News

Glasgow's Live and Unsigned Regional Final

• 14th Mar 2011

The first of two Scottish regional finals of the Live and Unsigned competition took place at Glasgow’s Concert Hall on Saturday 12 March. And it was a great day of music with many talented acts on show.

From five hundred or so hopefuls who had auditioned, around 50 had made it through to what is effectively the quarter final stage, and they made their way to the venue filled with hope.

Around 12:30pm, the first group of eighteen performers sat apprehensively, clutching their instruments and waiting for the first of the day’s three shows to start. The sound checks were over, the judges sat in place and a large crowd of family and well-wishers was ready to cheer their favourites on.

With a maximum of just three and a half minutes to show what they could do, during which time they had to play both original music and a cover, the pressure was well and truly on.

Danny Matheson from Celtic Music Radio, one of the day’s judges, told me that his advice for the acts was simple: “Above all enjoy it. It’s a great platform to show what you can do so give it everything.”

One by one the budding superstars trooped onto the stage to do just that. The excellent stage crew made sure everything ran smoothly, a well oiled machine. All the artists had to do was plug in and get to work.

Some of the bands had only been together for a matter of months and this was the biggest day yet in their short careers. For others it was their second attempt at the competition and a chance to go further than before. But the competition was fierce.

After all the acts had performed, it was time to add up the scores. Glaswegian singer/ songwriter Danny Shah, who as part of The Detours was a previous winner of the competition, played a short set while the results were collated.

Then it was the moment of truth. One by one the six acts that would progress were called onto the stage. The mixture of relief and exhilaration on their faces told the story; while those left waiting saw their chances reduced as each announcement was made.

First onto the stage were the stars of the whole day, Loud and Proud. Their bluesy brand of hard rock featured screaming guitars and a strong female vocalist, and they have all the rock moves too. But the amazing thing is that none of them are over fourteen years of age.

Just Paul was next, his strong pop voice had impressed. Then Bronagh Monaghan, whose lovely Irish vocals showed both soul and jazz influence. The two solo acts were to be followed by three bands.

The Strike Nineteens’ catchy brand of indie rock, Kate Dunn and the Redundants’ fresh approach featuring a brass section and Airplay’s keyboard infused indie sound had all caught the judges’ attention.

There was one final chance for three performers who had just missed out. An audience vote offered hope of a final lifeline and it was the infectious pop voice of Danniiyelo that took the last place in the next round.

It had been a very difficult job for the judges. Marion Scott from Moray Firth Radio commented, “It’s almost impossible for us to judge between such different acts. But you try to stick strictly to the scoring criteria and not let yourself get too carried away emotionally.”

Just under two hours later, the whole cycle started all over again with a fresh batch of musicians. The organisers from Live and Unsigned did a tremendous job, working hard all day long to ensure that everyone was in the right place at the right time and that the artists had the assistance they needed.

Again, after all the acts had performed and the votes were tallied, the winners were called onto the stage one by one. This time there were seven acts selected to go on to the next stage of the competition.

For me, the best act from a very strong line up was Realis, whose lead singer Vicki Lynch has real talent, her powerful voice dominating their pop sound. It was no surprise to see them progress.

There was a real mix of musical styles in this second show and those who went through included Emma Jane, whose soul tinged pop featured a strong female lead vocal, Catey Pilgrim, who at just 17 demonstrated a fine folk/ pop voice and The Fonetics, a five piece band with a melodic approach to rock.

Paul Graham’s acoustic pop, Adam Smith’s brand of protest folk songs and Warren and Rice’s harmonic pop stylings made up the list of successful acts.

And it was Andrew Brand, an 18 year old from Aberdeen with a soulful voice, who won the audience vote to join them.

The third and final show of the day was perhaps the hardest to call. Although there were fewer acts there was little to separate many of them and the judges had some difficult calls to make.

Eva Lorraine, Chairman of Equity, told me, “It’s a fantastic day, and the standard is very, very high. We’re looking for stage presence as well as talent. No one wants to watch an act that just stands there. Simple things like smiling can make a big difference.”

In the end there were six winning bands who came out on top in the voting.

Only Guilty Men, a powerful three piece rock outfit, The Frues from Inverness who featured a fine lead guitarist, The Hold Up from Prestwick whose indie sound contained a trumpet, Scott Pedan’s old style rock n roll and Tasty Jailbait who had the biggest and loudest support of the day, all received good news.

And The Soho Dandies, who were perhaps unlucky to miss out on the judges’ scorecards, won the final place of the day through the audience vote.

So after an entertaining day of music, twenty one bands had qualified for the Area Final, which takes place in Newcastle next month. They are now just one performance away from a place in the Grand Final at the Live and Unsigned Festival in London’s O2 Arena on 23rd July.

All of the bands who didn’t make it through will get some feedback from the judges and can hopefully build on the experience they will have gained. And there will be another chance for them to enter next year.

It was no surprise at all to me to see how much talent there is in the Scottish music scene. But could there be a Scottish winner of the competition? That remains to be seen – but I know that the performers who are still in the hunt will do Scotland proud.