Newcastle Auditions Feedback from Live and Unsigned Music Competition

Auditions took place in Newcastle for the Live and Unsigned Music Competition on Sunday 6^thFebruary at the Journal Tyne Theatre. It proved to be the busiest ever Newcastle auditions, with almost 500 musicians and singers auditioning. Well done to all those who auditioned and especially the few who made it through to the Live Regional Final shows on Sunday 13^thMarch.

Find below feedback for a selected few from the day who stood out for the right and sometimes wrong reasons.

Please be aware views expressed by Judges are opinions and subjective to that particular Judging panel. These views in no way reflect the views of Live and Unsigned, but are published with a view to being beneficial to the performing bands and singers who auditioned. So please take the feedback onboard with a view to helping.

Newcastle auditions

Black Sun- sounded good, but could have done with a bit more injection of life into the performance.

Dennis- was jolly, good use of backing vocals and just what the early morning required, with a fresh vibrant song. Need to just tighten up with the music and will do well.

Bible of Beats- first urban act of the day; nice song and conveyed well, just make sure to use the performance area to the full.

Cedarway- back again with a new line up and new drummer, band need vocal support with some backing vocals maybe, and needed to be a lot tighter as had some timing issues.

No Demise- good song with really good energy, but need to just watch tuning on vocals.

Crossbow Sanchez- needed to be tighter, shame as had potential.

Richard Docherty -Grand finalist from 2009, back again and proved his obvious class. Strong song and if he is as determined as a couple of years ago, he will be a strong force in the competition.

Abi Alton- had lovely lyrics and a silky delivery.

Nathan Elcox- acoustic act, had great potential but remember to engage with audience and focus on lyrics all the way through the song. Perhaps slow the song down and add some strings, it would enhance the track.

Emeritus- demonstrated good dynamics and energy.

Emily Symington- looked great and had a lovely voice, but needed to be more original.

Martha Cook- had a nice voice, great tone and intonation, try opening mouth more to help vocals. Song had good originality and was a strong song.

Anywhere But Here- had a nice dynamic arrangement, which meant it was a smooth song, will do well in this competition if they focus.

Deers -catchy guitar riffs, blended well with a well constructed song, good harmonies and catchy chorus, nice work.

Adam Buckerige- didn’t work very harsh on the ears, needs to be a bit softer.

Lara Dubov- interesting image with the airline pilot outfit , which was good to see, and backed this up with a good performance.

Silva -needs to really dedicate, focus and throw himself more into the performance and competition.

BAL- wasn’t as good as it could have been, second vocalist needs to express himself.

Insert- strong front man with good energy throughout, rest of the band need to try and back up the overall performance more. 

Fight the Flood- great front man.

Koocha - could have been more edgy and cool, seemed to give a mixed vibe. Seemed like too much was going on,  sometimes less is more.

James Lilly- needed to perform more to back up vocals, very static performance.

Santiago Leserna- had potential, but seemed quite self indulgent.

My Forever- everything was right, one of the best auditions of the comp, catchy, engaging, tight and great vibe.

Lunajet- most energetic audition and original. Perhaps a little over-the-top in places, and keeping the same vibe but toning down could still give the same desired effect.

Lizzie Sykes Band- very strong song and backed up well with backing vocals.

Marquee -front man needs to perform in instrumental section.

Hayley McKay -lovely voice, remember when arranging and writing to get the chorus and hook in early.

Promo Girl- got personality, which is always good when being asked questions by the Judges, just supported the Wanted. Take care to be tight, drifted at times. Backing vocal harmonies would be nice.

Mirror Signal Manoeuvre- front man needs to perform, too static ,which looks awkward in the instrumental in particular.

Modal Nodes- showed good potential with tight harmonies, but try and change lyrics around as got a bit repetitive. Slight nasal tone in vocals.

Strictly No Camping- great song, harmonies not great, but their usual lead singer not present.

Sunset Saturn- very insular, could have shown more passion.

Summer City- recently supported the Futures, sounded great.

Taming The Savage- really nice sound, but needs more rehearsal as it was a bit sloppy.

Beth Wells- take care to control breathing, as had a few bad vocal techniques.

The Sheldons -potential, but not ready yet, needed to be better rehearsed.

The Rise - look up guys, interact and engage with your audience.

Vintage Revolution -really full sound, synth and guitars blended really well to give a great sound.

Victory Mansions- nice sound, but lead guitarist needs to watch timing.

Laura Tallentire- nice voice but need to learn your words.  How can you perform and express yourself with the words in your hand?

The Blinding- drove down from Glasgow having missed the audition yesterday, fair play. Nice sound but needs more performance.

The Silence- very powerful female vocals, projected in a very saucy manner. Band performed really well together, great connection and chemistry.

Brucey Ripper- needed more impact, a bit one paced so perhaps work on dynamics.

Working Class- bit too much with keys, harmonica and singing -perhaps look to give elements a bit more space. Rap vocals sounded great!

3 Foe- need to work on routine and coordinated image.

Return of the Last Heroes- played well, but unfortunately was a bit dated.