Episode 4 The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone

-# Oh... #

-Hallelujah!

My search for Britain's most entertaining

amateur a cappella group continues.

Great.

HE BEATBOXES

Last week, intense mentoring pushed the surviving groups

to their vocal limits...

Either you want this or you don't.

Ahead of a sing-off that saw students' choral stimulation shine...

# Nothing compares to you. #

..but spelt the end for barbershop group YesterYear.

-# Shake it off

-Yeah. #

It's a bit like going on a really, really great holiday.

You know, eventually you have to jump on the plane and come home.

This week, the pressure and the training move up a gear...

Just strip it back, sing the bloody song.

This is tough, but something has to change.

Now the focus is on the performance.

Five, six, seven, and...

New mentors will test my groups' choreography,

stage craft...

..and how they wow a crowd...

Stand up. Use your chest and use your voice.

Ladies and gentlemen!

..before they compete again...

..and face the all-important jury.

Thrilling ride. I absolutely loved what they did.

It did feel like it was cobbled together a bit.

With the semi-final looming large in everyone's mind,

it's going to be only the very best groups

that go through to these final stages.

We get one chance. That's the one thing that's guaranteed -

we get one chance.

We have to be the ones that people go, "Oh, my goodness!"

That's us this week.

Just needs a slip or two in the performance

and that's going to be game over.

Guys, it's the first floor. It's the first floor.

One more down.

It's back to school for the five remaining groups.

Really excited. Really excited to get going again.

It's going to be more intense than last time,

so we're a bit apprehensive about that, maybe,

but looking forward to the challenge.

They're returning to the West Midlands state-of-the-art

Performance Hub.

At stake this week, a place in my semi-finals.

If we didn't get through to the semi-finals and only stopped now,

I would be absolutely devastated cos we're not done.

The group that beats for me is the Sons Of Pitches.

They're nice guys, but I hate them.

The training I gave the groups here last time stretch them vocally,

but great a cappella isn't just about singing.

HE SINGS

To really stand out, leading groups like British act The Magnets

rely on slick choreography, staging, good old-fashioned showmanship.

HE SINGS

I want to develop and test these performance skills in my groups.

And this week that's exactly what I'll be doing.

Welcome, beloved contestants,

to the second and final stage of a cappella school!

CHEERING

Your next challenge is all about performance.

Now it's hands at the ready.

We're going to examine and improve how you move,

how you command the stage and how you can engage an audience.

So I have recruited two specialists.

Welcome, please, music theatre director, Katherine Gant,

and choreographer extraordinaire, Jason Pennycooke.

Katherine is Resident Director of the Olivier award-winning musical

Sunny Afternoon.

While Jason is a West End choreographer

who's worked with top a cappella group The Magnets.

Katherine and Jason are going to help you to realise your vision

for a performance of one song.

This time I have selected songs that are best remembered

for an iconic performance.

You have just three days to achieve all this

and then you'll be performing in front of an audience of 500 people.

-ALL: Ooh!

-Yes, we're upping the game.

Impress the jury this time and you will be in my semi-final.

CHEERING

Good luck!

OK. Here we go.

All the songs I've chosen have gone down in music history

because of the original artist's iconic performance.

Big moment.

Now it will down to the groups to reinvent them

as a show-stopping piece of a cappella.

-What do you guys think it's going to be?

-Spice Girls.

-Stevie Wonder.

-Cats.

-Dirty Dancing.

First to discover what's in store - Stratford East Singers,

a London community choir who welcome allcomers.

MUSIC: Single Ladies by Beyonce.

-# All the single ladies

-All the single ladies

# All the single ladies

# Now put your hands up

# Up in the club, we just broke up

# I'm doing my own little thing... #

All these ladies, writing all these songs, abusing us men,

and we've just got to take it!

As the MD of Stratford East Singers,

I'm going to rewrite this song the way it should be!

-Come on!

-No.

What it actually means is,

if you want all this...and you want to appreciate all this...

then put one of these on.

