Midlands A Cappella Showcase, riff-offs and beatbox battles: WACA are set to take this weekend by storm

WACA (Warwick A Cappella Society) have a jam-packed weekend ahead of them, set to deliver everything from workshops and interactive introduction sessions to high-stakes riff-offs and beatbox battles. We can expect the society to outdo itself in terms of vocal performances and choreography, and I, for one, am very excited to see what they produce! 

I had the pleasure of recently speaking with producer Jessie Hartley about these upcoming events in partnership with WSAF, and her passion and love for the society were abundantly evident. Having previously been President of WACA, she found it impossible to completely abandon the society during its time of need, taking charge of producing these fantastic events.  

Firstly, on Friday 12 June, there will be the highly anticipated Riff-Off and Beatbox Battle in Copper Rooms 2 from 07:00 pm. Having invited beatboxers from other universities, we can certainly expect things to get heated! With both solo rounds and tag teams, the premise involves each group interrupting the others’ performances by using the last word of the previous song. There will be four different rounds: Telephone, Colours, 80s, and Shrek (with myself being most excited for the latter!), and a variety of hosts. OffScore, Athena, Soul, and The Leamingtones (divided into Leamingals and Men-ingtones) will take to the stage, over 45 performers battling for the highly coveted golden microphone. Hartley adds that “We want to try and get more people who aren’t involved in the society interested, and with WSAF, there are so many amazing things going on, so hopefully people will be able to come to ours”. So, if you’re looking for a spontaneous and thrilling event to attend this weekend, and wish to graduate having witnessed a live riff-off just like in Pitch Perfect, then get yourself down to the Copper Rooms this weekend! 

Showcasing incredible vocal talent and 70 of WACA’s very best performers, the event is only £5 for students

On Saturday 13 June, the Warwick Arts Centre will be holding the Midlands A Cappella Showcase from midday. Six groups from WACA will be performing: The Leamingtones, WACA BBX, Interval, Athena, Soul, and OffScore as well as groups from other universities such as Nottingham’s Aca-Pocalypse. There will be everything from beatboxing and barbershop to full sound mixing and choreography: three hours of aca-mazing music! Showcasing incredible vocal talent and 70 of WACA’s very best performers, the event is only £5 for students. I implore you to go and show your support for the amazing singers Warwick university has to offer.  

And lastly, to round off the weekend, on Sunday 14 June WACA will be holding workshops and introduction sessions for anyone interested in a cappella. The standout is Tom Hartley’s One Day Choir, a member of the Grammy Award-winning vocal group, The Swingles. The One Day Choir is something for all levels and abilities and will give you the chance to try out new skills in a low-pressure environment. Hartley states that “We have so many amazing events in Freshers’ Week which are usually very busy so this will give people the chance to get involved”.  

Overall, WACA endeavours to mark this weekend as the pinnacle of their academic year, and just from hearing about the behind-the-scenes action, I certainly have faith that it will live up to expectations. Hartley concludes that “I’m so proud of how hard all of the groups have worked, it’s going to be epic! The riff-off is going to be so iconic, I’m hoping it will turn into an annual thing because who wants to go to university and not experience a riff-off!” A cappella auditions are set to take place at the start of the next academic year in September, so if you fancy giving it a go before then, this weekend offers an array of events that are sure to entertain! 

The WACA Experience – Ania Vercueil 

Joining WACA and performing with both non-competition groups, Athena and Soul, has been one of the defining moments that have shaped my first year at Warwick. The tight-knit, smaller groups that make up the society are perfect for the afraid, awkward fresher, being nothing but welcoming and enthusiastic. In one instance, we huddled around an iPhone and sang ‘Happy Birthday’ in a voice note to one of our members. WACA’s supportive atmosphere, combined with their high standard of performers, has been inspiring from a vocal perspective and simultaneously emphasises not to take yourself too seriously! Love for music, performance and community radiates in every WACA rehearsal. 

With sass, groove, and harmonies, our riff-off rehearsals have truly been channelling Pitch Perfect energy! As WACA is such a large society, it has been exciting to interact with the other groups and see what everyone has been working on. Though each team is meant to be battling against the others, in rehearsals, there has been such a supportive environment, which not only boosts confidence but has also been the best way to spend breaks from term three coursework and exams! The riff-off is something different for WACA, learning shorter pieces as opposed to longer ones like for the showcase; however, it encapsulates the friendly, uplifting, and energising WACA community, and I am very excited to share that in our performance on Friday. 

Watching all the groups perform in rehearsals only demonstrates all the hard work that has been put into preparing for the showcase

My showcase prep experience has been very different to anything I’ve ever done before. Being part of two non-competition groups, we don’t typically perform with choreography; however, experimenting with this for the showcase has been so much fun and has brought the groups closer. There has been a lot of collaboration, with various members sharing their dance skills and helping choreograph, as well as learning from members who are also part of the competition groups and have experience with singing and choreography. Watching all the groups perform in rehearsals only demonstrates all the hard work that has been put into preparing for the showcase, and everyone is enthusiastic to share what they have been working on. It is very difficult to pick a favourite, but watching the WACA BBX group perform their beatboxing set was absolutely unreal! 

On that note, I’m really looking forward to the Intro to Beatbox and One Day Choir workshops coming up this Sunday. Although I know little to nothing about beatboxing, it is fantastic that WACA offer workshops for members to explore new aspects of a cappella or to develop current skills. That is something I really value about the society; not only is the environment supportive, but they also encourage individual development as performers by trying new things. The weekend is going to be one full of energy, and we can’t wait to share our work with as many people as possible!