Southwold Idol – Heat 1 – 21st February 2008
The 21st February was the date of the first heat for Southwold Idol 2008 and what a heat it was. Only five singers entered this heat but the atmosphere was rockin’ from start to finish.
Again a very varied line up of songs, as is becoming the norm in these competitions, though the bulk of the entrants opted for ballads though one did us a display of Meatloaf and another of Avril Lavigne, both of whom were girl singers. Many thanks to all the entrants who took part and of course everyone for supporting them.
With only five entrants, the competition was going to be over quickly but it certainly entertained the bumper crowd which was on hand. The three judges certainly had their work cut out judging the competition and again it was a close call. Many thanks to Polly, Trish and Ali for doing the judging.
On the scorecards it was Jamie who came out on top with his rendition of the Ronan Keating/Lulu classic ‘We’ve Got Tonight’ while Gemma went through by rocking us all with Avril Lavigne’s ‘Sk8ter Boi’.
After the competition, we went straight into more karaoke and disco with lots of people willing to give it a try and get some practice in for the future heats. All the time the atmosphere was building further turning this venue into one of the top venue’s in East Anglia. Although not the largest, it always brings out the party animals which is what we all want to see. I have added a few photo’s from the night. If you were there, try and spot yourself, if you weren’t, why not?
We are back again, Thursday 28th February and again on the 6th and 13th March. Remember the final is 20th March. Come and give us a look, because the Kings Head is certainly the hottest place to be on a Thursday in Southwold. See you all on the 28th.
Southwold Idol – Heat 2 – 28th February 2008
6 entrants for this week including a girl duo who joined together for the night and done a club classic. The quality of singers again this week was fantastic. Unfortunately, the Beach radio representative never appeared although the pub had been promised a representative each week which was a shame. Hopefully, they will turn up for the final which of course is the big one in the competition.
Anyway, back to business. We had locals and also visitors from out-of-town which was great to see and again it was superb to see a large variance on songs being sung. The judges this week were Christine, Debbie and James who again had a hard job sorting out the winner & runner up. The winner was Jo who screamed out a fantastic version of Celine Dion's 'Think Twice' and she was followed very closely in the points by Danny who did Snow Patrol's 'Chasing Cars'. Again, I must say thank you to all people who took part. Others who took part on the night were: John (Crazy Little Thing Called Love), Maggie (Don't Break My Heart Again), Kylie & Gemma (Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit) & Tom (Brown Eyed Girl). Many thanks to all of them.
If you want to take part in Southwold Idol their are two weeks left to try and qualify and remember the final is on Thursday 20th March.
The line up so far
Heat 1 – Jamie & Gemma
Heat 2 – Jo & Danny
Heat 3 – ?
Heat 4 - ?
Who will the other's be. It could very well be you.
See you all soon.
Southwold Idol – Heat 3 – 6th March 2008
Just five entrants for this week’s competition but again an even bigger crowd on hand, who again produced an atmosphere worthy of being in big seater venue’s. Again a big variance on songs again this week. From Whitney Houston to The Verve. This is always great to see as it hopefully gives everybody present something to sing along too.
On the singing stakes, again another two qualified for the final on 20th March joining the other four qualifiers. Runner-up spot went to Rhiane who sang Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody, while the winner’s place went to Ian who qualified with Marc Cohn’s ‘Walking In Memphis’ which sent the place crazy, so well done to both of them and again thank-you to everybody who took part in the competition.
Many thanks to the judges on the night who had a very hard decision to make, once again, the judges being Polly, Christine & Gav.
We then continued the night with the customary disco and karaoke with the atmosphere pumping even higher which is brilliant to see.
Again thanks to everyone who took part and I know I keep going on about the atmosphere at The Kings Head, Southwold during competition night, but seriously it is that good. If you haven’t sampled a night at this venue, then do so as Thursday nights keep on getting better and better.
We only have one more week left at The Kings Head, so if you do wish to take part then please fill in the forms and take part. Miss it and miss out.
The line up so far
Heat 1 – Jamie & Gemma
Heat 2 – Jo & Danny
Heat 3 – Ian & Rhiane
Heat 4 - ?
Southwold Idol – Heat 4 – 13th March 2008
The final week of the heat soon came around once again but unfortunately not a massive turnout on the competition singers front with only two taking part. Another great crowd on hand once again but everybody’s sights were firmly fixed on next week, with that being the final.
With only two competitors, they had obviously qualified, however just to make sure they had to sing their song to make it official. Mark was up first and has become a seasoned pro at competitions and breezed through his rendition of The Commitments classic ‘Try A Little Tenderness’, while Lucy & Claire entertained the crowd on hand with The Foundations ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’ which went down very nicely with the crowd, the girls still not believing that they had qualified for the final after only entering for a bit of fun. It goes to show you can’t plan these things.
