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Previous winners include Birdy!

This weekend the judges were in Newcastle! Thousands of acts entered Open Mic UK this year and some of the best unsigned acts in the country took to the stage at the Journal Tyne Theatre in Newcastle on 3.10.10 Here the judges give us some feedback from the event, but remember, it could all change at the Area Finals!

Please note: views expressed by Judges are opinions and in no way reflect the views of Open Mic UK.

Judges at Newcastle included local singer songwriter Hannah Taylor, BBC Newcastle presenter Peter Grant, Vocal Tutor’s Helena Davison Webber and Nikki Robertson and Future Music’s Chris Grayston

18 – 25′s and Over 25′s;

Rebecca Campion; Peter; no surprises sadly Chris; Sung the song well!

Layla Lawford; Hannah; got more confident as it went on Nikki; does your image really gel with your song? Chris; good choice of cover make sure performing direct to the audience. Beware to perform in the instrumental sections of the song too..

Baden Burns; Chris; performed a foot from the mic get close to it otherwise comes across too weak as sound guys have less control on the volume. Peter; simple Helena; not enough passion

Carmel Bondswell; Peter; good vocal texture Chris; Liked to have seen her work the stage more performance was strong though and fantastic vocals Nikki; you set the standard for this show, flawless performance

Fenetik 1.8; Chris; It was ok, original was well structured with a good hook perhaps needs to look at image Hannah; need more practice Peter; sounds just like Will Smith

Matthew Groark; Chris; always check the guitar tuning before go on stage having said that better to quickly retune rather than play the whole song with the guitar out of tune Helena; sings well but needs to work on confidence

One dream; Peter; OK performance Nikki; a well matched duo with great chemistry Hannah; sounded a bit nervous just go for it! 

Rebecca Olley; Helena; loved Rebecca and would like to hear more of her, original and believable Nikki; nicely sung but I think you have the voice for something a bit more demanding

Sarah Holmes; Chris; What a good choice of cover sounded really fresh.

Stephen Wilson; Hannah; needs to engage with the audience more Chris; Open your eyes and engage

Silvar; Nikki; raw passion and emotion – what a performer Peter; could win this! Chris; he was the best audition and now smashes it again on the stage with an obvious single hit.

Milla Jirin; Hannah; lovely tone but slightly inconsistent Chris; what a powerful voice  Peter; good performer

Joanne Webster; Helena; good song choice and excellent vocal performance Nikki; stunning vocals perhaps image needs some work

Ashleigh Lowes; Chris; Good original with a nice hook Helena; didn’t like image but voice was pleasant

Jennifer Jones; Helena; good visuals Chris; good performance needs to stop the butlins clicking of the fingers though. Lose the shades too.

Jouver Nagano; Peter; amazing voice Hannah; reached some amazing notes, can you consistently keep hitting them? Chris; great choice of cover

Hunter; Nikki; this was like two solos, no connection between you although I did like your music Helena; enjoying the performance 

Lee Lamb; Chris; guitars could have been tighter maybe the feedback at the start just put them on the back foot but a good recovery Peter; not heard the cover done acoustically before so it was interesting

Kathryn Wales; Nikki; you did well, I’d recommend a little more practice and experience to really solidify your stage presence.

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