Ready Singer One - Press X - LONDON’S NERDIEST CONCERT
Concert programME
Ken’s Theme / Those Who Fight / One-Winged Angel - Street Fighter 2, Final Fantasy VII
The opening to our show will bring you a medley of video game music. Starting with Ken’s Theme, an iconic chip tune theme from Street Fighter 2 - you may have heard this blaring from arcade machines in the 90s. Then, a shift into Those We Fight, also known as the battle music from Final Fantasy 7, something you could have heard a frustrating amount of times playing a game in the late 90s when random encounters in RPGs were still rife. Remaining in the world of Final Fantasy 7, you will then hear our choristers joining in for One Winged Angel, better known as Sephiroth’s theme. Sephiroth is the overarching villain of the game, first seen engulfed in flames, having burned a village to the ground. The latin lyrics of this piece appropriately translate to phrases such as “Suffering within” and “Violent rage.” Enjoy this Sephiroth energy permeating from our 130-strong choir!
Snake Eater - Metal Gear Solid 3
Composer: Noriko Hibino / Arranger: Elisabeth Swedlund
You know that feeling when you're climbing a ladder for one minute and 47 seconds, and you can hear a pastiche of a Bond theme playing acapella the whole time, accompanied by the tink tink tink of your feet on the rungs? The character Snake 'does, and this moment in Metal Gear Solid 3 is cemented in the memories of everyone who played. Luckily, there's a fully instrumentally backed version too, which is what we'll be singing for you tonight. And yes, sometimes Snake does indeed feast on a tree frog. METAL GEAR!
Blood Upon The Snow - God of War
Composers: Hosier & Bear McCreary / Arranger: Elisabeth Swedlund
God of War Ragnarök tells the story of Kratos, the legendary Spartan warrior and his son Atreus as they adventure through the Nine Realms of Norse mythology. The world is epic, exciting, beautiful and at times heartbreaking. This is exemplified in Blood Upon the Snow, written and composed by Hozier and Bear McCreary. This music combines Hozier's ethereal vocals with powerful Old Norse chanting and even the sounds of a hurdy gurdy! (or today, Lucia La Rezza’s scrumptious violin melodies)
The Light We Cast - Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture
Composer: Jessica Curry
Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a 2015 first person game by The Chinese Room, which won multiple awards for its haunting and melancholic soundtrack. The game is set in a fictional village in 1980's Shropshire, beginning 37 minutes after the end of humanity. Your job is to piece together the lives and final hours of it's residents as they come to terms with the end of days, after an evolving mysterious entity makes contact with local scientists - and in doing so, infects them and everyone around them with an illness that eventually causes them to burst into particles of light. The game handles themes of religion, science, love, loss, and the emotional journey of coming to terms with that which you cannot change, finally facing the end, unafraid.
May It Be - Lord Of The Rings
Composers: Enya, N Ryan, R Ryan / Arranger: Mark A Brymer
The Lord of the Rings is surely the most loved and most influential fantasy story ever told. Turning such complex and imaginative novels into movies was a potentially foolish task - and yet Peter Jackson created perhaps the greatest fantasy films of all time. The success of the trilogy was in part thanks to its beautiful music. This song was written for the first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, by singer/composer Enya and, like many songs performed by Ready Singer One, includes words in a non-human language, in this case Quenya (an ancient language spoken by the Elves of Middle Earth). Mornië utúlië, Mornië alantië : "Darkness has come, Darkness has fallen". Fortunately, the English lyrics strike a more optimistic tone: "When the night is overcome, you may rise to find the sun".
Baba Yetu - Civilization IV
Composer: Christopher Tin
Baba Yetu is a setting of the Lord’s prayer in Swahili by the incomparable Christopher Tin, who has penned a number of iconic tunes for the Civilization game series. In the past, we at Ready Singer One have also performed Sogno Di Volare from Civilization VI and we greatly await the opportunity to perform Live Gloriously from the latest release, Civilization VII, which will then make Civilization the nerdy property that features the most in our repertoire. We are sure you will understand, once you hear this wondrous piece, quite why we may well be Christopher Tin’s biggest fans. Joining us for the solo in this piece is our chorister Fraser Simpson, who has extensive solo performing experience - enjoy!
The Poet and The Muse - Alan Wake
Composer: Marko Saaresto / Arranger: Elisabeth Swedlund
The town of Bright Falls might be small, but its had more than its share of creative minds call it home (there must be something in the water!). There's the successful thriller writer Alan Wake, in town to cure (or ignore) his ongoing writer's block. There are the aging Scandi rockstar brothers Old Gods of Asgard, whose songs seem to contain more than a hint of prophecy. Oh, and wasn't there that poet - or was he a filmmaker - Thomas Zane? What happened to that guy, anyway? The Old Gods know, and they're here with just the right song to help Alan in his quest to find his own lost love, in this atmospheric rock ballad from 2011 survival horror game Alan Wake.