# Wuh uh oh uh uh Oh oh uh oh uh uh oh... #

Beyonce is the biggest icon right now in terms of vocals and dancing.

I look at her as a benchmark of what all artists should be,

so trying to compete with that...

you know, it's almost kind of mind-blowing.

MUSIC: Bad Romance by Lady Gaga

CHEERING

# I want your love and I want your revenge... #

I have butterflies in my stomach!

At each stage of the contest, a lack of confidence

has hindered Southampton students' Restless Symphony.

# Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah-ah Roma-roma-mamaa... #

With drama and spectacle at its core, Lady Gaga's Bad Romance

should be the perfect antidote to this group's issue.

No excuses. It's a song that you literally can't be nervous on.

There's no room for anything other than absolute

stonking attitude with this one.

# Ga-ga-ooh-la-la Want your bad romance. #

# Throughout the day

# Throughout the day

# Our true love waits... #

Last week, I challenged all-male six-piece The Sons of Pitches

to bring emotion to the stage.

# ..With those who really care... #

For me, it was a little bit staid. I was a little bit bored with it.

While they are technically impressive,

this group must learn to bring passion to performance,

and I've chosen a track which will push them to do just that.

MUSIC: Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush

Oh! Hello.

-This is going to be insane.

-Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my Lord!

-What is this?

-Wuthering Heights.

Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights

demands a display of raw, visceral emotion.

You'll recognise this now.

# Wuthering Heights

# Heathcliff, it's me, I'm Cathy

# I've come home... #

I currently despise this song.

We'll have to see over the next three days.

If I can hate it less, that will be a start at least.

But, not liking it right now.

THEY VOCALISE

-You've started already! Is it all sorted?

-No.

Are you fans of Kate Bush?

I grew up in a household that hates Kate Bush.

And I've just become a household that hates Kate Bush.

How do you feel about the jury's feedback about

engaging the audience emotionally?

I think the judges' opinion is an opinion, at the end of the day.

But at the same time it is your challenge to come out

and say to the audience, "This is the mood of this song,"

and bring them to you.

We'll be looking at you going, "Oh, isn't that awfully clever?"

I want to be thinking, "Oh, I'm just in this. I love this.

"This is a performance of the song and they're telling

"the story of this song so brilliantly that I'm lost in it."

-But also sounds good.

-But also sounds fantastic.

I feel like I'm locked in a battle of wills with Sons of Pitches.

They want to do one thing that they know that they can do well

to the distraction of all else.

I think that is a recipe for a very limited life in music.

I really do.

# I go out every night

# And sleep all day... #

Unlike the Sons of Pitches, Glasgow University's Choral Stimulation

had a breakthrough performance in the last round

with an emotional expression of heartache and loss.

It was a raw performance. Very, very moved by their rendition.

I thought it was fantastic.

This time, I want to see if they can create a very different mood.

MUSIC: Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer

Who is it? Who is this?

-Does anyone know who this is?

-No.

The challenge for these uni friends

will be to conjure the sophisticated sultriness

that made Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love so memorable.

# You're gonna have to face it

# You're addicted to love... #

What does that song...? What does it do?

He wants to turn you on. Cool rock and roll, sexy...

Sexy rock.

We're going to have to create this sexual tension

or something on stage.

I think probably the boys will find it harder than the girls

-to make that convincing.

-Yeah.

Cos we're all into friendzoned.

THEY VOCALISE

THEY VOCALISE

Previously, Essex-based wedding singers Gospel Essence

displayed a spark that I and the jury thought had been lacking.

THEY VOCALISE

"Hello to Gospel Essence.

"The jury was delighted to see that you'd heeded their words

"and brought energy, life and sparkle to your last performance.

"Keep it up and keep us engaged."

Brace yourself.

CHEERING

I'm so excited!

MUSIC: I Want To Break Free by Queen

# I want to break free

# I want to break free... #

We can do so much with this song.

From the get go, we all feel the same way about it.

Rather than before it was like, "I don't know where to start!"

-So we're in a very good place.

-Whoo!

