Rock The Grand!
On 2 March 2026, Wandsworth Music and Wandsworth Arts collaborated to host the Rock The Grand 2026 Final at the Clapham Grand. The event was part of Wandsworth’s year as London Borough of Culture.
The competition started in November 2025 when young Wandsworth bands were invited to submit videos for the first round application. A panel of three professional judges then picked 8 bands to appear in the live final at the Clapham Grand.
The bands selected to perform in the final were Spree, The Malteserz Jazz Band, EDC, Painted Face, Red Handed, Soft Focus, The Badgers and Any Which Way.
The competition was judged by:
Adam Martin: A guitarist and multi-instrumentalist based in London. Picked by Thom Yorke to play the guitar parts of Radiohead in the critically acclaimed RSC run of ‘Hamlet Hail To The Thief’ whilst involved in projects featuring members of the likes of Muse & Blur. Adam has a diverse resumé that spans playing festival stages with rock bands & orchestras, touring internationally, having songs published by major record labels, and holding down long term positions on musicals in London’s West End.
Tony Moore: Tony has been Music Curator of music at the iconic Balham pub, The Bedford, for over 20 years. Tony used to perform in the group Tanz Der Youth. This band toured with The Stranglers and Black Sabbath, recording a critically acclaimed single, and being championed by legendary radio DJ John Peel. In the mid-80s, Tony was asked to join Cutting Crew as their keyboard player, touring with acts like Huey Lewis, Starship, and The Bangles.
Phil Atkinson: Phil has been the New Music Co-ordinator at The Half Moon Putney since 2017. During his tenure, he launched the venue’s first dedicated new music night, New Moon, which has championed hundreds of emerging artists. Through New Moon, early performances have included the likes of Lola Young, Cat Burns and The Molotovs, showcasing them at the beginning of their careers alongside a host of exciting new bands and performers. In December 2024, Phil featured in the Amazon documentary Unsigned: Backing The Dream, in recognition of his work supporting and promoting emerging talent. He remains dedicated to championing new and emerging artists as they take their first steps in the industry and build their careers.
The first band to take to the stage were Spree. The quartet were made up of pupils from St Cecilia’s secondary School and the Brit School. Sebastian, Adam, Bertie and Daniel got the competition off to a bang with a twist on Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. The played with real energy and had the crowd singing along as they finished with Arctic Monkey’s ‘I bet you look good on the dancefloor.’ What a way to start the competition!
The next band to entertain the crowd were the all female group, The Malteserz Jazz Band. This group all met at the Wandsworth Music Academy. Their original ‘Lost and Found’ featured the powerful quartet of horns that fronted the band. The whole band featured in their cover of Ezra Collective’s ‘Victory Dance’. This tune got the crowd dancing. It was great to see their fans out in force. The hand made ‘We love the Malteserz’ sign being waved in the front row was a nice touch!
Next to perform were EDC. This trio again featured students from St Cecilia’s and Brit School. EDC are made of Daniel on guitar and vocals, Caleb on bass and keys and Ethan on drums. This power trio played a mixture of covers and originals. Plus a cover of ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ featuring a lead guitar solo with the guitar behind Daniels’ head!
The excellently named Painted Face were up next. This 6 piece band all attend Chestnut Grove Academy. They played 3 original songs, which was absolutely amazing. This was only their second ever gig! You could not tell as they performed with great confidence. Their strong vocal harmonies and driving rhythm were real features of their set.
Red Handed were next to perform. This quartet are all from Graveney School. Featuring on drums and bass, Wandsworth’s answer to the Gallagher brothers, Jed and Rufus Casteron! The line up being completed by Owen on Guitar and the multi talented Narayan who sang, played the piano and the Saxophone. They opened their set with an original ‘Caught Red Handed’. ‘This ones a banger’ said Narayan, and he wasn’t wrong! They finished their set with a brilliant cover of Kooks ‘Naïve’ which went down very well with the crowd!
The first of the Ark Putney bands to play were Soft Focus. Their band description was spot on! ‘Our music feels hazy but intentional…..With raw lyrics, atmospheric guitars, and melodies that ache in the best way’. Their set started with a beautiful solo piano and vocal piece sung by Imani. Their set was very mellow and featured some amazing three part vocal harmonies.
The penultimate band to perform were The Badgers. This sextet featured pupils from St Cecilia’s and Brit School. They kicked off with a very cool cover of ‘Virtual insanity’ by Jamiroquai. They then hit the crowd with some of their own material. One of them had a real Fela Kuti vibe about it. With a particularly funky bass and sax riff. An all round great performance.
The last band of the evening were Any Which Way. Another band from Ark Putney School. They played a mixture of covers and original tunes. Their bio said ‘AnyWhichWay? aim to bring good vibes and energetic performances’ And they were true to their word. Their covers of Maroon 5 ‘This Love’ and Paramore’s ‘Hard Times’ got the Grand rocking. It was great to hear the band switch between male and female lead vocals. A fitting way to bring the competition to a close.
After some deliberation time for the judges it was time to announce the winners. Drum roll……
Phil presented third place to – Red Handed
Adam presented second place to – EDC
The Mayor announced the 2026 Rock the Grand winners as – The Badgers
Phil and Tony announced that they would support the winning bands with gigs at The Bedford and the Half Moon!
Well done to winning bands. The standard was very high, and all the bands played superbly. They should all be very proud of what they achieved. I think two quotes pretty much summed up the evening.
Parent ‘the atmosphere was incredibly supportive and fun. The event was wonderfully harmonious in all ways! It was very cool. Wandsworth – we heart you!’
Phil Atkinson ‘You’re all winners. You’ve just rocked the Grand. You will always be able to say that’
A lot of work went on behind the scenes to make this wonderful night happen. We would like to say a massive thank you to the Wandsworth Arts team, including Katherine, Henny, Dani, Cath, Ewan and all the Wandsworth Arts volunteers. Thanks to the Mayor of Wandsworth and our Judges (Phil, Adam and Tony)
The Clapham Grand is an amazing venue – but their staff are amazing too! Big thanks to Ally, Samuel and Adrian on sound and Billy on lighting and to Tabitha and Bea for making everything run smoothly.
Thank you to all the family and friends for being a great audience. And lastly a massive well done to all the bands that performed.
#makingmusicmatter