Warriors - League of Legends
Composers: Imagine Dragons / Arranger: Elisabeth Swedlund
Rivers in The Desert - Persona V
Composers: Imagine Dragons / Arranger: Elisabeth Swedlund
Persona 5: a game where rebellion wears a mask, and justice is stolen, not served. We are the Phantom Thieves—rogues with heart, diving into the shadows to steal the twisted hearts of the corrupt and spark a revolution. This song is about that impossible moment—the absurd, wild surge of luck that flips the battle when all seems lost. So get ready to take back what's ours and bring forth a river in a dry land.
** interval **
Next up, Press X take the stage for some original compositions, alongside a few Pop culture anthems.
City Escape - Sonic Adventure 2
The opening theme to Sonic Adventure 2. The song plays as Sonic escapes detention by a Governmental Organisation called GUN, jumping out of a helicopter in a thrilling chase sequence.
The Boy Without A Fairy - Press X (based on Legend of Zelda)
A love letter to Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. The Boy Without a Fairy is a cutesy song about love, time travel, and temples! SO MANY TEMPLES.
Bright-Minded Scientist - Press X (based on Professor Leyton)
A song about the plot of Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, a charming game where the Layton travels back to London decades earlier. Our frontman, Dr Mobius struggled to come up with a title for the song and asked Reddit for suggestions.
Last Surprise - Persona 5
This concert’s second number from Persona V. Enjoy the scrumptious jazz from this quintessential Japanese video game!
The World - Death Note
Next song is the most iconic theme tune to the anime DEATH NOTE! Considered an anthem to all Visual Kei fans, this is our cover of Nightmare’s The World!
Ready Singer One joins Press X for…
Boy In The Ice - Press X (based on Avatar The Last Airbender)
Inspired by Avatar: the Last Airbender, Boy in the Ice tells the story of Aang, awakened after 100 years by Katara and coming to terms with his charge as the master of the elements at only 12 years old. It is an epic song featuring the voices of the Avatars that came before, and it reminds us that even when we are struggling, we can always rely on our friends!
Dr Light- Press X (based the Megaman 2 and 3 games)
This is a song about survival, self determination, and Mega Man 2, the titular character reaching out to Dr Light to grant him the power to protect the world from the threat of the Reploids (going under) with his faithful X-buster.
Guren No Yumiya - Attack on Titan
Composers: Linked Horizon / Arranger: Sam Wilson
Are you the prey… no, we are the hunters! This is Guren no Yumiya—the explosive opening to Attack on Titan, the story of humanity’s desperate stand against towering, man-eating Titans. It’s a cry of resistance. A call to arms.So tonight, we ask you to rise with us, and join the fight—with our crimson bows and blazing arrows. Dedicate your hearts… and let the battle begin!
Gotta Catch ‘em All - Pokemon
Composer: J Siegler, J Loeffer / Arranger: E Swedlund
The iconic Pokemon theme tune needs no introduction, only insatiable enthusiasm. Pokemon!
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Musicians
PRESS X
Jamie, Aimran, Nelson, plus special guests Lucia La Rezza and Jero
READY SINGER ONE
Elisabeth Swedlund, Musical Direction / Ben Smith, Keys
RS1 singers: Abigail, Adrienne, Aggy, Aidy, Alessio, Alex, Alexander, Alexander, Alexandru, Alice, Alice, Amy, Anthony, Ashara, Audun, Balazs, Bethany, Callum, Catriona, Ceri, Chloë, Chris, Clare, Clelia, Dan, Daniel, David, Dean, Deborah, Demetris, Denise, Donnay, Eddie, Ella, Emma, Emma, Fanny, Frankie, Fraser, Gary, Gayle, Gerry, Hannah, Hannah, Harsh, Helena, Henry, Hermione, Hunter, Huw, Hûw, Ian, Isabel, Izzy, Izzy, Jack, James, Jamie, Jelena, Jennifer, Jenny, Jo, John, Kat, Katie, Katrin, Kelly, Kevin, Kirsty, Lawrence, Lina, Linda, Louise, Lucy, Madeleine, Madeline, Maggie, Marianne, Marta, Mary, Matthew, Melissa, Merlie, Mia, Morgan, Nabat, Naomi, Nassima, Natalia, Nathalie, Nathan, Nathan, Niklas, Norbert, Noriko, Olenka, Rachel, Raiad, Rebecca, Ria, Rose, Ruth, Ryan, Sammy, Samuel, Samuel, Sarah, Sarah, Shreya, Simon, Skye, Stephanie, Stu, Talia, Thomas, Vanessa, Veronica, Will, Yilin, Zaheer, Zaid, Zainab, Zoe.
Thank you to:
Jamie, Rachel, Ashara, Bethany, Nathan, Adri, and Harsh for their programme contributions - Alex3 for the water bottles and t-shirt stencils - Dina and NicNac for stage managing - Matt G for audio recordings - Fraser and Anthony for the practice track recordings, all the staff at Clapham Grand for their help!