The group's negative reaction to the last track I chose for them

almost derailed them.

I'm hoping that they've learnt their lesson for this round.

Hi!

-Are you happy?

-Yes!

-Yes!

-Very happy.

Good. I'm really... Genuinely you're...

-This is good, right?

-Yes.

And it's also performance week, so you've got to find something

quite simple that gets the attention of the audience.

It's a take on the song that we really need.

We've just been toying with starting in our gospel robes

and then at some point taking those off

and having something else which is much more us beneath it.

Good. It's really good to see you guys happy.

-So get on it quick.

-Thank you.

It was a breath of fresh air to see them all zesty and energetic

and up for it.

And it looks like they're actually going to get on with it...

this time.

-Lessons will start tomorrow.

-One, two, three...

But with just three days until they compete again,

the groups waste no time getting to work.

THEY VOCALISE

Before classes begin, they must devise an original concept

to bring to the stage.

-OK. What's the circus about? Is this your theme?

-Yes.

Tas is the ring leader.

-Yes.

-Is it your time to shine?

-It is my debut, yes.

-Excellent.

-Sassy.

-As ever their arrangement and vocals must impress.

-Forceful.

-But this week it's all about performance.

We want to create a sexual tension within the group

and we want the audience to know that.

-Maybe we should all imagine each other naked.

-Argh!

LAUGHTER

I'm really looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

They've got some great songs and they should come up with things

that are very arresting and fun and exciting.

I don't think this week is all about singing.

It's about spectacle.

-Morning.

-Morning.

Day 1 of lessons.

Gareth calls is a cappella school,

but it's more like a cappella boot camp.

I just thought we were going to come here and sing.

As the groups get set for class,

I'm briefing my mentors on their future students.

Some of them already do choreography,

but it's a little bit amateur.

I think it needs a bit of sharpening up,

and that's really not my bag, so over to you for that.

Some of the groups need a bit more self-confidence.

I feel like one or two of them are a bit inhibited.

Some of the groups struggle with drawing in an audience to them.

It's all very sort of out and a little bit chaotic at times.

They're very energetic. They're really competitive at this stage.

None of them want to go home.

-How far can we push them?

-All the way.

I'd love to see them pull off something that really is slick,

and they haven't done that yet.

I think the main thing for both of us is story telling, isn't it?

-Yeah.

-With the movement and the staging.

-Good. Well, have fun.

-Treat them mean.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

First stop for Katherine and Jason...

Hello!

-How are you?

-..The Sons of Pitches.

So talk to us about the ideas.

So we want it to be really dark and ethereal.

-OK.

-A lot like the book, basically.

We're thinking really kind of gothic vibe.

Obviously this is Cathy's story. You're all men.

How are we dealing with that?

Kind of assumed that one of us would take on the solo

and effectively be the...

The spirit of Cathy.

Is it worth you singing a bit now, so you can show her?

Yeah, absolutely. God, yeah.

# Out on the wiley, windy moors

# We'd roll and fall in green

# You had a temper like my jealousy

# Too hot, too greedy

# How could you leave me

# When I needed to possess you?

# I hated you I loved you, too. #

OK. Honestly, as soon as you started singing, I wanted to laugh.

-Yeah.

-And it's not because of your voice, it's a man singing...

-It's a man singing.

-As soon as somebody laughs...

You've lost it.

What you don't want to do is it sounds so uncomfortable

-that it sounds potentially...

-SHE CLEARS THROAT

..a mistake.

I could really set the wrong tone if I step out and sing...

-HE SINGS HIGH NOTE

-..and it's just like they said,

one laugh would just kill the mood.

The group's choice of soloist is key to unlocking

the emotion in this track.

Also in contention is teaching assistant Joe Hynes.

# Out on the wiley, windy moors

# We'd roll and fall in green

# You had a temper like my jealousy

# Too hot, too greedy. #

Great. I think it works really well.

But you need to be able to emotionally attach

to what you're doing.

This challenge is hard.

It's a bit different to what we're used to.

