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It's 8:37 on a crisp, clear Friday morning in Lubbock, Texas. The town is silent. The endless rows of car dealerships show no signs of life; pigeons still slumber on the overhead cables. Wildly excessive Christmas lights adorn every single house in sight. The tower of the modestly named 'Cathedral of the West' soars majestically over the sleepy town. But from within its labyrinthine depths a dismal shriek can be heard. The pigeons flock to the skies, startled by the chilling noise. Puzzled locals draw near, afraid to get too close. The sound is coming from the choir room, where Toby and Josh have decided to try their hands as countertenors. They are attempting to negotiate the air Come unto Him and Rest, giving Laurence 'Lozza' Zazzo a run for his money. It's a big start to a big day. Next stop: the Buddy Holly Experience.

We were not disappointed. The museum boasted everything from a watercolour gallery to a massive pair of spectacles. There was even a restored house which used to belong to Buddy Holly's drummer Jerry Allison, inspiring Ashley 'truth bomb' Chow to exclaim 'Oh cool, a kitchen'. It was a very sobering experience for all, though, with the realisation that Buddy Holly achieved so much and died before he reached the age of some of the older members of the choir causing an existential crisis for some of us. But the 'compulsory fun'*  didn't stop there. Next up was the driving range.

As it turns out, the Texans have a slightly different definition of 'driving range' to us. This one had screens which tracked every ball you hit and gave you statistics on their trajectory, distance and speed. There were also machines which dispensed dozens of balls at a time when you waved your club in front of a sensor. And, naturally, there were bottomless drinks and burgers the size of human heads served to you while you played, with a vegetarian option of deep fried bread. Graham and Henny discovered a children's version, where you aimed to hit virtual animals which appear at different places on the course. Needless to say they absolutely smashed it. Literally, in the case of Graham 'destroyer of worlds' Ross, who managed to break the head off a golf club, which he was surprisingly proud of.

Following a very successful concert, we went to a party at Brian's, which is best described by the reaction of Nick 'chat master' Hendy: 'golly'. Brian really excelled himself, with 18 Christmas trees, penguins made of olives and mozzarella, and a personalised cake with a message welcoming the choir. Still not sure who Brian is though. Josh and Nick deserve a special mention for going to see Star Wars later that evening, giving them a grand total of two hours of sleep before the day of travelling which followed.

*TM Holly 'Buddy Holly' Holt

Theo and Rebecca