Singing Competition Newcastle – Feedback From Live and Unsigned Newcastle Auditions!

Newcastle auditions for the band and singing competition Live and Unsigned, took place on Sunday 19^th February at The Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle! Over 450 unsigned musicians turned up to audition for the band and singing competition in Newcastle in front of the judging panel of music industry specialists.

Judging the unsigned musicians for the band and singing competition at The Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle were; Music journalist Lloyd Watson who contributes to online publications including the BBC, Colin Rumney from the Cockermouth Rock Festival, Nina Ritson from Newcastle Green Festival, vocal coach Hannah Taylor, Ian Thompson from White Wolf Recording Studioand Head of A&R at Future Music Ben Price.

Well done to all those who auditioned for the band and singing competition in Newcastle, especially the few who made it through to the Live Regional Final shows on Sunday 1^st April at The Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle.

Find below feedback from the audition day, unfortunately with so many acts auditioning it’s impossible to give every act feedback. However, please find feedback for a selected few who stood out for both 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. We ask you to please take the feedback onboard with a view to helping acts improve.

Singing competition newcastle – Audition Feedback!

Bible of Beatz – Good beats and nice timings to the rap. Well performed.

David Lee – Nice tone. Maybe cultivate an edge to stand out in a congested field.

Gemma Abley – Good to hear Gemma’s original material again. Strong audition. Nice strong voice.

Moist – Nice sound. Vocals a bit shouty though. Singer became a little American toward the end.

Lady Godiva – More performance from the bass guitar please. Good sound. Needs more stage presence but overall good.

Only Child – Lack of bass let them down on the day.

Shadow of Doubt – Great front singer. Backing vocals seemed to be shouted. Raw talent but needs some work.

Daniel Shea – Need to be careful with tuning, Daniel. Potential is there.

Audio Delite – Different. Could be more energy on stage but it’s a good sound. Good presence. Got going towards the end maybe work on impact from the start.

Natalia Atkinson – Very cute but nowhere near at an age where she is ready for this.

End Game – Felt a bit empty for a Metallica cover. Weak vocals but keep practising.

Ross Holly – A bit frantic. Relax with your playing and vocals.

Jess Wilson – Would have preferred an original song but Jess has good versatility so not a worry.  Good cover choice nonetheless.

April Coxon – Don’t frown so much. Start in the right key, maybe get a tuning note.

Broke the Stereo – A bit messy at the start but pulled it around. A nice tight performance in the end.

Below the Bridge – Good impact from the start. More vocal control needed. Good tight start but the vocals need work.

Rachel Elliot – A very popular song choice. Make sure you show individuality in auditions to stand out.

Alex Douglas – Relax on the vocals. Keys playing is ok.

Coh Esion – Nice sound and good vocals. Enjoyed the song, look forward to seeing you again.

SINGING COMPETITION NEWCASTLE – FURTHER FEEDBACK

Cassie Watson and Energized Crew - Decent energy will look good with dancers. A bit pitchy in places work on vocal control.

Lee Paul Band – Nice sound. More control needed on backing vocals. Watch the American accent please.

Teapot Tuesday – Really like what you did with the song.

Harwood Drive – Singer needs to use his chest voice. Young band that needs more time to develop.

Carmen Green – Very Regina Spektor. Really nice original song. Nice tone to your voice.

Black River – Good sound but more energy needed from the lead vocals. A cross between Black Sabbath and System of a Down!

Silent Cries – Couldn’t make out a word you are saying. I know it’s the style of vocals, but there needs to be some diction.

Great Man Theory – Nice riff at the end. Lovely!

Claudia Dunning – Beautiful tone. Very soulful and engaging. You have a great voice.

Kathryn Dowson – Decent original, not as strong as others I’ve heard from Kathryn. Good audition.

Sarah Holmes – Good image. Nice vibe from Sarah. Good playing and vocals. Engages the judges/audience well.

