Band of Downing students selected for popular music award scheme
A band featuring nine Downing College students has been selected as one of the participants in the Centre for Music Performance’s Advanced Popular Performance Scheme for 2025-26, an initiative that fosters excellence in popular music at the University of Cambridge.
Cash Only is a modern take on the Cambridge function band scene, performing an R&B-focused sound. The ten-piece includes Downing’s Lola Pesskin (vocals), Hannah Mason (vocals), Gaurav Achawal (vocals), Gabriel Schuhl (alto sax), Ben MacLennan (tenor sax), Rudi Bruijn-Yard (bass clarinet), Ameiyah Jeyachandran (guitar), Ria Sood (keys) and Sam Partridge (drums), as well as Helen Ng (bass guitar) from Clare College.
Hannah Mason, one of the group’s three vocalists, said: “We perform our own arrangements and mash-ups, taking inspiration from R&B grooves, neo-soul warmth and early 2000s pop.
“We are so excited for this opportunity and for the year ahead with Cash Only.”
The band is one of five groups to be selected to participate in the scheme’s band pathway, which offers intensive coaching from leaders in the field, tailored to each band’s individual styles.
Follow Cash Only's activities via the band's Instagram page.
Published 18 November 2025