The Wykehamist The Anthem Reviews
Max Ingram on College and Commoner Anthems
Where do I even start? Having been asked to give a holistic and unbiased review of the Commoners and College anthems, and at such short notice, it is difficult to express my true beliefs; both anthems were of extremely high quality and intensity.
After much censorship, the commoner anthem came out, albeit a little late to the party. A much-anticipated cover of“ Kennington Where It Started” by the Harlem Spartans( a violent London gang), was received very well by the student body. They started with an opening salvo from Ryce Kanbi( D, 2023-) which outlined, as is typical, their hatred of the superior team and how short the Kennyite kicks could bust it. With interesting interludes from dressmen and other extras, it made for a diverse and quite humorous listen.
The College anthem( along with the OTH anthem of course) was of the highest quality this year. A mix of witty insults from Felix Edmonson( Coll: 2020-), although mostly pointed towards OTH, was fantastic, and potentially accurate. I thought the College anthem’ s eclectic mix of rappers made for an interesting listen, especially August Deeming( Coll: 2020-) and Edison Xu( Coll: 2020-), who seemed to be natural rappers. However, the cinematography is questionable. For example, why is Edison in a river? Why is TonTon( Coll: 2020-) escaping a white van? The list goes on. Despite this, I really think that the College anthem depicts the importance of winkies anthems in general and, as the oldest, most studious part of the school, with a numerical disadvantage to the titan Commoner and OTH blocks, the fact that they( with the help of Felix Edmonson), lead the charge of the anthems, second only to the tune of“ The OTH anthem 2025,” is very impressive indeed.
Max Ingram( F, 2020-)
Luke Edwards on College and OTH Anthems
The anthems. The latest tradition in the great history of Winchester College football. Few things seem to rile up a gaggle of Wykehamists quite like it, and this year was no exception.
OTH started off strong. Tony’ s nervous laughter as he grabbed his“ free” brownie really set the tone for the anthem. A nice touch in a setting we all know and love. On flowed the smooth tones of Bov( Bailey Clark( A, 2023-)) leading us gently into what soon became the OTH war cry. The simple, repetitive, and downright infectious chorus was chanted with the passion and vocal range of some of our favourite hymns in chapel. Certainly the most musical of the bunch, Bov’ s flow was immaculate, throwing shots with composure and clarity. It’ s hard not to bop along. Next up stepped Lil’ Ginge( Ted Miers( B, 2020-)). As much as I would love to marvel at what I can only assume would be masterful wordplay and quick-witted lines, unfortunately, Lil’ Ginge lacked the dictation required to understand what he was saying. Perhaps it was the Jamaican accent, or maybe the mumbling. Either way, at least he padded out a couple of minutes. Back to the chorus, and the cinematography is superb – Steven Spielberg, take notes. Sick Boy( Inigo House( A, 2020-)) comes in quickly and with a vengeance. Dragging our great captain’ s name through the mud with one iconic line:“ Seb on a leash- doggy phase”. Dressed in a brown zephyr and matching trench coat, he skips down St Michael’ s Passage- truly a menacing sight. In slides Dr J( Dom Jackson( A, 2020-)) with possibly the least intimidating“ yo” imaginable. Between laughing at his own bars and pointing gun fingers at anything in sight his lyrics are inspired. His stage presence is unmatched, being the only one not requiring any backup dancers for his performance. Our ears are then blessed with the upper limits of Bowds Off Da Block’ s( George Bowder( B, 2020-)) range. His undoubtedly funny lyrics accompanied by those glistening eyes staring back at you in the phone box make it difficult to hate. It closes with a short skit. All I can say is that I hope that Lil’ Ginge and Dr J stick to the canvas and never stray onto the stage.
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