Auditions diaries from the acts #6

Audition diaries from the acts themselves from this year’s Live and Unsigned competition are going online in a bid to be in The List Magazine. A week ago we put a call out on our Facebook page for Scottish acts to tell us their stories from the Live and Unsigned auditions for the chance to be in the popular magazine. We’ve had an incredible response from bands and acts and the diaries of their experiences were just so good, we simply couldn’t choose which act to put forward to The List.

That’s where you - the Live and Unsigned fans and supporters come in, the bands and acts’ stories were so brilliant that we wanted to share them with you.  Each day we’re going to put up an act’s diary for you to join in the fun and read, if you like their tale, vote for them on our Facebook page by pressing the Like button or commenting positively on their work. The act with the most support for their diary by the publishing deadline will appear in The List magazine and be followed through the competition.

The Best of luck to all of our Scottish bands and acts who have shared their stories - get voting for your favourite!

Audition Diary of Soho Dandy – Glasgow Auditions 5^th February 2011

'' Soho Dandy of the underworld dead '' read the headline about the death of London Artist Sebastian Horsely. A flamboyant and iconic figure who's ever colourful life and antics seemed a fitting character to base a band upon.

So in August 2010, Easter Road Edinburgh Soho Dandy was born. Singer songwriter Blain McEwan started a new music project, writing songs in his Edinburgh flat while he worked as a chef, playing the open mic circuit with a new set of songs and under a new name. He then called upon Mark McMillan whom he met in the summer of 2006 while at college in the heart of Greenock, Inverclyde to record these songs at his home studio in Johnstone where the current demo (www.myspace.com/sohodandy) was made.

The first gig was a solo acoustic gig in Edinburgh's wee red bar but the mixture of man,guitar and harmonica didn't quite fit the aggressive yet melodic tone of Soho Dandy so the search for noise,and lots of it began. In the months to follow the band's line-up changed on a weekly basis with Blain trying to find what he thought was the finished article. Stuart Robertson from Irvine and Gav Clark from Greenock were drafted in along with Mark McMillan on drums and that '' click '' that had been missing finally happened. The songs were coming together nicely and the band, looked to book their first gigs. The first performance was the Live and Unsigned act audition in Glasgow, a competition showcasing the best unsigned acts around the UK.      

 When asked how he felt while waiting to audition, Bass player Stuart said '' I was feeling pretty anxious while we were waiting, mostly because of the sheer amount of bands that showed up for the competition. There must have been some great performances throughout the day. I recognised quite a few of the musicians in the waiting area.''

 On playing in front of the judges, singer Blain said '' It was pretty intimidating, We'd brought all our effects pedals and gear to get the sound we'd perfected in the studio and we were told we didn’t need them. We were plugged in and given two minutes to play what we thought was our best song. We did our best and the judges seemed to enjoy it, I saw a couple of them nodding their heads and tapping along so we couldn't have asked for much more really.

 As we left and waited to hear my legs were like jelly, walking down the stairs I thought I was going to go head first, first performance of a new band playing to a panel of judges and TV cameras is pretty mental.''

 This was the only competition the band had entered but it seemed like the perfect one for everyone especially as it had people like Mike Joyce from the Smiths and past judges including Malcolm McClaren, who are iconic figures in the eyes of everyone involved in Soho Dandy. The chance to travel around the country and meet new people was a huge pull and the term right place, right time is one which crops up way too often in vain of new bands trying to get their music heard and noticed - so why not take ourselves to the place and hope it's our time?

Drummer Mark was asked how he felt when he got through, to which he replied: '' I felt like all I wanted to do was go home and lie down while we were waiting, then all I wanted to do was party! It was like waiting for a rollercoaster.''

A rollercoaster of a day it turned out to be. Anticipation and tension filled the Glasgow Royal concert hall on the 5^th March 2011 and for Soho Dandy the buzz of hearing they got through rang out into the early hours of the Sunday morning.

There is a very thin line between what is considered rock and roll and stupidity,  a line which all of us have crossed way too many times. Mark threw a cigarette on the ground once but got a fine. He then ran across the road, but got hit by a taxi. Rock and roll or idiocy? I'll let you decide that.

In the short life span of Soho Dandy there have not been too many rock and roll moments to speak of but in 2011, we hope there are many to come. In preparation for the regional finals the band played their first full set at McChuills in Glasgow which was filled from wall to wall with friends, family and fans. New songs are being worked on every week with '' Satan in a Sunday hat '' the next on the agenda to be recorded. We now hope we can go on and shine throughout the competition and other live performances throughout the year and give Glasgow something to shout about.

In our opinion the last few years have been dire for British music with the radio being polluted with R&B clones which all seem to sound the same. Heavily influenced by the blues greats such as Mississippi Fred McDowell and Rolling Stones, with bits of rock and punk taken from artists like The Pogues, Tears for Fears, The Jam and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Soho Dandy combine these raw roots with modern twists to create a sound truly exciting, voicing the opinions of the youth of a country seemingly at its knees.

If you like Soho Dandy’s tale, you have one week to vote for them  on our Facebook page  by pressing the Like button! Watch out in the few days for some more diary entrants from Glasgow & Edinburgh.