I'm personally nervous cos I'm doing the solo as well,

so pressure's on me a little bit.

Hello. Focus, guys. I've got an hour with you. Please, seriously.

I count you in five, six, seven, and...

Choreographer Jason's next visit

is to Glasgow University group Choral Stimulation.

OK. Stop.

You go up and you take them and you're like,

"Hey, let's have a dance." Just nice and free.

You might go to the guy and go, "Hey, what's up?"

While we're doing all this section here.

Ready? And go.

They've decided on a flirty nightclub theme

for their performance of Addicted To Love.

THEY VOCALISE

# It's closer to the truth to say you can't get... #

I need to sit...

OK. I'm going to sit on your bent leg.

Our aim is to look cool,

which some of us are finding a little bit harder than others.

But, you know, we can do it.

Can't believe what you're doing.

And back into...

Hi. Hi, hi, hi, hi.

How's it going? How are their moves?

They're doing all right.

It's that tension that we're trying to create between the sexes.

I think that's what we're struggling with. Kind of feel a bit awkward

because we're all mates.

All the kind of moving to the beat is very weird,

so this is a sort of less is more crisp kind of thing.

All this, "Oh, I'm so sexy," it sort of doesn't work.

It's got to smoulder quietly, hasn't it?

Yeah, and I just feel you're still quite inhabited with it.

That's the only problem.

-I think that's fair.

-Fear?

-I think that's fair.

They found it hard to be sexy with one another.

They're embarrassed about it.

If they don't pull off sexy and sultry, it will look cheesy.

Apparently we're going on "sexy lessons" tomorrow.

It's like being back in...

-sex education lessons.

-Sexy lessons.

So we're getting lessons on how to improve being cool tomorrow

and to sell it on stage, so they've got their work cut out for them.

# Then you should have put a ring on it

# I thought you loved me

# Don't be mad once you see that he wanted... #

Next door, Katherine is in with the Stratford East Singers.

# Whoa, oh... #

Unsure which direction to take with Beyonce's Single Ladies,

group leader Byron has thrown it open to everyone

-to come up with ideas.

-Five, six, seven, eight.

# Wuh uh oh uh uh Oh oh uh oh uh uh oh

# If you liked it then you should've put a ring on it... #

But the mix of opinions has produced equally mixed results.

# Put a ring on it

-# Single ladies

-Single ladies... #

If I'm totally honest,

I'm not entirely convinced by the second half.

It's epically beautiful, the beginning of that.

And when you all come in together it's lovely

and I feel that there's more to go in that vein.

It's definitely one change too many.

They're trying to do too much stuff.

It could just be a really still, powerful,

"This is who we are, we're a community."

And they're trying to be a bit too clever.

So what do you think is the best way to move forward?

We've all put lots of ideas in,

but I think maybe now is the time to let you direct us

and we listen to you because you need the space, then, to say,

"This sounds right, we're going to go with it,

"we'll try it, that's fine."

Changing a song is never a problem, but the problem is the time.

We only have three days,

we don't really have time to keep changing and making changes

and what we don't want to do is, come tomorrow,

we're STILL making changes.

I really hope by the end of today we have everything locked in place.

Being unsure of their arrangement doesn't bode well

for Stratford East Singers.

By now, all the groups should have arrangements nailed

so that they can concentrate on movement and staging.

Ready, and go.

Confident they're ahead of the curve after last week's slow start

are Gospel Essence.

With their arrangement sorted early,

they are now focusing on choreography.

Hi! Hello, hello, hello. Can I see what you've got so far, is that OK?

Yeah, absolutely. Let's go from the top.

-IN SLOW WALTZ RHYTHM:

-# I want to break free

# Ah, ah-ah

# I want to break free

# Ah-ah, ah

# I want to break free from the lie

-# You're so self-satisfied... #

-It's a waltz. OK.

# ..Mm, bah-bah

# I want to break free... #

You've made a really audacious change to the song

by putting it into a waltz.

It's much slower than the original, isn't it?

