Two days ago the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition short list for the live final was announced. The long list of 120 acts chosen by music bloggers and writers, which included Breaking More Waves, was cut down to the final 8 by a second judging team that included Emily Eavis, organiser of the festival. “"We're so proud of this shortlist. It was really hard to get it down to just 8 acts - the standard this year was incredible - but I think we've whittled it down to a really strong final 8. I'd like to say a big thanks to everyone who entered, and to our team of judges for narrowing it down to 120 acts. Now bring on the live final!" We couldn’t agree more. The selected eight acts are all without exception very good.
Of the shortlisted acts, one of Breaking More Waves choices, Gibson Bull, has made the cut, so we can pat ourselves on the back for the fact that someone agrees with us. Also on the shortlist is Furs who we featured on the blog in 2012.
The finalists and the writers / sites / blogs that chose them are as follows:
Gibson Bull (Breaking More Waves)
Hero- Fisher (Charming Man)
Only Girl (Judges Utd – Not one blog, but 3 combined which included this one)
M+A (Michael Cragg from Popjustice. Freelance music writer for The Guardian, Notion, Beat and Dazed)
Furs (The Line Of Best Fit)
The Black Tambourines (Resonance FM)
Pandr Eyez (Drowned In Sound)
Izzy Bizu (Michael Cragg from Popjustice. Freelance music writer for The Guardian, Notion, Beat and Dazed)
Guessing a winner at this stage is impossible – from the sophisticated pop of Only Girl to the soulful R&B of Pandr Eyez to the surf rock of The Black Tambourines, there’s a wide variety of styles on offer. However, if previous years are anything to go by there are usually 2 or 3 acts that stand head and shoulders above the other acts in the live finals, where performance and raw talent shines through. Last year we fell in love and pretty much proposed musical marriage (OK, it was more of a first date but our love has not diminished a year later) to eventual winners Bridie Jackson & The Arbour after they performed, they were that good.
For now though we’d like to draw your attention to two acts on the shortlist besides our own selection of Gibson Bull, who we'll be cheering on. First up is Hero-Fisher, who it transpires is already playing the likes of this year’s Great Escape in Brighton and the Isle of Wight Festival. Hero-Fisher’s song Fear Not Victorious starts as if it’s the female fronted baby of Manc faves James circa Sometimes (listen to the spoken word intro and the references to the weather and see if you agree) with the slightest dash of Lou Reed before grows into something rather cacophonous. It’s not an instant song, but repeated listens will find you delving deeper and deeper, not wanting to come up for air for some time. Watch the video carefully, its one of the slowest films you'll ever watch.
Hero-Fisher - Fear Not Victorious (Video)
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Secondly there’s Izzy Bizu a singer who has already had the support of Zane Lowe’s next hype on Radio 1, BBC1 Extra and a lot of pop blogs after being discovered through open mic competitions. She’s 19 years old, is from South West London and has a sweet jazzy /soul voice and is already being tipped as a next big thing, so is sure to be in the running at the live final as she can certainly sing.
Izzy Bizu - White Tiger (Video)
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The invite only final will be held at Pilton Working Men's Club on Saturday 5th April, 2014. Breaking More Waves will be in attendance – keep an eye on our twitter during the night for updates. Hear all 8 finalists on the playlist below.
Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition Shortlist (Playlist)
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