Channel Ten and Channel V
in Australia
, TVNZ's TV2 in New Zealand
, VH-1 in the United States
and Latin America
, TV2 Zebra in Norway
, Nelonen
in Finland
, TV4 in Sweden
, Much Music in Canada
, Vitaya
in Belgium
and ORF1 in Austria
.
A comedy film
with a similar theme, starring Jack Black
, called School of Rock
, was released in 2003
, before the first series began although the creative team and Gene Simmons
insist that it was not because of the success of that film they made it, and say it was in the works since 2002.
Since series 2, Simmons seems not to be planning any more series as of yet, due to commitments with KISS, but he may very well do another as Channel 4 have kept their page about the show.
school in England. The chosen class of Year 9 students were all classically trained and it is insinuated that they had no interest in rock music.
The band consisted of Josh Bell
(also known as "The Emperor") as lead singer, Dudley Beal ("Dudders") as drummer, Jesse Newton ("Bagpuss") as guitarist, Kwamé Asiedu ("Mr. Cool") on keyboards and bassist Camilla Biggs (who refused to have a "rock name"). Stylists were Fiona Musson ("FiFi") and Frances Scott ("Francis"), while the stage managers were Lucian and Richard White ("Mr White"). On 21 October, the manager, Rodney Serunjogi ("Rods"), revealed the band's name to be "The Class". After an initially difficult start the band successfully played to a crowd of Motörhead fans at the Hammersmith Apollo
, and in the final episode of the series The Class got an all-expenses paid trip to LA where all the members came together to perform a special tribute of "God gave rock 'n roll to you" for Gene in a local venue.
The highlight of the programme was arguably Josh, "Emperor", so named because of his love of the game Warhammer
. The 13-year-old sparked plenty of controversy among his fellow classmates as his weird antics made him an outsider. A fluent speaker of Quenya
and learning Klingon
by the end of the series, Josh is completely tone deaf but was chosen by Simmons for his determination and perseverance. Simmons saw something of himself in Josh, as he had faced similar adversity as an outsider when growing up in New York. Completely transformed by the experience, Josh saw himself as a rock god by the end of filming and had even grown his hair in homage to Brian May
however this new personna irritated his fellow classmates as they thought his arrogance got the better of him.
Despite Gene Simmons
insisting that the show wasn't made because of the success of the movie School of Rock
, "Mr. Cool" is the same name of the keyboard player in both shows - though at no point did the band watch the film, and the rock names were chosen before the band membership was assigned.
, Suffolk
(now East Point Academy
) and began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on Sunday January 29, 2006. A new twist to this series was that instead of classically trained musicians, Simmons was working with students from a comprehensive school. Unlike the first series the pupils were from year 11 rather than year 9. Their task at the end of the series would be to open for Judas Priest
, Rob Zombie
, and Anthrax
in Long Beach
.
In the first episode we meet Chris Hardman, also known as "Lil' Chris" (due to his diminutive stature), who can sing , play guitar, drum, and write songs. At the end of the first episode he goes on holiday with his family, causing Simmons to appoint Ellie Chapman as the replacement vocalist. The band, then "No Coment" and consisting of Ellie Chapman (vocals), Samanie Warren (guitar), Lindsey Rose (bass), Jess (keyboards) and Sammi Reeve (drums) spend the second episode preparing for their first gig, where they played to an audience of predominantly old age pensioners at a local bowls club, as well as worrying about their positions in the band upon Chris's return. Episode two also features Black Sabbath
guitarist Tony Iommi
, who was brought in by Simmons to inspire the group. Rob Batch and Lewis were managers
In the third episode, the band hold auditions for a backup drummer in light of Sammi's volatile temper and tendency to walk out on them. These auditions were open to both class members and select non-members as well. Simmons chooses an outsider Lauren Pashley, raising the suspicion that he was looking to form an all-girl band. They go on tour with Chris and Ellie taking turns on vocals, but neither impresses Simmons, putting both of their positions into doubt. On the second show of the tour, the band were promised they would get to play "My Generation
" as an encore with Ellie singing, but Simmons felt they had not sufficiently impressed the crowd and did not warrant the encore. Suzi Quatro
also features in episode three, showing Lindsey some techniques on the bass guitar. As part of their final preparations the band gave a live performance in Golden Cross, Coventry
.