I mean, what do you think?

I do like it, but when we practised last night,

-we were saying it would be faster.

-Yeah.

I think... Well, what do you think?

Either stick with this 3/4 and go with it

and it will be pretty and lovely,

or you go back to what it originally was and make it poppy, so...

I think it's tricky, isn't it? It's tricky.

Just try it faster.

I just worry for you that you've gone back a bit,

into something that's a bit kind of, you know, relaxed.

I'm sorry if you've done absolutely loads on this,

but I'm not convinced.

'I... I hated the waltz, I hated the waltz, it was wrong.'

It's I Want To Break Free and Freddie Mercury, in the video,

prances around with a Hoover, in a dress

and this is no time for hiding lights under bushels.

It needs to be all out there.

The feedback from Gareth is that we've gone like this

and then, I suppose, in a way, I arranged it in our old style

and it kind of took it this and it's not going to have the impact.

We do know what we're doing.

We do know what we're doing and we are just improving that formula.

You know, it's developmental, we're just...growing.

One, two, three, four.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

welcome to the amazing...

What was the word?!

The amazing circus of Restless Symphony.

One, two, three, four.

As day one draws to a close, Katherine is working

with Southampton students Restless Symphony.

I want you to really think quite bassy with this.

Centre stage for their circus-themed take on Lady Gaga's Bad Romance

is the group's only man, Taz.

You've got to be proud with it.

The minute you go, "I'm a bit scared,"

we get a bit scared as well.

And you've got to listen to your inner showgirl.

Having grown up with four sisters,

he's used to fighting the ladies in his life for the spotlight.

In my family, we all do music, we all sing to an extent

and, like, at church, we would sing as well.

Every musical we did at school, I was there, in the front,

massive grin on my face, massive eyes, just like...

-LAUGHTER

-Yeah, I'm singing!

I was completely different from everybody else in school

cos music was just my little getaway and I was bullied

for being, like, the only boy that enjoyed singing.

Even when I went to college, I did engineering

and then I went back to singing,

so it was just a thing where it was just like, "I can't escape you,

"so there's no point in trying,

"I might as well just give it my all and just...

"just go out there and see how far I can get with it."

You need to be playing, "I'm central and I'm key and I'm powerful

"and I'm strong and I have choices to make."

Stand up! Use your chest and use your voice!

Here we go, try it again.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,

welcome to the incredible circus of Restless Symphony!

# Ra-ra, ra-ah-ah-ah

# Ra-ma, ra-ma-ma-ah

# La-la, ooh-la-la... #

-Hello.

-Hello! So, I'm looking for Restless Symphony,

they're a really shy, retiring, quiet group.

They're on holiday in Romania.

Can you explain to me why Taz is standing on a box?

I'm a ring-leader.

So, this is a big role for you?

-Yeah.

-Good, but this is one where there can be no apology from you,

there can be no embarrassment,

it's got to be absolutely all out or nothing.

Good, OK, I like it a lot. Continue. See you later.

ALL: Thank you. Bye.

This is what a cappella school is about.

It's about actually developing,

not coming in and doing the same old thing you've always done

and hoping that will wash, it's about learning new skills

and they are in there, credit to them,

they're coming out all guns blazing. Love it!

It's more pressure than I thought it would be

because I am just genuinely the centre of attention and...

it's going to take some getting used to.

While Restless Symphony might have made a promising start,

my candid critique of Gospel Essence's arrangement

has sent Rebecca back to the drawing board.

I'm just working out what I want the guys to sing,

then we've always got something to refer to.

They're excited to see what I'll come up with,

so I don't want to disappoint them as well,

so fingers crossed it all works out.

Rebecca is not alone in suffering a setback on this first day.

Lots of ups and downs today.

Some groups are really flying

and some groups are thinking they're flying

and then in comes the mentor and everything goes wrong.

I think tomorrow is the interesting day.

Tomorrow, if a mentor comes in and says they don't like it,

it starts to get really difficult.

It's hard work here.

It's us, time to get up!