Just a short report this week as all eyes look towards the final next Thursday which plans to be a cracker. During the week we will be updating the site daily with who has chosen what song, though one act at the moment has asked for her songs not to be disclosed until the night. However we will keep you as up-to-date as we possibly can.
The last qualifiers photo has been added and the line up is now complete. It is going to be a bumper night next Thursday. If you are planning to come down, get there early to make sure you get a good viewing position. Also if you want to email any good luck messages for your chosen act who you want to see win, email them to me and I will read them out before the competition. The night kicks off at 8pm and the competition will start a little after 8.30pm. If you are a competitor, please make sure you are their between 7.45pm and 8.15pm as no late entry’s can be taken. The public draw for positions will take place a little after this and the competition begins at 8.30pm.
|
Act |
Song |
Artist |
|
|
|
|
|
Jamie |
TBC |
|
|
|
TBC |
|
|
Gemma |
Not disclosed |
Not disclosed |
|
|
Not disclosed |
Not disclosed |
|
Jo |
Think Twice |
Celine Dion |
|
|
Black Velvet |
Alannah Miles |
|
Danny |
Wherever You May Go |
The Calling |
|
|
Wonderwall |
Oasis |
|
Ian |
Not disclosed |
Not disclosed |
|
|
Not disclosed |
Not disclosed |
|
Rhiane |
Not disclosed |
Not disclosed |
|
|
Not disclosed |
Not disclosed |
|
Mark |
Try A Little Tenderness |
The Commitments |
|
|
Mustang Sally |
The Commitments |
|
Lucy/Claire |
TBC |
|
|
|
TBC |
|
Be there or miss out.
The line up so far
Heat 1 – Jamie & Gemma
Heat 2 – Jo & Danny
Heat 3 – Ian & Rhiane
Heat 4 – Mark & Lucy/Claire
Southwold Idol – The Final – 20th March 2008
All roads led to the Kings Head, Southwold on 20th March for the big one, the final of Southwold Idol 2008. The competition had been a major success with some cracking singers taking part and qualifying for this date and with such a great line-up the venue was rammed with everyone wanting to see who was going to take the title. This turn-out was boosted further by some large raiding parties from neighboring towns and villages and also the large turn-out of the supporters for the contestants.
Again the atmosphere was intense with all the supporting groups singing and cheering for their favorite with all the neutral supporters just excited, waiting for the spectacle to begin.
The judges for the night were Andy (Andrew Miller Entertainments), Chris (Beach Radio 103.4 & 97.4 FM), Tracie (representative from Rock Lobster Studio's), John Bullard (semi-pro entertainer) and Christine (representative from the Kings Head, Southwold). Thanks to all the judges for judging what would turn out to be a very tight event. After some interviews with the judges to find that they were looking for in the acts, the build up began with the customary starting jingle and then we were into the competition.
Each act had to sing two songs straight off and a list of the songs is below.
Danny Wherever You May Go - The Calling
Wonderwall – Oasis
Gemma I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll – Britney Spears
Son Of A Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
Jo Black Velvet – Alannah Miles
Think Twice – Celine Dion
Lucy 9 to 5 – Dolly Parton
December ’63 – Franki Vallii and The Four Seasons
Mark Try A Little Tenderness – The Commitments
Mustang Sally – The Commitments
Rhiane There You’ll Be – Faith Hill
Heaven – DJ Sammy
Jamie When You Believe – Leon Jackson
New York, New York – Frank Sinatra
Ian Since You’ve Been Gone – Rainbow
Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
As you can see, the competition had a large variety of songs and everyone who took part really raised their game on their game on the night which was great to see. A quick mention to Lucy as she was supposed to be singing with Claire on the night but unfortunately Claire went down ill on the day so we hope she recovers fully soon.
After all the competitors had sung we went into the customary disco which gave the judges chance to reflect and gather their thoughts on who should be crowned the Southwold Idol 2008 champion. After a long break the judges returned with the result with Jo just beat Mark to the post with Rhiane third. All three got some very nice prizes from CD’s to T-Shirts etc. A quick mention must go out to Chris from Beach Radio who very kindly donated T-shirts, CD’s, Pens and other give away items courtesy of Beach Radio and we all thank him for that.
The top three were: Jo, Mark, Rhiane
To sum up, a fantastic competition. Whether you were a competitor in the heats or final, a supporter of one of the contestants or someone who came to just one week or all of them which I know a lot of people did, we thank you all. Without your support, the competition would not have succeeded. There are too many names to mention but you all know who you are. Thank-you. Also I would like to thank Jack at The Kings Head, Southwold for his support in the event and of course all the staff of the The Kings Head.
Keep checking back as there could well be ‘Southwold Idol 2009’