DLD’s Got Talent!
2nd December 22
The talent of DLD was back on display last week with stellar performances from our amazing students and one or two surprise staff performances.
I had the pleasure of opening the show with a rendition of Radiohead’s, ‘Creep‘ (sorry boarders, I know you’re bored to death of hearing me sing this, but you know…). Hayek C left us wanting more as he strummed a beautiful piece, ‘Like a Star‘ on his guitar. Maddie F, one of the judges commented that she could have ‘listened to it all evening.’ Things were ramped up a notch when the Basement People, featuring John N on guitar and vocals, Mark B on base and Alina S on drums, took to the stage and rocked out to the self-penned ‘It’s Alright!‘. Alright it certainly was, better than alright in fact as it showcased skilled musicianship, writing skills and a level of performance that would have made the late Freddie Mercury proud.
Matin R kept the show moving with his perfect wit and delivery as he co-hosted with me and introduced the multi-talented, Arian A to the stage. Arian, who is currently leading the school with the most e-praise points, moved us with an emotional rendition of the Persian song, ‘Mojezeh‘, described by judge Shirley Mitchell as bringing her “close to tears”. Fellow judge, Mike Flack also commented that Arian’s rendition would have made his fellow Iranians proud and, judging by the applause following his performance, I think that they agree.
Next to take the mic was the ever suave and smooth, Cody P who oozed confidence as he introduced himself to, what I’m sure will now be considered, his adoring fans. All it took was the first few notes of the saxophone hook in George Michael’s classic, ‘Careless Whisper‘ for Cody to have the audience in the palm of his hands. His voice soared in all the right places gaining him great comments from the judges and rapturous applause from all those gathered.
It was then my pleasure to introduce, Daulet D, Nima P and a returning Cody P to take on Imagine Dragons, ‘Radioactive‘. Despite initial nerves in the rehearsals, the boys smashed it! Their voices complemented each other perfectly, with Daulet also playing the guitar and Cody taking the harmony. Nima showed a new level of confidence that was wonderful to see.
It was then time for a special performance from Houseparent, Tom Hoskins and special it certainly was. Taking to the stage in his signature cap and guitar, he delivered a stunning and soulful rendition of ‘Tennessee Whiskey‘ by Chris Stapleton. It was a showstopper of a performance and one that had the audience in awe!
To finish off we had a group performance of the aptly named ‘Russian Paradise‘ lead by Efim P and Stepan P on lead vocals and guitar and with Mayya P, Alina and Alisa S providing additional verses and backing vocals. Soon a large group of Russian speaking students joined them on stage for the repetitive chorus ‘Just look in my eyes and you will see Russian Paradise.’ It is safe to say that most of us had that particular song in our heads for the remainder of the weekend.
All that was left for the judges to decide on the winner and after some difficult and considered deliberations, they chose the Basement People as their winners of DLD’s Got Talent 2022.
It was a great event and I’d like to thank all the participants, Judges and the audience for showing up, showing out and supporting the incredibly talented students of DLD College London. My special thanks to Matin who, as always was a wonderful co-host and comedian. Here’s to the next one.
Myles Blair, Houseparent