He doesn't even fit in the bed! We're going to be late!

Day two.

-Morning!

-Morning!

It's now just 24 hours until the groups perform

at the world-renowned Birmingham Conservatoire

in front of 500 people and, crucially, the jury.

Chairing this week,

alongside a leading music producer and vocal expert,

is acclaimed performance coach Andrew Panton.

Obviously, singing is key to a cappella,

but it's about so much more than that,

it's about the performance and it's about the mood

and the personality.

We want to see the personality of the individual singers

and the group coming across.

Alongside Andrew,

experts across the whole range of a cappella genres

will also vote to decide who stays in the contest

and which group leaves for good.

To ensure they are ready to face the jury,

Rebecca has been up half the night,

reworking her arrangement for Gospel Essence.

THEY HARMONISE

Assessing the new waltz-free version is vocal coach Mark De-Lisser.

-# I want to break free

-I want, I want, I want

# I want to break free... #

-OK, that's it?

-That's it,

we just haven't locked that last verse down...

-OK.

-..with the fade-out.

-Has everyone got these parts?

No, we... When we finished rehearsing yesterday,

I just had to close it because it was just that stage where everyone needed

to sleep, so we haven't had a chance to do this bit, so this is...

Rebecca, you've missed a trick. The trick is real simple.

Why has everybody else not got their separate part on their phone?

I just didn't have the opportunity to send it to anybody.

-It's minutes.

-OK.

-It's minutes.

This is tough. I know.

I know and I... I...I get it, 100%.

But something has to change.

Shall I take five?

I'm OK with the pressure,

it's just a case of when you've done everything you can

and you still feel like you're falling short,

that's where the problem is. It's like...

It makes you question

if you are actually good at what you think you are

and it's a bit hard...

to take, I guess.

While Rebecca battles on to get the much-needed arrangement finished...

..I'm checking how Stratford East Singers

have handled the advice to go simple and soulful with their sound.

# If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it... #

I think you can get a better blend than that, you four. Turn in.

Same volume, same sound, look at each other's mouths.

# Because if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it

# If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it... #

Real energy.

# ..what you see and you want it... #

I'd love you four just to do that over and over again

until it's totally like, "Oof!" Totally seamless.

That's some of the best ensemble I've heard out of you.

# If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it

# Oh, oh, oh... #

Hallelujah!

-# Oh, oh, oh... #

-That's great.

THEIR SINGING IS HEARD OUTSIDE

Oh, my God, guys, they sound so good!

# Ring on it Should have put a ring on it... #

They sound amazing.

# Should have put a ring on it. #

# Yeah! #

We've got a lot to do.

Catch!

-Team hug!

-THEY CHEER

This is my favourite moment!

Across the hall...

# Bad dreams in the night... #

..the Sons of Pitches are working on choreography.

# ..Told me I was going to lose the fight

# Leave behind my Wuthering Wuthering, Wuthering Heights... #

So you've got to really feel the five ghosts of Cathy behind you.

Have you ever walked through a wood at night on your own?

-Yes.

-Yeah, it's that.

-Hello.

-ALL: Hey.

-Hi. How's it going?

-Good.

Come on, let's see if it works.

# Out on the winding, windy moors

# We'd roll and fall in green

# You had a temper like my jealousy

# Too hot, too greedy... #

I don't know that that... Did that draw me in?

I'm so impressed with you, technically,

and I feel I keep saying this to you

because most people don't know anything about music,

technically, but what they are all experts in are human beings.

Honestly, there's a power in each one of us

to stand in front of an audience and give them something.

I don't feel you digging deep, you know?

I don't feel that sense of, like, we've had to really,

like, find this there in my toes.

For me, I don't really know where to start.

Cos I've always listened, it's listening out for cool harmonies

and cool... I've never listened to music emotionally,

I've always seen it as technical, I really like that.

I don't know where to start, really.

From when I was a kid, I would hear a piece of music

and it would do something to me

and I wouldn't understand it but it was feeling, it was emotion

and I get none of that from The Sons of Pitches at the moment.