In the final episode Simmons reveals the final line-up of the band, dropping an obviously devastated Ellie and opting for Chris, who he felt was more charismatic. He also renamed the band "Hoax UK", inspired by a slogan on Chris's cap. They successfully played their opening slot with their song "Kicking Off", written by Chris and classmate Rob:
The lyrics may have been prophetic, as a week after the performance Chris was contacted by record producers Ray Hedges and Nigel Butler, who appeared in the show to help the class with songwriting. They worked with him on a song called "Checkin' It Out
". The song was released as a single in September 2006 and reached at #3 in the UK Singles Chart
, Chris then recently released an album in December 2006. The female members of the band, including Samanie, Ellie and Lauren formed a band of their own known as The Upraw. Lauren and Lily left the band but have been replaced by two new members Toni (Drums) and Katie (keyboard). They released a single called "Make My Way" in May 2006.http://www.theupraw.com. According to the Upraw's website, Ellie and Katie have now left, with the three remaining members functioning as a three piece.
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
(from the band Kiss
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
), in which he has a short time to turn a class of school children into a fully fledged rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
, at the end of which they must perform in a supporting slot for a leading rock band.
Rock School is made by British production company RDF Media
RDF Media
Zodiak Media is a Anglo-American television production company. It was formed in 2010 when RDF Media Group was acquired by, and merged with Zodiak Entertainment...
and has been shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the UK, RTL 7
RTL 7
RTL 7 may refer to:* RTL 7 - Dutch TV channel of the RTL Group* RTL 7 - a former Polish TV channel of the RTL Group ; see TVN 7...
in the Netherlands, Channel Ten and Channel V
Channel V Australia
Channel [V] Australia is an Australian subscription television music channel, and also the newest Channel [V] channel. It is available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, TVNZ's TV2 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, VH-1 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, TV2 Zebra in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Nelonen
Nelonen
Nelonen is a Finnish commercial TV channel. It started out as Helsinki's local television channel PTV in 1989 on the HTV cable network, which name was changed first to PTV4 and then to Nelonen. It started on June 1, 1997. Nelonen, in Finnish, means the glyph of the number four. The channel is...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, TV4 in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Much Music in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Vitaya
Vitaya
Vitaya is a Flemish television station. The station got its license for 9 years in 1999 and it started to broadcast on 25 August 2000.Vitaya can be seen on Flemish cable and satellite services...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and ORF1 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
A comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
with a similar theme, starring Jack Black
Jack Black (actor)
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black is an American comedian, actor and musician. He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. The group has two albums as well as a television series and a film. His acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but internally...
, called School of Rock
School of Rock
School of Rock, also called The School of Rock, is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black...
, was released in 2003
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
, before the first series began although the creative team and Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
insist that it was not because of the success of that film they made it, and say it was in the works since 2002.
Since series 2, Simmons seems not to be planning any more series as of yet, due to commitments with KISS, but he may very well do another as Channel 4 have kept their page about the show.
Series one
The first series was broadcast in the autumn of 2005 and took place at Christ's HospitalChrist's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
school in England. The chosen class of Year 9 students were all classically trained and it is insinuated that they had no interest in rock music.
The band consisted of Josh Bell
Joshua Bell (pilgrim)
Joshua Bell , is a "professional pilgrim", Tolkienic Scholar and part-time rock musician. On 1 December 2009, he became the youngest pilgrim to travel the modern Via Francigena from Canterbury Cathedral to St...
