The teenage guitarists, drummers, keyboard players and singers make up the soloists and bands being trained by former rocker Herewood Kaye at Haywards Heath's own Rok Skool.

Herewood started the school a year ago after touring the world as a lead singer with the group The Flying Pickets, whose many hits included the chart topping Only You.

Musician and composer Herewood and son Leon, also a musician, now run Rok Skool studios in Bridge Road, Haywards Heath, with 170 students aged eight upwards signed up.

On Saturday, December 22 at Clair Hall they are putting on the Rok Skool Cool Yule Show for a capacity audience of 350.

The "smorgasbord" performance of original songs plus classics by Slade and John and Yoko, The Pogues and tireless favourite Bing Crosby, will end with a finale of the Band Aid all-time favourite Do They Know It's Christmas, with a Bob Geldof-style chorus by 50 performers.

The show follows Rok Skool's first concert last summer that switched at short notice from Victoria Park to Clair Hall because of wet weather.

Herewood said: "It's a little bit like Hogwarts here now: we're only into our second year but we've got all the same people still with us. When I look back at pictures of them at the start they look like babies, but children change so fast, and they've all got attitude now - and lots of it, which is great!"

A key ambition for Herewood is to help young bands stay together through all the notorious ups and downs of differing talents and ambitions.

He said: "I love the idea of the bands staying together, growing together and having more and more ambition and being more viable in the real world. I also, honestly think there is some real talent amongst them.

"Our last show was a total sell out so I'm not worried on that front, but what does worry me is that some people will think of going to the concert just to support the kids without realising that they are going to get a really great show.

"In our last one there were some seriously good moments and, obviously, as it was our first show we made some mistakes, but this time it's going to be even better."

Four cameras and a mobile recording unit will capture the show to make an X Factor-style DVD with band interviews added afterwards, upping the tempo again on the last show's single camera plus mic recording.
Herewood said: "For the kids they are going to get as close to real as I can make it."

Included in the Yule Show will be a visit by a dreadlock santa who will draw a raffle with prizes including tickets to a Cameron Mackintosh West End show and a guitar given to Rok Skool by the famous London music shore Macaris.

Next year Rok Skool plans to make videos of its bands to put on YouTube.
Herewood said: "It's the future of the industry - only a fool sends a video to a recording company these days."

Tickets for the Rok Skool Cool Yule Show at Clair Hall, priced £10 and £7, can be obtained through the Clair Hall box office on 01444 455 440 with more information from Rok Skool's website