14 August 2026
This year’s Battle of the Bands (BoB) saw a very special first at St Peter’s College – for the first time, a Chinese rock band took to the BoB stage, performing Xu Wei’s much-loved song 曾经的你 (The One You Once Were).
Allow me to be a little excited: these students have truly made history. For the first time, Chinese rock music has gone from 0 to 1 on the BoB stage.
The story began with a casual discussion about the upcoming Battle of the Bands, when a simple question was raised: “Why couldn’t we have a Chinese band on the BoB stage?” Rainy Fang immediately took the idea and ran with it. With great initiative and leadership, Rainy brought students together, coordinated rehearsals, organised music and prepared the music notes. Zi Yi Zhao also made a significant contribution to editing and preparing the music. Jerry Liu and Charles Nguyen were among the first to enthusiastically respond to the idea. As Rainy recalled, their response was simply: “Sure, why not?”
And that attitude captured the spirit of the whole project.
The band started as a small group with limited experience, and even getting rehearsals organised was a challenge at first. But week by week, the students grew together as musicians and as a team. They learned to support one another, adapt to unexpected changes and step in whenever someone was needed.
Their final preparation was full of examples of this teamwork. Lucas Wang developed into a confident vocalist, while Matthew Liu joined later and strengthened the vocal performance. Charles and Jerry brought their string parts and a memorable solo to the performance. Caleb Hai adapted the bass part just hours before the show, while Kenny Wang stepped in as drummer only one week before the performance and quickly rose to the challenge. When Carbon Li’s school commitments made rehearsals difficult, he switched from drums to trombone and still contributed important instrumental solos to the performance.
The team behind the performance was just as important. Kevin Zhu helped with equipment and rehearsal setup, Kemp Liu provided essential logistics support, and Eason Qi supported rehearsals and the performance in his own unique way. Every contribution, whether on stage or behind it, helped bring the band together.
Chinese Rock Band — BoB 2026
• Rainy Fang — Keyboard & Band Coordinator
• Zi Yi Zhao — Guitar 1, Music Editor & Co-coordinator
• Lucas Wang — Lead Vocalist & Guitar 2
• Matthew Liu — Vocalist 2
• Caleb Hai — Bass Guitar
• Kenny Wang — Drummer
• Carbon Li — Trombone
• Jerry Liu — Violin
• Charles Nguyen— Cello
• Kemp Liu — Logistics Support
• Kevin Zhu — Equipment & Rehearsal Support
• Eason Qi — Stage & Rehearsal Support
A special thank you goes to Mr Brad Turner, Director of Music, for supporting and welcoming the Chinese rock band to Battle of the Bands, and to Ms Patricia Waller for her assistance with room bookings and rehearsal arrangements. We are also grateful to everyone who supported the band behind the scenes.
Congratulations to all the students involved. You have made your mark on BoB history and taken Chinese rock from 0 to 1 on the BoB stage. Hopefully, this first step will build momentum for more students to get involved, take the initiative and bring their own ideas to life in the years to come.
View the Chinese Rock Band performance here
Fangfang Qiu based on the reflection from Rainy Fang and Zi Yi Zhao
Coordinator of Chinese
