Talent Shows? Hit the pub instead
December 2008

Hello! It’s been a long time since I logged on to write a one of these blogs – not for a lack of anything to say, believe me, but for a lack of time. Where did all those long lazy childhood days sitting round with nothing to do go? Now you can’t breathe for having to pick up this, drop off that, buy these, check those, clean him, dress her…in fact time has been so precious, I haven’t even been able to catch up with the X Factor latest.

This is a show I have a particular interest in for a number of reasons. The first being that I was a judge myself on a nationwide talent show called Project Talent UK (don’t look for it, it’s not there anymore). I was called one day out of the blue by Urban Voice UK and invited to sit in on the panel a couple of times. I gather they chose me for my gigging experience. Either that or they knew I’d be cheaper than Simon Cowell and prettier than Sharon Osbourne. Sounds a laugh, I thought. But the next thing I know, I am being sent all over the country to judge 1000s of acts, all hoping to win the main prize of a recording contract. I saw every conceivable type of act, and had to judge – often very harshly – all the singers and musicians on their performance. Before long, I became the ‘head judge’ and sat, (S)Cowell-ing from my plush chair (a stool actually) trying to be as honest and as fair as possible. Sometimes it wasn’t easy, but it was great experience and a brilliant chance to see first-hand, the depth and range of talent in this country.

The second reason I try and watch the X Factor is that people are often asking me why I don’t go on it..! Now I understand perfectly that this is - I think – a compliment, but at the same time I have to mentally ask myself if that’s really how people see me? (If indeed, they bother ‘seeing’ me at all).

Now let’s make one thing clear - The X Factor is great television, and some of the people who go on it are extremely talented, but you often hear people moaning about it saying something like “is that the best we’ve got then? He/she was rubbish, no better than a pub singer” and often they are right…, but these performers are by no means the end of the story when it comes to the well of talent in this country. The X Factor, for me, is a show for people who want to be stars. Who want to emulate not just the careers of the singers they love and copy, but also their fame trajectory and celebrity. They are put through rigorous paces to test the mettle of their character in dealing with all kinds of pressure, not just on the performance, but on their ability to deal with fame – the tabloids scour their personal lives, the judges build them up, knock them down, and the TV is all over their spotty skin like another bad rash. Good on ‘em, I think, for having the balls to try and handle that, and often in the world of celebrity actually having a talent is secondary, and some of these contestants can actually sing. But are they the best this country has? Not by a mile.

I have now done more than 1,000 gigs and have seen 1000s of singers, songwriters and musicians in that time, and have come across scores of people whose talent alone would have been a match for any X Factor winner….so why don’t they enter? I’m sure that for many of them it’s because they don’t want to be stars. They don’t want to play the fame game and for them, success is a gig 3 times a week in a decently filled boozer with £100 in your back pocket at the end of the night. Many of them have families to support and can’t risk the time and expense living near the poverty line by dedicating so much time to ‘making it’.

I fully realise that this may all sound a bit snobbish: that the real talent, the singers and musicians are playing and singing every night in a pub or club near you. But it’s true – get out there like I have done over the last xx amount of years and you will be blown away by what you see. Granted there are a dozen rotten singers and songwriters to every passable one, but occasionally you get gems that make it all worthwhile and reaffirm your faith in live music and this country’s depth of talent.

That the pubs and clubs in this country are set for a very harsh couple of years ahead is cause for concern. The smoking ban and recession are hitting hard, and fewer acts will be booked to save money, so get out there and support your local live music more than ever!

It’s all very well watching the X Factor from the comfort of your sofa, but if you want to savour the sounds – and smells! – of real grass roots talent, look no further than your local.

Hope to write again very soon

thanks

Adam