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Previous winners include Birdy!

Live Music in Manchester as Open Mic UK went on the search for talent as singers took to the stage last weekend. The live music competition has provided feedback for the best unsigned musicians in Manchester, the North-West and Scotland.

Successful contestants in Manchester, the North-West and Scotland performed at The Willows in Salford in front of a large crowd and the Open Mic UK industry experts. Judges included vocal coaches, music journalists and A&R managers. The singing competition feedback on selected acts can be seen below.

Judging the unsigned musicians in London were Lesley Mortimor-Wallace who works in wardrobe and design with acts such as Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson, Helen Mason from High Peak Radio, vocal expert Tommy Ng, Head of Future Music Chris Grayston and Head of A&R at Future Music Ben Price.

Find industry feedback below. 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 Open Mic UK, and are published with a view to being beneficial to the performing acts. Please take the feedback on board with a view to helping in the future.

Live Music in Manchester - Feedback for the 23+ age category

The Minister’s Cat– A good fun act. Nice concept and good delivery. Works really well as a live performance but how good is it on tape? Good cover choice. Talented musicians but found it a bit sleepy. Very impressive musical talents.

Laina– Great vocally but a dated song choice. Really good voice but probably not a recording artist. Laina has a nice voice but remember to use the stage and use your eye contact to engage with the audience more. Image needs improving and updating.

Phia– Great image and a cracking voice. Needed to see more performance though. Not sure on the song choice it lacked dynamics. Girl can sing but not acting out a performance. Nice tone however a lack of groove. Work on your body movements and hand gestures.

Supa Jme– Great timings and a decent original song. Vocals lack a little bit of power and authority. Spit like you mean it. Lost timing a little towards the end. No cover song? Needed to do a cover fella, original is good but needs to have a hook to stick in your head.

Only Human– Like this guy. Shame he couldn’t show that energy again due to injury, but vocally very good. Authentic and unique. A good performance but he went on beyond the time-limit. Good use of the track you are very talented.

Caroline Gilmour– Nice song choice good to see someone put a modern twist on their performance. Nice original song very commercial. Dated and a little more performance required. Got better as the performance went on. Lovely vocals.

Karla Bernardi– Amazing vocal. Right on point. Well performed and you picked a good song to show of your talents. Lovely voice song choice showed her vocals off well but not an impact performance. Very glamourous. More vocal texture required.

Kathryn Pemberton– A surprising second song brought the performance to life. I felt the 2^nd song was a little over-performed though.  A bit OTT.  Kathryn performed it well but it did lean a little towards cabaret. Rock ballads need a rocky look.

Stacy Paris– Nice song choice but it’s dated and lacks dynamics. Not the most engaging but vocally very good. Could have brought more dynamic to the song to make it more interesting. Lovely husky voice. Great song choice but not the best image.

Penny Mac– Not as strong vocally as many other competitors but she feels the emotion of the song she’s singing well. Will need to work on her pitching and timing. A dated look and performance. Movements need work and the sound is too karaoke.

Domonique– Nice idea with the medley but it lacked impact. Clever idea to mix and match all an artist’s tracks up. Backing was a little messy in places and whether it was the desired effect but it blended a little into one. Relax, you look nervous.

Leona Hens– Pleasant but not the most engaging performance. Very static on stage needed to use it more. Overall you sing the song in time but you lack the emotions of the song. Nice voice but the song never really got going. Image is dated.

Live Music in Manchester – Further feedback

Lorna– Stunning lady with very strong vocals. Liked the change in tempo with the Adele song. Brought the performance to life. Comfortable, sultry and seductive and what superb song choices. Work on body gestures and movements and have more confidence!

Anna Caldwell– Pleasant performance but not a stand out in a show of this standard. Vocally very good. Lovely tone and you give the performance some feel and some gestures. Work on your body movements. Well delivered, the song suits your voice.

BrS Bidlow– Nice song. Delivery not always there. Great original though, very personal which made it engaging. Song has got good melody and good sentiment. Asked to do a cover fella? Nice transition from rap to singing. Nice song.

Scott Mac– Not sure on the song as nice as it is not the most exciting. Extra points for professionalism when he encountered sound problems. Judge points marked up for improvisation. Liked the song choice got the largest applause of the night for carrying on despite the problems with the CD.

Stephanie Crook– Nice song to sing but a bit overdone. A little static make sure you use all the stage. Vocal was good on the high notes but weak on the lighter harmonies so look to work on strengthen the vocal in that area.

Carl Harper– Nice song to cover. Pleasant performer but just needs that cutting edge to take it up a notch. Nice original song keep writing and performing. Got real potential with his own song, nice structure and flow. Needs more vocal texture.

Eli Cripps– Something engaging that draws you in to Eli. Strong image and strong songs. Very watchable she has star quality. Great tone and made the song her own. No performance or very little Eli and to tick all the boxes needs to develop this.

George Michael Abbot – Nice to see a contemporary cover. good tempo change to 2^nd cover. should have used more of the stage though. Vocally very strong. Good image. Good song choices very versatile should have used the stage more and used the lower level.

Karl Palmer– Very operatic and vocally strong. Big songs to take on but he has the voice to do it. Biggest compliment I can give; goosebumps. Nice at times but needed to sustain notes longer in particular the last one which left the performance a little short.

Kelly Marie– Lacking oomph and impact. Needed to work the stage more and engage the audience. Needed to make yourself stand out more. Performance needed punch and was under developed. Nice image but this was the wrong song choice.

Lynn Harkness– A certain quality to Lynn. Great drive to her voice.  Wow factor. She really went for it, passion and expression. Well delivered and what a powerful voice. Such feel to it. A joy to watch. Captivating and entertaining.

Hip Hop Disciples– Needs more chemistry you’re singing as individuals at the moment. No cover?  Worked hard on the choreography and the song has potential. They have loads of energy but stop looking at the floor! Overall very good.

The guest act for the day was Lucy Spraggan, who treated the crowds to her brilliant trademark performances.

Live Music Manchester, Enter Now!

All successful acts at the Manchester, North-West and Scotland Area Final will now be performing in the live Grand Final at London’s O2 on 21^st January. Come along to see the best unsigned talent!

Don’t miss your chance to perform in front on industry professionals! You can enter Open Mic UK now!