I get like we're sorting out who has to pay the phone bill.

It's that kind of feeling, you know.

"Oh, we can sort out... You can do this and I can do that.

"Yes, isn't that marvellous? Great, we're done." No, you're not.

We're really worried, but it's massively an attitude thing.

We just need to say, OK, this is how it's going to happen

and we'll practise it until it does work.

But instead we're kind of... There's a lot of fear.

Rounders bats packed away...

Come into the circle. Come tight, come tight.

..Choral Stimulation are heading to see Jason who has a plan

to make their awkward performance smoulder.

OK, grab yourself a chair.

So what we're going to do is we're going to go

one person at a time, OK?

Person number one is going to tell person number two

something bad that has happened to them.

They're then going to tell you what has come good out of that.

So, late last year my grandad died. I was close to him...

-Sorry.

-It's OK.

I think I just spread myself really thinly and it really

affected my studies and it's almost like a selfish thing.

I just wanted to see him, as you do, but it's a hard time

and I didn't really speak to anyone about it.

I don't think you should, in any way,

feel guilty about being selfish.

You spent that time with your grandad,

which is much more important.

Thank you.

Good. Group hug.

Don't be inhibited with the interaction

that you have to do with one another because I know you're friends,

but, you know, that should make it even easier.

Now that you know each other a little bit better, I think that will

make it even easier as well. Just remember that.

There are worse things that have happened, so this is nothing.

This is something that you enjoy doing, do you know what I mean?

Thanks.

It did exactly what he said it would do.

It just stripped back everyone's inhibitions.

Everyone was suddenly filled

with a slightly more positive outlook on life.

# You can sleep

# You can't eat

# Something something doh-oh

# You like to think that you're immune to this stuff

# You're going to have to face it

# You're addicted to love

# You like to think that you're immune to the stuff

# Oh yeah

# Might as well face it You're addicted to love... #

Yes, he's the only one who gets it right.

Really well done. Tony, it's great.

But, Tony, are you going to remember the words?

No, definitely not.

Is there anything that we can do to help you, because you've got...

There's a lot of pressure on your shoulders.

-What can we do to get you there?

-I just need to write them out.

-Yeah.

I did cover sets all the time. I've been making up verses for years.

You can't do that. By hook or by crook, get this man some lyrics.

He's got to remember the words.

He can't just scaba-doop, dabba-dee, dabba-dee-do

his way through this. He really can't.

While lyrics prove a headache for Tony, the two groups who

fell behind with their arrangements have a different problem.

# ..I want to break free... #

As the last day of mentoring draws to a close,

they're playing catch-up with their choreography.

Head to the front. Head to the front...

With time against them, Stratford East have gone

for something simple to match their new, pared-down vocals.

Basically, you're going to turn on yourself.

# If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it

# If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it

# Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring... #

I thought you did that twice.

We're back with a fighting chance now

and the guys feel like that, as well.

We're definitely a lot more positive.

Not so Gospel Essence, who, at the 11th hour,

are struggling to master a complex routine.

# Oh, how I want to break free

# Oh, how I want to break free... #

Just make sure when you do the walks,

don't make it look like you've pooed your pants.

That thing of being drawn to something

means that you'll go in a straight line with your feet,

whereas otherwise you do end up doing this, which is very weird.

No-one walks like this.

Actually, their arrangement works.

Yes, they're in danger right now if we put that on stage right now.

Absolutely in danger,

but I have a funny feeling, because they know they're in danger,

they're probably going to be the most sharply focused group.

It's the last day of a cappella school and it has been a joy.

The standard now, we've got to this stage, is incredible.

I feel confident that as long as Tony remembers his words,

Choral Stimulation are going to do a great job.

There's so many of them, look, it's just ridiculous.

I think Sons of Pitches might be the weirdest a cappella thing

you've ever seen, but it will be something.

It will be a performance and I don't think you'll forget it in a hurry.

Gospel Essence, they all said, "We've learnt the lessons, yes,

"we've learned the lessons from last time."

