Live Music Showcase at Newcastle Regional Final Feedback

The Regional final live music showcase in Newcastle, took place as Journal Tyne Theatre welcomed the best of unsigned talent for the Live and Unsigned Competition.  The headline act taking to the stage alongside Live and Unsigned Regional Finalists in Newcastle was alternative/ post-punk band  We Beat The System, who took the audience by storm with an entertaining and energetic performance.

Judges presiding over the Newcastle Regional Final included Rachael Devine from Spark Sunderland, performer, experienced Audio Engineer and Producer Liam Gaughan, High Peak Radio’s  Benjamin Price, Nina Ritson from Newcastle Green Festival, Jimi Savage from Savage Guitar Studio and producer, composer, musician and recording engineer Dave Maughan.

Well done to all the acts for putting on a great show! Credit goes especially the few who made it through to the Live Area Final shows and the North East and Scotland Area Final on Sunday 24^th April 2011 The Journal Tyne Theatre, Westgate Road,Newcastle NE1 4AG.www.thejournaltynetheatre.co.uk

Find below feedback for the day. Please be aware views expressed by Judges are opinions and subjective to that particular Judge 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 performed. So please take the feedback onboard with a view to helping.

Final 1

Lara Dubov – Original song isn’t too bad but could have done with some tempo changes and the transition between songs could be improved. Decent voice, but tuning could be improved. Don’t try too hard! Lost marks for going over the time limit

Anywhere But Here – Decent front man, a bit theatre though. Decent original song, but could do with more grit and more energy in performance

Gemma Abley – A well delivered performance. Liked the original good chorus and tempo changes. Nice choice of cover suited her style. Has a lovely quality to her voice. Just make sure you engage with your audience

Deers – Good image. Rhythm guitar detracts a little. More performance needed, lead guitarist played a solo to the drummer instead of the crowd. Interesting choice of covers but it doesn’t feel like it was rehearsed enough. Keep rehearsing!

Hannah Stephenson – Nice keys and performance to the crowd, but lacks stage presence. She did miss a couple of notes on the singing. Good voice but no USP

Purple Mafia – tons of energy but front man isn’t performing to the crowd. He’s good but his range is limited (possibly by the fact he’s only 14). Catchy original, but a bit too shouty. With a few more years practise you’ll be a great band. Great to see you having fun on stage, but watch your timings

Samantha Smith - She is very good, has a strong voice, nice playing and she’s clearly a decent songwriter. Such an over-congested market though, she needs to have something different. Nice move into cover song

Summer City – Really good stage performance and great energy, especially from the drummer. Singer has good image but watch you don’t sound too generic. Good choice of cover

Peter Skeen – Belting voice and much softer than I’d imagined it would be.  Good choice of cover. Would have liked to have seen more expansive guitar playing but best voice I’ve heard this weekend. Great vibe!

The Blitz – Love the cover choice but would have liked them to put a bit of themselves into it. I’m not learning much about them from the performance. Work well together as a band, but need more attitude. Drummer is the stand-out

Hayley McKay –Kate Nash impression is second to none, but that’s not what this comp is all about! Original is nice has a decent chorus. She’s good but the wrong choice of cover for her. Great voice, One to watch in the future

The Two-ers – Great voices and harmonies, but a bit cabaret. Music is not unique enough. Cover was far too long

Abi Alton – Abi has a lovely and powerful voice. Nice original song very good keys playing. Nice link into cover but could have put some originality into it. Needs a little more attitude and personality

Crossbow Sanchez – Good band, but need more chemistry between them. Timings out and they’re looking at each other shaking their heads. Carry on regardless guys most won’t notice. Some tuning issues. Rehearse more!

Anna Stainton – Pleasant voice and original is OK. Current choice of cover, needed to add some originality to it. Good performance, but need some more confidence, which will come with time! Keep practicing and work on your stage presence and originality

Dead Cat Bounce – Like the frontwoman, she has a good sound. The sax and acoustic go nice together. Very original which was great to see. Remember to engage with the audience

Dean James – Really good image and original song was strong. Need to think more carefully about choice of cover song. Snow Patrol, bit obvious and not enough originality in it. Well performed though

Promo Girl – Unique image but I think glittery tops are just about out-dated guys. A good stage performance they worked the crowd well. Missed a line so need to rehearse more! Missed a few notes too think the front man had an off day. Cover not the best. Great chemistry, looked completely natural on stage

Dixie – Very pleasant and nice voice but with so many female keys and vocalists you need to stand out. Song drifts a little, lovely choice of cover

No Demise – Really good original, very well written. More energy needed from the band it lacks visual impact. Voices aren’t the strongest but playing is good

Final 2

Maramba – A bit dreamy would have liked a bit of impact. Vocals slightly out of key and a couple of timing issues. More energy from band needed. If it tightened up it could be a good chill out band. Need to rehearse more!

