Open Mic UK

Most music talent shows, particularly those on our television screens, are forums of humiliation for the artists and a launching pad for the careers of the show’s judges. The music in many ways ends up being the main loser. In light of this, Open Mic UK is a welcome exception. A singing competition that has both respect for its competitors and a genuine love for the music they create. Chris Grayston, an industry insider and the competition founder speaks about the inspiration for this unique singing competition.

The uniqueness of Open Mic UK was evident from the moment I arrived at this year’s final. The first thing I noticed is that the judges were not seated on stage, but rather in the theatre’s dress circle. They were introduced at the start of every final, with finals divided according to ages, but once introduced you never heard from them again. What a contrast to shows such as Britain’s Got Talent and the X Factor where the judges dominate the programme’s running time! Even the MC occupied little time on stage. He simply introduced each act and periodically encouraged the online public vote. Other than that the rest of the time was completely devoted to the music. And what beautiful music! On the day I attended, the age group 16-20 year olds were in many ways the most fascinating, since they had not yet reached the age where they were knocking on music label doors, but yet old enough to have a formed a clear view of the kind of music they wanted to create. In both the song writing and main competition there were many performers who appeared to be stars in the making. Among them were such wonderful singers as Lynne Reid and Georgia Clark; both astonished the audience with the maturity of their performances. Also the singer Ally Rach was another stand out. And although these particular singers did not go on to win, Chris points out that industry figures regularly attend all finals so to have the opportunity of performing on the stage of the 02 is very much a prize in itself.

The winners from that age group appear to have taken her point very much to heart. In the song writing section, the winner of the runner up prize Melina Blanco is a case in point, since from the moment she stepped on stage she had pop princess written all over her and yet her song-writing chops were mature beyond her years. Autumn Leaves, the track she performed shows a songwriter, even at the tender age of sixteen, capable of writing major hits, not just for herself but even for major stars. The winner of this group was Average Joseph, a singer songwriter who possesses a soulful maturity and his performance of his heart-breaking self-penned track reflecting on personal loss was a highlight of the event. His song’s title was “Smiling Up There”.

Leaving the O2 Centre that evening, I reflected on how the event was a perfect antidote to so much of the week’s news, as the government continues to stumble from one crisis to another, desperately looking for the best way forward, with Brexit only a few weeks away, in the process helping to make Britain a laughing stock around the world. The competition somehow acted as a welcome reminder that in the midst of this political turbulence, one thing that Britain does very well is to produce some of the world’s most beautiful music.

form-idea london, 30th January 2019. @OPENMICUK