It was all about the music at the Manchester and North West Live and Unsigned Area Final

It was all about the music at the Manchester and North West Live and Unsigned Area Final this weekend, as The Willows welcomed the best of unsigned talent for the latest round of the Live and Unsigned Competition. The venue provided a great atmosphere for the live shows on the 8^th May, with rock and roll inspired champions The Lottery Winners headlining the showcases. The band beat over 10,000 acts from across the UK in the competition last year to take the top spot.  2010 Open Mic winner, for the under 18’s category, Hatty Keane also played at the showcase.

Judges presiding over the North West and Manchester Area Final included; Bez from the Happy Mondays and Celebrity Big Brother, Alex Baker from Kerrang and DJ for the Kerrang Unsigned Show, Carly Jackson Event Manager of OsFest, Phillip Whittam of Liverpool clubbing.com, Claire Curran Producer of Our House Online Music, Head of A&R at Future Music Chris Grayston and Benjamin Price from High Peak Radio.

The competition was fierce and the standard was extremely high, well done to all the acts for putting on a great show! Congratulations to those that made it through to National Grand Final at Live Fest in London’s O2 on the 23^rd July.

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

Dan Audio- Nice idea on the cover definately put his stamp on the song, but could have led into the original more smoothly, look a vibrant and fun band. Good use of instruments and good musicians. Maybe consider overall band image?

Jessica Ball- Nice vibe and a silky sultry voice bit of a Clanad vibe. There needs to be more performance on stage, try to put more of your personality into your performance to keep the audience engaged.

Jukebox Memory Loss- Always think this band should try and angle for the more quirky vibe. Singer shouted into the mic, so the overall sound was too loud. Try to do this a bit more softly and consider overall band image. No original stamp on the cover

Laura Bancroft- Need to engage and perform more. Very nervous, so work on controlling nerves. Better on the original song. Good look but the voice was a bit unclear so try to project voice where you can

Area 67- Not a bad performance, it was good and energetic but need to work on vocals, it’s all there but it is a bit dated, therefore not that original

Sarah Palmer- Nice voice but wrong competition, needs to be more original with interpretation of cover and image. Great song choice but need to add more performance. Add some excitement to the song and also watch the tone of your voice

The Dukes of Bevington- Liked the style, cover was interpreted well. Promising start with a funky sound. Need to develop more power with the voice, could be stronger, so work on vocals to improve overall performance

Victoria Hogg- Needed more energy, passion and belief. Nice voice, although performance should have had more build up and gone somewhere. Work on stage presence to enhance overall performance

Lonesome Georginas- Not as good as the Regional Finals, needed to go for it more and add more to your performance. Work on stage presence and the performance will improve. Could have made things a lot more funky given they had a cajon.

Sophie-Liesi- Very well put together routine and image perhaps a little too much choreography. Need to smile and engage more with the audience when performing. Reasonable vocals but struggled with high notes in the cover. Will be well suited for Open Mic UK

Tom Gee- Good song choice and good ability. Breakdown seemed to happen before the track built up. Get those collective performance gestures going, work together on this. Love the keys brings a fresh feeling

Everyday Goldfish- Good use of the stage but watch the vocal tuning. Considering they are a young band they have great confidence and ability. Keep practicing and things will improve quickly. Energy was good just watch the vocals. Original had a decent building chorus

Thea Kate- Time to develop expression and mood but what a voice! Performance was ok but you need to try and do your own songs. Good tone of voice too. Maybe consider having someone with you on the guitar to bring the performance out a bit

Kinky Like Jane- Good fun band but leave the shouting always sounds shocking. Watch the tuning of your instruments. Second tune picked up and was a good performance. Hit a great note at the end!

Blind Obedience- Good to use the stage, but not at the cost of being detached from interaction with the other band members. Guitar work was on point, just take care with the backing vocals. Girl singer needs to work on vocal strengthening. Nice solo guitars

Solè- Embrace the softer elements of toning to create greater dynamics. The vocals were clear, although the cover was too similar to the original, try to put your own interpretation into it. Good stage performance

Pacific- Did lack a collective performance. Work on stage presence and togetherness and then the overall performance will improve with time. The solo guitar played to his band mates rather than the crowd

Andy Doonan- Catchy chorus but need to develop the song more. Work on stage presence to improve the performance and develop as a musician. Unusual cover choice but why not! And he made it his own

Gemma O’Reilly- Guitar suffered from a few tuning issues. Performance was ok but need to work on vocals and always make sure the instrument is in tune before you go on stage. Decent enough original but not a USP as such, although she looks the part and has a pleasant voice

Upside- Funky vibe, great to see all members all singing. You are good musicians with talent and ability. Nice original and they have originality. A really nice sound

China Town- Great name, although need to work on stage presence and image. Overall not a bad performance, keep practicing and work together. Vocals are a bit Americanised. Good chemistry between members

Final 2

Surreal Knowledge- Image is spot on, great blend of classical and new wave. Scratching needs to shape up a little sometimes missed his cue, being picky. Good choice of cover and kept it brief which was good because the original was so good

Ugly Harmonies- Couldn’t hear much of the words, very shouty. Work on vocals and make them as clear as possible. Great energy and a fairly tight band. Bass player could look more interested. Careful not to go too crazy there’s a balance to strike. Good beat to the performance

Screaming Maldini- Different, clever working of the cover and image is good. Not sure on original. Try to be more natural on stage. Harmonies good but not perfect, practice. Not as good as in the last round

Keon Hill- Nice flow and good execution. Cover could have been made his own, it was too near the original. Overall not a bad performance. Decent original, song could be developed

Figaro Magnifico- Good choice of cover but impact fade and at times did seem to drift. Try to engage with the audience more and bring them into your performance

Phoenix- Great performance, vocals suffered as got out of breathe work on fitness to improve vocals and push performance forward. Lots going on but not quite there yet, keep practicing to improve.

