Competition winners at the Navy!  Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Matthew Thomas

I was recently asked if this was a music column or a football column….apparently I have been banging on about the World Cup much more than a local music correspondent should, so this week….not a word!

Bandslam was a competition held earlier this year to find local music talent and hopefully help them make the step up to the big stage. 
Last month six acts from the area had the opportunity to impress both judges and audience to win a support slot on TLive which will be held on 30^thAugust with headliners Union J and Lawson. 

This week’s Newport Open Mic had not one but TWO winners from that competition…..more of which later.

First up Malcolm Purvis had just returned from watching the Tour de France in his native Yorkshire (see…no football!) and entertained as usual with his self-penned songs taking a sideways look at life. New song ‘Open Day’ was my pick of the bunch.

The last time Lawrence Plant played at the Navy it was as part of Newport Jazz band ‘Quicktime’ but a talented drummer cannot sit in the audience if the call comes for help from our first Scratch House band. Olly Flavell and Dave Blue swapped guitar licks and introduced Lawrence to a new genre…..blues rock….and needless to say he performed superbly.

Olly stayed on stage to debut a new song, ‘Love on Top’ by Beyonce. Last week we had Minnie Ripperton, this week Beyonce, who have you got in mind for next week Olly? Good stuff from this talented young man.

Mellissa Severn has been coming to the Open Mic for a few years now so it is difficult to believe she is still only 16 years old. The first time I saw her I predicted a musical future….she has a stage presence that most performers can only dream about and this is supplemented by a great song writing talent. At the Bandslam mentioned above, she was the youngest participant, the only female and the only soloist, but that did not stop her winning a 20 minute slot at the musical extravaganza in August. New material showcased included ‘False Alarm’ which had a lovely Alanis Morissette feel to it. Well done Mellissa, don’t forget your roots when you are famous!

Another Scratch House band had the talents of Steve Hammond, exceptional guitarist from Shrewsbury, Olly Flavell, this time on bass, and brilliant drummer John Freestone, who we don’t see often enough. A tight set featured The Killers, Stereophonics and Bryan Adams.

A spirited ‘Happy Birthday’ to Mark, one of our Open Mic stalwarts preceded the presentation of a specially baked cake and scones, made by Gail & Cath….this is becoming a very nice habit!

John Minor took to the stage next without usual keyboard, just a borrowed guitar to give us a couple of nice tunes from Oasis and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, before our final act of the evening.

To paraphrase Monty Python, ‘and now for something completely different’. To close a brilliant evening of live music, next up, the other winners from Bandslam, The Kooz. Guitarist Josh Sole and percussionist Jason Latham delivered a superb original mix of music that had the audience shouting out for more. With just acoustic guitar and cajon, they fill this sound with great vocal harmonies and terrific arrangements. ‘Even Out’ a modern day story of Jack and Jill was superb, but ‘Caught between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’ was simply outstanding…..it is easy to see why the judges were won over.

So the very best of luck to both Mellissa and The Kooz on 30^th August, I am sure it will be a fantastic experience to play on the big stage in front of thousands of people.

So that’s all for this week. Not a word about football in the entire article, just an honest report of a super showcase of local talent. Till next time…keep it live!

PS Who do you think will win the Golden Boot?