Pandora & the Wolves – Good potential once it’s tightened up. Very Paramore.

Mayan Ransom – Needs more bass in the beats but the rap is ok. Good lyrics.

One Shot Progress – Needs more energy from the bass but overall very good.

Legendary Heroes – Nice vibe from the start. Vocals need more control particularly the backing vocals. Good sound and it’s not messy. Brass became a little repetitive.

Lil Beauties – You looked a little scared holding hands, bring more confidence to the performance. Think nerves got the better of you today.

Brogan Main – The song would have been better suited to a band I think. Got a bit messy and felt a little unrehearsed. Good song.

Memoria – Not sure the keys worked. Did it make it too messy? They did win me over eventually.

Last Transmission – Good energy. One of the best lead vocals of the day.

Meghan Nicholson – Nice guitar playing.  Good choice of cover. Look forward to seeing what your original material is like.

Dean James – Very accomplished and polished. Songs just need more of an injection. Open your eyes to engage the judges/audience.

Kate Greenup – Nice voice. Would be good to see you work with an instrumental piece and be good to see you with your own material.

No More Heroes – Good frontwoman, good performance and energy. Love the keys player - he’s loving it! More impact needed visually from the guitar and bass players.

Soznak – Different and feel good. Not sure on the vocals though. Would love to see these guys at a festival.

SINGING COMPETITION NEWCASTLE – FURTHER FEEDBACK

William James – Don’t frown so much!

Hannah Scott – Not sure you’re ready yet. Keep practising and you’ll get there shortly.

Cameron Glover – Mic technique needs work. Be careful not to shout!

Sailors and Saints – Good confident start. Good front vocal. Musically loose at times. Nice upbeat song.

Jacob Scott Williams – Tuning issues at the start. Nice songwriting.

The Siren – Not much thought given to the cover song. Needs to do more to get to a level where they can be discovered.

The Warehouse Announcement – Good energy and impact. Good groove and transitions between sections. Vocals need work though.

The Stroll – Good song. Just not the most exciting of acts but quite polished nonetheless.

Amy Lauren – Nice enough playing and singing but not quite polished yet. Keep playing and develop as the potential is clear to see. Lovely tone but very American.

The Pulse – Decent. Would like to see more energy throughout but a bigger stage will bring that I’m sure.

The Low Road – Like the chemistry of the band. They love their music and it shows. Good song!

Evidence Based – It was a little too shouty at times.

Courtney Dixon – Chrissie Hynde bugs me, should have done an original.

The Dollies – More harmonies from earlier please. Great energy but you need to blend more with each other.

Lauren Dixon - Needs backing tracks. Will be good in another 12 months.

Singing coMPETITION NEWCASTLE

Acts that make it through to the Live Showcases will be in with the opportunity to win a multitude of prizes. The winners of both the Blackstar Exposure Award, the award for the act with the largest quantity of submitted publicity material in relation to the competition, and the Extreme Exposure Award, the award for the act who performs the most high publicity stunt, will win a free day in a local recording studio worth up to £250, or if the winning act is a band, they’ll win a brand new Blackstar amp. The Live and Unsigned studio partner for Newcastle is White Wolf Recording Studio. Runners up for the Blackstar Exposure Award will receive free music lessons worth up to £125, courtesy of vocal coach Hannah Taylor.

In addition, acts that make it through to the Live Showcases will be given a chance to win festival slots, with festival organisers selecting acts to perform at their 2012 festival at each stage of the competition. Newcastle acts will also be within a chance of being selected to perform a slot at over 13 festivals on the Live and Unsigned festival tour and particular to Newcastle the Regional Festival Partner is the Cockermouth Rock Festival.

If you’d like to come along to see some of the bands and acts that made it through to the Newcastle Regional Showcase Finals on Sunday 1st April at The Mill Volvo Tyne Theatre, Newcastle click here to go to the Live and Unsigned website to purchase tickets or if you want to get involved for next year then click here to enter.