Bray Wanderers AFC have joined forces with music store chain Music City and radio station East Coast FM to launch a major new talent search for Bray and the surrounding area. The ‘Music City Bray Wanderers Pop Superstar’ will see 60 contestants battling for 12 places in Julys Grand Final. The Heats and Final will all take place at the Royal Hotel, Bray. Open auditions take place on Sunday May 23rd at Music City’s store in Main Street, Bray. Candidates, who must be 16 or over, must prepare a verse and a chorus of a known pop song to sing unaccompanied. Registration is from 9 am and successful applicants may have to stay all day.
The contest is the brainchild of Bray Wanderers fan Dave Edler, a former professional actor in shows such as BBC’s ‘Casualty’, who wanted to take a more creative approach to fund raising for the local club. “We’ve all seen the usual revenue generating schemes such as Race Nights, Raffles and Golf Classics, and they’re all fine, but this is a real attempt to take the club out into the community and tap into the creative potential of the town and the surrounding area. This is a major competition with high production values and a chance for those taking part to work with established music industry professionals”.
The Musical Director for the project is Duncan Walsh-Atkins, a London based record producer with his own studio and small record label. He will be writing musical arrangements for all the finalists. Experienced local vocal coach Siobhan Gallagher will give candidates one to one voice tuition and there will be artistic direction from Debbie Edler, a former agent representing professional actors and pop acts.
In each heat at the Royal the live audience will vote for their favourite two performers to go through to the Grand Final. There will also be comments from a panel of judges, with some guest celebrities to be announced. Heat winners and runners-up will receive cash prizes and there will also be a second chance for those finishing third and fourth via a ‘wild card’ heat.
For those reaching the final the rewards really start coming. All 12 finalists will be taken into the recording studio for the day to cut a CD track under Duncan’s watchful eye and this track will then receive guaranteed airplay on East Coast FM. There will be bigger cash prizes and record vouchers from Music City for the overall top 3, plus a video shoot and a possible single release for the overall winner. With exposure to music industry professionals in the audience, plus radio and newspaper interviews, the winner will get a small slice of what stardom can bring as well as an excellent showcase to launch their career. It promises to be a great event for both the town and the football club.
Heats take place throughout June and tickets can be purchased at Music City’s store in Main Street, Bray. A season ticket is also available. Auditionees should turn up at Music City on Sunday May 23rd at 9 am and there is no fee to enter. For more information contact Dave Edler on 087 748 6023.