(also known as "The Emperor") as lead singer, Dudley Beal ("Dudders") as drummer, Jesse Newton ("Bagpuss") as guitarist, Kwamé Asiedu ("Mr. Cool") on keyboards and bassist Camilla Biggs (who refused to have a "rock name"). Stylists were Fiona Musson ("FiFi") and Frances Scott ("Francis"), while the stage managers were Lucian and Richard White ("Mr White"). On 21 October, the manager, Rodney Serunjogi ("Rods"), revealed the band's name to be "The Class". After an initially difficult start the band successfully played to a crowd of Motörhead fans at the Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo
Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainment venue located in Hammersmith, London. Designed by Robert Cromie in Art Deco style, it opened in 1932 as the Gaumont Palace cinema, being re-named the Hammersmith Odeon in 1962...
, and in the final episode of the series The Class got an all-expenses paid trip to LA where all the members came together to perform a special tribute of "God gave rock 'n roll to you" for Gene in a local venue.
The highlight of the programme was arguably Josh, "Emperor", so named because of his love of the game Warhammer
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
. The 13-year-old sparked plenty of controversy among his fellow classmates as his weird antics made him an outsider. A fluent speaker of Quenya
Quenya
Quenya is a fictional language devised by J. R. R. Tolkien, and used in his Secondary world, often called Middle-earth.Quenya is one of the many Elvish languages spoken by the immortal Elves, called Quendi in Quenya. The tongue actually called Quenya was in origin the speech of two clans of Elves...
and learning Klingon
Klingon language
The Klingon language is the constructed language spoken by the fictional Klingons in the Star Trek universe....
by the end of the series, Josh is completely tone deaf but was chosen by Simmons for his determination and perseverance. Simmons saw something of himself in Josh, as he had faced similar adversity as an outsider when growing up in New York. Completely transformed by the experience, Josh saw himself as a rock god by the end of filming and had even grown his hair in homage to Brian May
Brian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
however this new personna irritated his fellow classmates as they thought his arrogance got the better of him.
Series one controversies
The first series of Rock School was received with mixed response from students at Christ's Hospital. Many pupils objected to the manner in which the programme was cast and edited. RDF specifically overlooked pupils who auditioned that were already in rock bands, in favour of those who better fitted the stereotype of boarding school pupils. As a result the programme does not give an accurate portrayal of pupils at the school. The programme repeatedly claims that pupils at the school have no interest in Rock music, going as far as suggesting that pupils actively hate it. Many pupils consider this to be a lie given the annual rock concert and talent shows, as well as weekly discos and the large amounts of pupils in bands of their own, with some going on to be signed by major labels. Gene Simmons was also poorly received by pupils, at one point throwing fish at the face of another pupil.Despite Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
insisting that the show wasn't made because of the success of the movie School of Rock
School of Rock
School of Rock, also called The School of Rock, is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Richard Linklater, written by Mike White, and starring Jack Black...
, "Mr. Cool" is the same name of the keyboard player in both shows - though at no point did the band watch the film, and the rock names were chosen before the band membership was assigned.
Series two
Following strong international sales for the first series, a second series began filming in October 2005 at Kirkley Community High School in LowestoftLowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
(now East Point Academy
East Point Academy
East Point Academy is an academy located in the Kirkley district of Lowestoft, in the English county of Suffolk. It educates children from ages 11 to 16...
) and began airing on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom on Sunday January 29, 2006. A new twist to this series was that instead of classically trained musicians, Simmons was working with students from a comprehensive school. Unlike the first series the pupils were from year 11 rather than year 9. Their task at the end of the series would be to open for Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
, and Anthrax
Anthrax (band)
Anthrax is an American heavy metal band from New York City, formed in 1981. Founded by guitarists Scott Ian and Danny Lilker, the band has since released ten studio albums and 20 singles, and an EP featuring Public Enemy. The band was one of the most popular of the 1980s thrash metal scene...
in Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
.
In the first episode we meet Chris Hardman, also known as "Lil' Chris" (due to his diminutive stature), who can sing , play guitar, drum, and write songs. At the end of the first episode he goes on holiday with his family, causing Simmons to appoint Ellie Chapman as the replacement vocalist. The band, then "No Coment" and consisting of Ellie Chapman (vocals), Samanie Warren (guitar), Lindsey Rose (bass), Jess (keyboards) and Sammi Reeve (drums) spend the second episode preparing for their first gig, where they played to an audience of predominantly old age pensioners at a local bowls club, as well as worrying about their positions in the band upon Chris's return. Episode two also features Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
guitarist Tony Iommi
Tony Iommi
Anthony Frank "Tony" Iommi is an English guitarist and songwriter best known as the founding member of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and its sole continual member through multiple personnel changes.Iommi is widely recognised as one of the most important and influential guitarists in...
