OZMA: the music sounded better than the name

Written by Chris Chan and Isaac Cheung

In an event designed to unify schools under the banner of musical celebration, several bands from several schools came to RCHK on the evening of October 14 to participate in the event known as OZMA. Hosted by Ryan Yu, from our very own Funk Division, OZMA was created as a way for students to show their musical passion through rock’n’roll.

Schools represented by bands at the event were Jockey Club Ti-I College (The Ravens), KGV (Soggy Doggy), La Salle College (Paintings), and West Island School (Scott and Corin). The event was highlighted by the rock music performed by skilled and gifted music students from all schools. 

Audience response was generally positive throughout the event, with members from the Paintings commenting on how “the bands were impressive” and members from the band Soggy Doggy commenting on how this event was “pretty well set up, [and] better than things [she had] seen”. 

Constructive critical feedback was also provided. The general consensus by the bands was that there needed to be more promotion and preparation work. One band, Corin Scott, pointed out that, “If a crowd showed up, it would’ve been [much] better.” The same band also suggested the changing of venues to a more common location, citing the fact that it “would’ve made more people come.” 

Technical issues were also criticised. Lighting at the event was acceptable, with the back row having minor difficulty seeing the front. The event was described to be loud, full of energy, however hardware was described as an issue, with the leads acting up near the end of the performances. This made the final result feel amateurish, lacking proper preparation and setup. It is suggested some unified dress code among bands would have made the bands look more professional and given them a unique group identity.

Despite some well-founded criticism regarding public relations and equipment, interviewing the participants was a very easy-going process, because most found the event enjoyable. Participants called for a revamp next year, and now look forward to a more finely tuned next rendition of this wonderful event.