Arts & Culture
Originally published on Tuesday, 27th March 2012
BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT
London’s not-so-mainstream talent contests
Newest US-import The Voice has proved, quite spectacularly, that the era of the talent show still isn’t going anywhere (and probably never will). It has all the necessary ingredients: blow-by-blow Twitter hype, public-friendly judges and a healthy dose of drama. But what separates The Voice from its other talent(less) primetime counterparts is its no mockery, no sob story, no novelty (apart from the blind audition part) approach. This, we like.
So, we’ve decided to embrace the new-era talent show. We’ve sussed out the off-screen/new format contests looking for you Britons that really do got talent.
As always the drinks industry is just a step behind gastronomy, where picking one type of food – whether it’s burgers, BBQ or lobster – and doing it well has become du jour. But booze is catching up.
MUSIC - Live music nights remain a popular source for label scouts. Breakout at Camden Proud is a hotbed for industry heads as is ILUVLIVE at XOYO, with only 5 hard-to-get slots per month (Emeli Sandé performed here back in 2010). A&R people should stop by the Hip Hop Karaoke nights at The Social - barely "Karaoke" in the purest sense of the word, it’s more like a launch pad for 8 Mile style talent. And lastly, DJs should watch out for W Hotel’s DJ Labs and the Red Bull Music Academy - both brilliant global platforms where promising newbies learn from esteemed mentors.
FASHION - Of course there’s Fashion Fringe where past judges like Donatella, Mr Ford and Galliano have set the bar for the calibre of design. Applications are now open for September, and this year’s panel will be announced imminently. Alternatively, the Grazia Hat Factor will be taking place on Friday: if you fancy yourself as the next Philip Treacy, just turn up at Grazia’s offices with a finished hat/prototype/sketch in tow (we love how casual this process is - we predict a high turnout). The winner will feature in the magazine as well as the London 2012 Festival.
FOOD - Forget Masterchef. True culinary artists should apply for the Young British Foodies. Yes, we know, we’ve banged on about this since its launch, but this is one food competition with judges who know what they’re doing when it comes to the biz (Nuno Mendes versus Gregg Wallace is a no brainer really…)
DESIGN - Think of LA-born Talenthouse as an ongoing competition for creative types. If you’re a budding (or already established) artist, designer, photographer, filmmaker or music producer you can upload your portfolio, before entering yourself into competitions to be involved in big-name projects. Past competitions have included designing a stage outfit for Florence Welch and logos for MTV.
After all, raw talent should be just that - raw. No frills, no tears and certainly no small screen.
Info
Breakout at Proud Galleries
ILUVLIVE at XOYO
Fashion Fringe applications close April 27
Grazia Hat Factor applications on March 30 for one day only
The YBFs applications close April 30
Talenthouse