Cal Fraser – Decent voice and original is OK. Cover was an impersonation. Voice very strong but he lacks a USP. May do well with a backing band behind him

Emeritus – Very good female drummer, intro too long guys, you only have 3.5 mins! Need to manage time better to make the most of it. Watch the shouty vocals. Well performed though

Fight the Flood – Too long intro, slight timing issue at start of vocals. Expected more impact.  Interesting choice of cover they could have put more of themselves into it. Worked well together, but need to rehearse more, A bit messy between chorus and verse transitions

Silvar Laidlow –  Both look good as individuals but collide a bit in terms of image. Nice and original set-up but cover was a bit too similar to the original. She looks very beautiful, nice contrast against an urban looking chap. More performance from woman while guy is singing would add to the performance. Good original and very enjoyable

Kamino Fire – Good energetic performance from front man but his voice wasn’t always on the money and appeared stronger once he got into it. Maybe he needs to warm up more in future. Energetic, but don’t try too hard

Lunajet – Front man is full of energy. Don’t try too hard to be quirky. Taking on Jimi Hendrix is a task, didn’t quite pull it off. Great to hear something different, very original, but calm down a bit!

Vintage Revolution – Cover not original in their style. Drummer not quite there, keys a little out of time. Frontman’s voice isn’t strong enough

Bible of Beatz – Good energy think he could have appealed to the crowd to get involved more. Please watch mic technique.  Don’t clap your hands with mic in hand!

The Silence –  Belting voice and very good original song. Front woman is excellent. Not an Original cover!         

The Real Davina – Nice sound, great image, shame frontman’s voice could be a bit more powerful and authoritative. Need to think more carefully about the choice of cover song. Some tuning issues on the cover, but overall decent performance. Keep rehearsing

Martha Cook – Hauntingly good voice, nice style and great version of cover. The full package! The original is nice would like to know if she’s got chorus driven music too

Koocha – Original didn’t go anywhere not an impact song. Like the brass but be careful not too drown out  the bass and drum section. Try to work more together. Singer has a decent voice nice and strong. Need to rehearse together more and work on chemistry on stage, lots of potential

Insert – Original didn’t stand out cover was decent but he couldn’t quite hit the notes it was a gamble. Good on stage though and has the image

Nathan Elcox – Nice original could be developed into something better it’s a bit too ‘nice’. He lacks presence and doesn’t impose his voice enough. Nice sound to voice

Hammerdown – Original is a bit basic. Bass player is decent. Some tuning issues.  Elvis cover not brilliant, could have made it much more original. Front man used the stage well but not a stand-out for me. Concentrate on originality and image! Need to have more chemistry musically

Dox – No need to use a backing track, should be able to carry a performance without it as guitar playing was good. Has a good voice and the original is quite good

Strictly no Camping – Very nice but a bit more theatre themed... Guitar playing out of tune in parts- be careful. Have great potential, but really need to rehearse together more! Good stage presence

Final 3

Sunset on Saturn – Shaky start vocally missed his cue.  It’s a decent song they were caught out of sync a few times. Really nice playing once they were warmed up. Quite a unique voice but missed notes when he went high. Just need to rehearse and focus on dynamics and arrangements. Try not to look awkward on the stage!

Modal Nodes – Original was a well written song. Cover was ok. Great harmonies and great voices that work well together

Radio Dynamics – missed a few notes, voice was better when he got into it. Original song was decent. He’d be a better front man if he didn’t attempt to hit such big notes. Perform songs that have the right vocal range for you. Need some more stage energy

Red Sky City – Needed more impact, voice of first vocalist not quite strong enough. Cover was played with conviction but could have made it more original. They could have performed better and used the stage more

Taming the Savage – Good original sound, love the acoustic guitar, the original song was an instant hit. Probably should have hit their cover song quicker. Great choice of cover from another genre. Acoustic playing got a bit thrashy towards the end

Teetah – Weren’t fazed by an unprovoked idiot in the audience. Great front man. Could have had more energy from the rest of the band. It all chugged along a bit too comfortably would have liked to see the show more variety. Cover was not original enough. Don’t be scared to put your own stamp on it! Be careful with tempo fluctuations. Tight performance overall

The Free Radical – Decent enough cover song choice. Need something to make them stand out through. Sadly they stopped dead after four minutes before they started their original. Read the rules guys! Bass player had good stage presence

The Bare Wires – Great harmonies, nice playing, nice original. Cracking voice and good cover choice

The Langtails – Good image. Hot front man (apparently). Lack in on-stage energy. Original song was a bit dreary. Good tight performance overall and musically very good

Wayside – Original song was OK. Worth another listen. But need to offer something different. Electronics could have added a lot more. Always a danger playing to a click track. Well recovered however

Underhand Heroes – The band look good. High energy music but not enough on stage. Good choice of cover, work on including different tones of voice

The Rigg – Nice funky original and good choice of cover. Would have liked to see the front man take the mic off the stand and work the stage. Good overall musicians and a solid performance

For those acts who didn’t get through the Regional Finals, don’t forget to use your Wildcard! All acts have been given a Wildcard in the form of a national public vote. There are two places up for grabs and just two weeks to make your mark, so keep an eye out on the website and get voting for one of those last Area Final spots!

If you’d like to come along to see some of the bands and acts that made it through to the North East and Scotland Area Final on Sunday 24^th April 2011 The Journal Tyne Theatre,Newcastle go to the Live and Unsigned website to purchase tickets with the following link; http://www.liveandunsigned.uk.com/live_shows