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Previous winners include Birdy!

This weekend the judges were in Aldershot! 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 Princes Hall on 17.10.10 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 Aldershot included Stuart Slater from Rock School, Voice Coach Peter Moody, Sam Enser from Rock Choir and musician Joe Karshud

Stef Gizzi; Cool walk on! At best a powerful vocal range and wide dynamics, but would have benefitted from greater variation (and arrangement a bit dated?). You certainly made the cover your own….

Anna-Marie Watson; Teenage kicks – you certainly looked like you were enjoying yourself out there! The choice of track gave limited opportunity to demonstrate vocal range and expression, but a great effort!

Anthony Tyler; Solid duo performance, with kazoo! Nice musical transition between songs, but stayed mainly in chest voice, losing an opportunity to show vocal range. Very comfortable, but not spectacular! Could be good enough…

Chloe Akam; Clever material choices here - use of musical and stylistic contrasts demonstrated ability, control and vocal leaping in all registers. Well thought through and executed and deserves to go through. (In the next round, don’t forget about the performance!)

Danielle; A lot of effort went into this energetic performance and image tonight! Took control of the stage and vocally you were mostly strong, but diction not always clear and the piece did not quite suit image. (Not sure about song choice overall).

Ian Appleby; Distinctive sound and expression stylistically employed, but stayed mainly in lower register. Performance also a bit static today.

Marcus Raja; After a bright opening, the song dragged on a little. A bit safe overall with limited range and engagement. Not the best tonight, but definitely not the worst either!

Kimberley Ferris; Great attention to image and delivery! You also used the stage well but unfortunately the overall performance was detracted by some mis-pitching and inconsistent dynamics (nervousness?). Also – watch your breathing technique….!

Leon Rhymes; Mixture of good and not-so-good on display here. The first piece was difficult to judge, a brave interpretation which did not quite work, but the second piece was much, much better. May not have enough to go through overall today.

Nataylia; What a great performance! What great lead vocals! Backing vocals good too (but were they needed?). Effective attention to overall image as a group, and took ownership of the stage. Definitely a strong act tonight and should go through comfortably. Stay in control though…

Neil J Fraser; A quite subdued cover which started with promise but became dull. Technically strong, but performance and style didn’t work .  Suggest a rethink on material – this could be much better.

Russell Croucher; A nice voice, with clear musicality on display, but again, the choice of song (and the delivery style) detracted the overall performance. 

Saffy; Some of the bass melodies did not work with the vocal harmonies, but a nice full sound, interesting vocal and much promise here. Would not be surprised if these guys make it through. Will be really close if they don’t.

Tony Carling; Dealt with a technical hitch really well which, if anything, enhanced the overall performance. You kept some music playing softly during impromptu judges comments on the mic, maintaining momentum, and then delivered a comfortable friendly overall performance. Some mispitching and patches of weaker vocals, but definitely taught some of the pro’s a lesson here…!

West Rocks; Good performance, engaging well with the song and working hard to connect with the audience. A real shame that some of the vocals were uncertain and pitching detracted on occasions.

Nikki Clutton; A nice vocal tone but watch the guitar work which slipped in places. Second song more ‘interesting’ than the first which was a bit middle of the road. Is the guitar a good idea? Your emotional connection was strong and perhaps a backing track would enhance this further? Good overall.

Emily Clare; A tricky song to attack. Great image and used the stage well. The most all round performance of the night. Great pitching and variation – well done!

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