Judge's Talk Back From Ipswich and Cheltenham Auditions

This weekend we were in Ipswich and Cheltenham with live auditions. There were hundreds of great acts who turned out to perform, and whilst we can’t mention everyone, the judges tell us about some of the acts that stood out on the day. Of course, this could all change in the live shows…

IPSWICH

Marlize Steyn, Vocal Tutor said, “I thought Angel-Ex were good, although I think the vocals needed to be a bit stronger at times as the band played over them in certain points of the song. The Gamblers came to the audition with a lot of attitude and I really enjoyed their performance. Sly Dog were very easy to listen to and had soft vocals, and Underline The Sky ">www.myspace.com/underlinethesky rocked!”

Chris Grayston, Head of A&R at Future Music, commented, “Angelesque were clearly very good, although the lead singer didn’t warm up her vocals and couldn’t compete with the backing track, I think this is something to work on. Burn The Headlines ">www.myspace.com/burntheheadlines displayed some great harmonies for heavy rock and all complimented each other really well. Batman Bigshot ">www.myspace.com/BATMANBIGSHOT gave no performance and got bogged down with the technicalities of the performance, when I thought the song and the tone of his voice were excellent and they should have been concentrating on that. Future of Legends ">www.myspace.com/thefutureoflegends had a great hook to start with but the track eventually lost my interest. Loyal 2 No 1 ">www.myspace.com/loyal2no1 were the best band of the day for me, they were really catchy and performed in unison. Daylight Faded ">www.myspace.com/thedaylightfaded was the strongest solo act of the day – the lyrics and vocals were very haunting. Bints ">www.myspace.com/mcbints were an authentic act but I think the performance needs a bit of work. The Road to V winners, Underline The Sky gave a great audition and are clearly contenders for making it all the way to the festival at the 02. Hopefully they’ll go further in the competition than The Rebs did last year – who were a really promising band.”

Jenny Lock, Entertainment Writer for Love Music 24 and The Ipswich Evening Star, commented, “Bad Moon ">www.myspace.com/badmoon69 were good and performed well on the day. I think if they had a rhythm guitarist and let the singer concentrate more on the vocals, they would be even better. Bad Touch ">www.myspace.com/badtouchtheband had great stage interaction with each other and showed great enthusiasm for the competition. Lucy Day and The Knights stood out although I think the image needed to be worked on – if they get a funky image to juxtapose with their music, it will be brilliant!”

Steve Hawthorne, Writer for Grapevine Magazine, thought, “Fear of The Unknown had a decent sound, but the lead singer needs to sing more and not sleepwalk! Bad Touch ">www.myspace.com/badtouchtheband were great, I loved the performance but I really loved the fact that they looked like they were enjoying themselves! Katie ">www.katiegoldsmith.co.uk was very polished and had fantastic original music. Mello Days guitarist stood out and Housework are clearly a tight band, I couldn’t believe they’ve only been together for eight months! I thought The Gamblers were good but needed to get rid of the backing track.”

CHELTENHAM

Stuart Slater, from Slater Drum School, said, “Area 51 ">www.myspace.com/area51cs had a good sound and a nice vibe to their performance. Becky Falls ">www.myspace.com/beckyfalls performed a tight set and were very established. Avolution were technically good but I didn’t feel they had any connection on stage. Disonance had fantastic harmonies and their performance looked effortless. Cutting The Beef ">www.myspace.com/cuttingthebeef had the best drum technique of the day in my opinion. They were very good on stage but I believe they have limited marketability. Only Moser brought a harder and rockier edge to the auditions whilst One Man Down ">www.myspace.com/onemandownmusicuk were inventive and used nice sound effects – unfortunately their timing was a tad weak. Galatia ">www.myspace.com/galatiaband had interesting lyrics and vocals and gimmicky gestures which appeared to work for them. The Stress Echoes reminded me of Simon & Garfunkel and really went for it in the audition. Lounge Fly ">www.myspace.com/loungeflymusic stood out because of the keyboards, very catchy.”

Chris Grayston, Head of A&R at Future Music, commented, “Becky Falls are already doing a few festivals this year and it’s obvious why, they were very good. Catraz ">www.myspace.com/catrazmusic were fresh and I definitely think their song has single potential; I’m looking forward to seeing them at the live shows. Kitty and The Lost Boys ">www.myspace.com/kittyandthelostboys were good but I think they need to work on their image and be more confident. The Sunshine Getaway ">www.myspace.com/thesunshinegetaway performed just before their tour of the south, and sounded really tight! Swift Manouver ">www.myspace.com/swiftmanouver impressed all the judges, their Ska feel added something a bit different to the day. Zenith ">www.myspace.com/zenithishere were promising, but their lead vocalist needs to watch the mic control.”

Dean Hill of Raven Black Music said, “Becky Falls were very good and I could see them at a festival doing well on stage. Forcenra were very intriguing and I liked their performance. Michael Painter ">www.myspace.com/michaelpainter performed a really chirpy song. The Envy ">www.myspace.com/theenvy01 were brilliant – I really envy their youth and talent! Another stand out act for me were The Civvies ">www.myspace.com/thecivvies – they really reminded me of The Jam musically and The Undertones vocally. But they had individuality and they really impressed me on the day.”