Distracted- Performance is getting better, could benefit from more movement and expression in the face from the guitarist. Strong voice and vocal worked well in the song

Scrim- Classic rock, which sounded good, but need to work on collective image to make you look more like a band Good stage energy. Great guitar solo

Symphonic- Original would make a good film theme track. Would have liked more harmonies in the performance. Put their own take on the cover and linked it back to their own song, but it wasn’t the full package we need at this stage

Anytime Forever- Good current cover choice which is relevant, but needed to be more engaging with the audience and judges to get them on your side. Didn’t look they were feeling the music they were playing

Shamble Street- Good front man, what is the other guitarist doing performance wise? Good name and a good performance. Perhaps not as strong as they were in the Regional Final

Damian Ryan- Performance was a little one tempo, perhaps could have given it more depth with more dynamics. Good singer but just need a bit more upbeat sound to really engage with the audience

A.K.A- Used the stage well, but probably overused the audience card. Engaging just need to find their own style. Good start and band worked well. Drummer is great!

Ben Noke Band- Made the cover their  own and original was fab! Really enjoyable and the song is a hit in the making. Nice touch with the dancers, which worked well. Decent vocal range - don’t push it too far work with what you’ve got

Lucy Spraggan- Inventive and clever which made everyone chuckle, not sure how many times you could listen to it though. Clever lyrics, keep writing. So confident on stage and won over the whole crowd - not just the ones that came to see her

The Fonetics- Cool Buggles cover and musically really enjoyable. Work on image and putting more into your performance, engage with the audience. Band needs something to make them stand out

Cardinal – A bit of a cabaret cover choice and only mildly put their own mark on it, try to be more original.

Paul Leay- Original was strong and great lyrics but not sure on cover, it didn’t sit well with the original. How about get some female vocals for the chorus? Think the chorus could be in a higher key than they can reach. Definitely a better rapper than a singer

P3 – Confident performers but a bit of target with vocals at times.  The big man has presence and star quality. Good live performance well-rehearsed with loads of impact

Shannon Mares- Well put together and a good, enjoyable performance. Try to engage with the judges and audience a bit more. Maybe one to watch for the future in Open Mic UK?

Indulgence- Vocals aren’t nailed, really need to refine tuning issues otherwise always going to get judged on that. Tall girl needs to be in the middle. Would have liked more harmonies from three girls

One Day Remains- Kid on the guitar was good.  Really good voice and nice heavy sound coming through from the band but they need to work on creating some original aspects

Final 3

Forlorn Hope- Great energy, lots of confidence, just need to work on the overall tightness of the performance to bring it together and take it to the next level. Would have liked stage presence from guitarists rather than just head banging

Farenheit- Really good at what they do but haven’t we seen the flying pickets, needs more of an edge. They put in a good performance. Harmonies not as good as they have been in the past. It’s different and interesting but it’s not engaging enough as it should be

Tom Ramsbottom- Overplayed the audience and shouting down the mic. Be careful with your voice and watch your breathing techniques. Master these to get your performance up to a better standard

A Multitude of Sins- Great performer but was similar to Sheffield. Actually behind the mask is a good catchy song.  Was a good performance and you make it interesting

Resonance- Musically sound, they could have all engaged and used the stage more. Not a bad performance but all need to work on being tighter as a group. Could have put more of a stamp on the cover

Xpose- They are good but image is a little dated perhaps need to be a bit more street like their hero’s N-Dubz. A bit too boy band mould rather than urban. Worked well as a unit, vocals not the best but an entertaining performance all the same

Tom Savage- Could have embraced the lighter tones to come away from the constant harshness that started to grate. Tone down the voice a bit to make the vocals easier to listen to. Original song is decent but not all that clever

Ashes- Nice sound and vocally full sounding. Put in a good performance. Work on a more coordinated image too many colours on stage. Nice to strip down a cover just make sure it’s not too downbeat

The Strike Nineteens- Really liked the cover, very cool. Need some more flare or performance on stage to enhance the overall performance

The Refines- Good lyrics could have made better use of dynamics with a softening breakdown maybe drums kept up a furious tempo, which needed to breathe a little

Blair Campbell- Over used hook and sounds the same all the way through. Need some high and low notes in the song to give it more distinction. Cover and original too samey

Red Light City- Like the original. Love the cow bell effects. Good bass. Vocals shaky on the chorus and the track lacks real impact.  Interesting choice of cover. If vocals were stronger they’d have something really good

Chasing Dragons- Good choice of cover and selection of hair dyes. A confident performance. Good energy and they’re different. A good spectacle. Front girl has a great voice

Vayne- Nice jolly song well thought through and executed and a strong voice. His original song is good so there’s potential for him

Believe In F.A.T.E- Lead singer has a lovely tone. The cover was a good one to rock up!

Stereofuel- Front man is one of the best of the day really worked the crowd well. Song is engaging and well put together. Decent original, actually better than the cover. Would have like more energy from the other band members

Hitomi- Nice ideas executing, needed more conviction in the performance to pull it off. Work on stage presence and try to engage with the audience to improve. I like that they try different things and merge genres. Vocalist hit some big notes

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

For information on the Grand Final and to purchase tickets visit the Live and Unsigned Live fest page. Or further details of guest acts playing the London’s biggest indoor festival “Live Fest” incorporating the National Grand Final visit www.LiveFest.co.uk