College – Issue 43

On song – 5 on Air

M eet the boys in the band, 5 on Air. While Sam Belcher, Tinura Gajamange, Matthew Geddes, James Saunders, and Kennedy Xiao all have their own distinctive style, together they have an infectious pop-rock vibe. With their intermediate school origins, 5 on Air has found its full sound with the arrival of the person behind the driving rhythm, drummer Sam, in Year 10 and rhythm guitarist Tinura in Year 9. Complementing those emerging

talents, Matthew plucks the bass guitar while James takes the lead on guitar and brings the vocal harmony. Along with powering up on lead vocals, keyboard player Kennedy Xiao also dreams up the songs. Their interwoven strands set the stage for Kennedy’s infectious pop-rock. In a musical high note, 5 on Air has been awarded ‘Best Song’ honours for the melodic See the Light at Rockquest Canterbury this year. While the boys are

thrilled with the recognition, creating an album brimming with original material that captures the band’s sound remains the focus. “We enjoy the stage as we love performing,” Kennedy explains. “Obviously, that is the main reason we are in a band. We just want to show people what we can bring in terms of our song-writing and what we can do as musicians. We have a unique kind of sound. Three of us have been in a band since our Medbury School days.”

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MOTIVATION

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