, who was brought in by Simmons to inspire the group. Rob Batch and Lewis were managers
In the third episode, the band hold auditions for a backup drummer in light of Sammi's volatile temper and tendency to walk out on them. These auditions were open to both class members and select non-members as well. Simmons chooses an outsider Lauren Pashley, raising the suspicion that he was looking to form an all-girl band. They go on tour with Chris and Ellie taking turns on vocals, but neither impresses Simmons, putting both of their positions into doubt. On the second show of the tour, the band were promised they would get to play "My Generation
My Generation
My Generation is the debut album by the English rock band The Who, released by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom in December 1965. In the United States it was released by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation in April 1966, with a different cover and a slightly altered track...
" as an encore with Ellie singing, but Simmons felt they had not sufficiently impressed the crowd and did not warrant the encore. Suzi Quatro
Suzi Quatro
Susan Kay "Suzi" Quatro is an American singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor.She scored a string of hit singles in the 1970s that found greater success in Europe and Australia than in her homeland, and had a recurring role on the popular American sitcom Happy Days.-Music:Quatro began her...
also features in episode three, showing Lindsey some techniques on the bass guitar. As part of their final preparations the band gave a live performance in Golden Cross, Coventry
Golden Cross, Coventry
The Golden Cross is one of the oldest pubs in Coventry, West Midlands, and one of the longest alcohol-serving venues in England.- History of the building :...
.
In the final episode Simmons reveals the final line-up of the band, dropping an obviously devastated Ellie and opting for Chris, who he felt was more charismatic. He also renamed the band "Hoax UK", inspired by a slogan on Chris's cap. They successfully played their opening slot with their song "Kicking Off", written by Chris and classmate Rob:
- I want to learn to fly, I want to climb so high, It's kicking off
Bought a ticket out this hole, Play my rock and roll, We're kicking off
Gonna take my life, Take My life to new levels, Going to shake it all up until my heart rate trebles
The lyrics may have been prophetic, as a week after the performance Chris was contacted by record producers Ray Hedges and Nigel Butler, who appeared in the show to help the class with songwriting. They worked with him on a song called "Checkin' It Out
Checkin' It Out
"Checkin' It Out" was the first single from singer Lil' Chris' debut self-titled album. The song debuted at number nineteen in the UK Singles Chart on 24 September 2006 via download sales alone and peaked at number three the following week. It topped the UK Official Download Chart...
". The song was released as a single in September 2006 and reached at #3 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, Chris then recently released an album in December 2006. The female members of the band, including Samanie, Ellie and Lauren formed a band of their own known as The Upraw. Lauren and Lily left the band but have been replaced by two new members Toni (Drums) and Katie (keyboard). They released a single called "Make My Way" in May 2006.http://www.theupraw.com. According to the Upraw's website, Ellie and Katie have now left, with the three remaining members functioning as a three piece.
Series two controversies
- Although not mentioned in the programme, three members of rock band The Darkness attended Kirkley High School (the location of the second series). Allegedly, the band did not want to be associated with the programme as they felt it would portray the school negatively and in unfavorable contrast with the school shown in the first series.
- The school and the production company (RDF Media) clashed over filming methods.
- Children at the school were given the opportunity to prevent their faces being shown on television. However, the form was not distributed to the members of the 6th form at the school, which took students from two other local schools.
External links
- Rock School at Channel4.com
- Official Lil Chris Website
- Gene Simmons' Rock School at VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
- Article from The TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
containing a diary of the show by Little Chris (series 2) - http://www.chris-hardman.com - Unofficial Chris site with News and Media
- http://www.theupraw.com - Official The Upraw site with News and Media