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Previous winners include Birdy!

This weekend the judges were in Plymouth! 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 Guildhall in Plymouth on 9.10.10 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 Plymouth included singer songwriter Simon Cooper, Alex Smith from The Studio, pianist and composer Alex Christaki and Future Music’s Chris Grayston.

18 – 25′s;

Adam Rosewall; Chris; Good tone, work on the dynamics slightly and performance was a little monotonous. Simon; One tone/level all through song  Alex S; Very together, made the song his own.

Char Harris; Simon; No confidence which overrides performance, but plenty of feeling. Alex S; Captured the feel of the song very well Chris; dynamics very much on one level, was nicely sung but a different song choice may have suited her vocals better.

David Benassi; Chris; Consistent and competent performance as always, setting the scene for the show. Simon; Good dynamics, good vocal ability and guitar Alex S; Well written, well performed, great dynamics.

MC Staffy; Chris; Good idea with dancers but a little distracting and should have integrated the performance with the singer. Simon; Too much going on Alex S; I’d like to have seen a more rhythmic device, but he ‘owned’ the stage and controlled it well.

Abby Clarke;  Simon; Sounded out of tune at beginning, should stand and use some movement Chris; nice tone and strong guitar support Alex S; Stand up! It gives a better presence on stage.

Adamcha Acoustic; Chris; Like this guys voice, really good projection.  Simon; Good sound and range, uses it to full potential.

Emily Brooks;  Simon; Should have picked a different song Chris; think her song was a little too big for her, didn’t grab me Alex S; very enthusiastic

Harry Stephenson;  Alex S; I liked the original arrangement Chris; Good choice of cover, just however felt it lacked a bit of life and freshness it required. Simon; Walking while singing throws off performance. Well  played.

Hollie Runnalls;  Chris; what a lovely captivating performance. Made the cover her own. Simon;Just a little more power, thats all! Alex S; would be good to hear a different song

MJ Crafter; Alex S; the production is better than the performance Simon; Looked as if he didn’t want to be here. Chris; looked uncomfortable and projected this.

Milena Rewinska;   Chris; A lot of vocals on the backing track which clouded her vocals, sometimes clashing. Simon; Needs it in a different key and more powerful as it is a strong song Alex S; good range, less vocals in the backing track

Rachel Jones;  Simon; Needs to be stronger and needs something else. Chris; Nice..lovely keys backing a strong performance.

Sami Jay; Chris; Not too much chemistry between guitarist and singer. Simon; Needs to use more range on vocals Alex S; brave choice of song

Soul Star; Chris; Nice guitar playing- support guitarist looks bored though- Look like you are enjoying it and want to be there! Simon; Need a lot of work on dynamics and choices of song.

Stephanie Blackler;  Alex; great instrumentation very warm and enjoyable Simon; Very clearly done with foot switches, just gives a nice twist to performance. Chris; Nice use of loop peddle, not overused like it is so often her song needs a defining hook

Sally Brinkworth; Chris; Behind a huge amount of talent and lovely tone nerves seem to evade the first part of the performance. Simon; Need to show some facial expression on first song Alex S; preferred the original piece

Stephanie Underwood; Alex; I’d like her to enunciate more Chris; A strong polished voice but a more exciting song choice and image could make this get even better. Simon; Instrumental section was empty, didn’t know what to do.

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