Ealing band make it through to final of Mayor's Big Busk

Local band The Tailormade - ( we featured last month) - have beaten off stiff competition and are through to the final of a major competition.

Jack Frimston (22), Aaron Murphy (23) and Matt Pickersgill (22) all live in Hanwell and share a dream of hitting the bigtime - and now they're one step closer.

Aimed at young people aged 11-25, around 1,000 entries were received for Gigs 2014, which offers aspiring artists the opportunity to hone their skills and gain valuable experience of performing in public.

Around 200 acts have been busking at a variety of settings and the public have now voted for their favourites.

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said:

''Busking is a familiar and much loved part of city life, particularly in London and our Gigs competition is a fantastic opportunity for talented young musicians to shine in front of the public. Over the years Gigs has provided a platform for some great musicians wanting to carve a career in the music industry. We're calling on the public to keep an eye out for our latest line up of talent, show their appreciation and, most importantly, get voting! We might have a budding Ed Sheeran or Ellie Goulding in our midst.'

Jack Frimston, from the band says: '' We are extremley excited for the final. We have family travelling from all over the country just to come support us so all we can do now is go out and give it our all and see what happens. It's been an amazing experience so far and we've met some great people along the way and hopefully our journey won't end here.'' 

The Grand Final takes place on Sunday 7 September from 12pm at Westfield Stratford City.

The finalists will compete before a panel of industry judges and thousands of Westfield visitors.

There are three categories: Soloists and Duos, for people aged 16-25; Youth, for people aged 11-15; Groups, for up to 20 members.

The judges will decide a winner in each category and one act will be crowned Gigs Champion 2014.

Prizes include a highly coveted licence to busk on the Tube, a training and coaching package from the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance; recording time at a top studio; equipment; mentoring from industry professionals; and further performance opportunities. Music

To find out more about the band check out their website: www.thetailormade.co.uk

Good Luck lads!

3rd September 2014