No, you haven't, because the lesson was, get on with it.

Everyone has worked really hard and they just need an audience.

Performance day.

Today is the big day.

The groups are waving a cappella school goodbye

before they head to the Birmingham Conservatoire,

to compete once more.

The challenge I set them

was all about creating a standout performance.

It needs every member of the group to be 100% committed

and to bring it to the audience, on the day, in front of the jury.

If we're going home, we're going home.

If we're going to stay, we're going to stay, but either way,

we get one chance. That's the one thing that's guaranteed.

-So we might as well go out there and have fun.

-Yeah.

As the groups prepare backstage...

..my jury arrive.

First and foremost, they want to be entertained, but today,

vocals will take a back-seat as they focus on choreography,

costume and the spectacle that groups bring to the stage.

The thing for me is emotional content.

Do they actually thrill me when they're on stage?

Do they elicit an emotional response?

I think is actually top of my list.

While the focus might be on stagecraft,

the groups must still deliver in terms of blend, beat-boxing,

timing and tuning, as they bring all that they've learned

this past week to bear on this crucial performance.

We're relying on him quite a lot for this and so I think, maybe,

he's getting a bit nervous.

He's a pro and I think he's going to absolutely smash it.

He can handle it.

I'm really nervous today.

This could be the last time we do this,

so everyone needs to bring it and I believe the guys will.

APPLAUSE

With the jury in their seats,

the groups will now face their biggest audience yet.

APPLAUSE

Hello. Welcome, welcome, thank you.

Let's get this show on the road with the first of our acts.

Get ready for a sultry performance from Choral Stimulation.

APPLAUSE

THEY SCAT

# Your lights are on but you're not home

# Your mind is not your own

# Your heart sweats

# Your body shakes

# Another kiss is all it takes

# You can't eat You can't sleep

# There's no doubt you're in deep

# Your throat's tight You can't breathe

# Another kiss is all you need

# Oh, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff

# Oh, yeah

# Da-da-da-da-da-da da-da-da-da-da-da

# It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough

# You know you're going to have to face it

# You're addicted to love

# You see the signs

# But you can't read

# You're runnin' at a different speed

# You heart beats in double time

# Another kiss and you'll be mine

# A one track mind

# You can't be saved

# Oblivion is all you crave

# If there's some left for you

# You don't mind if you do

# Oh, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff

# Might as well face it

# You're addicted to love

# Might as well face it

# You're addicted to love

# Might as well face it

# You're addicted to love

# Might as well face it

# You're addicted to love

# You like to think that you're immune to the stuff

# You might as well face it You're addicted to love

# Ah

# Da-da-da-da-da-da Da-da-da-da-da-da

# Da-da-da-da-da-da Da-da-da-da-da-da. #

APPLAUSE

Ho-ho! Amazing.

I kind of fluffed one of the choruses, lyric-wise,

but just turned it into a strange dance.

APPLAUSE

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls.

Welcome to the incredible circus of Restless Symphony.

# Rah rah ah-ah-ah

# Ro mah ro-mah-mah

# Gaga oh-la-la

# Want your bad romance

# I want your ugly

# I want your disease

# I want your everything

# As long as it's free

# I want your love

# Love-love-love

# I want your love

# I want your love and I want your revenge

# You and me could write a bad romance

# Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

# Caught in a bad romance

# Rah rah ah-ah-ah

# Ro mah ro-mah-mah

# Gaga ooh-la-la!

# Want your bad romance

# I want your horror

# I want your design

# Cos you're a criminal as long as you're mine

# I want your love

# Love-love-love I want your love

# I don't want to be friends

# I don't want to be friends

# Caught in a bad romance

# I don't want to be friends

# A bad romance

# Want your bad romance

# Rah rah ah-ah-ah. #

Ladies and gentlemen, the show is now over.

We bid you goodnight.

APPLAUSE

They'll be really happy, I think.

That's the best performance we've ever done.

APPLAUSE

Next up, the Sons of Pitches.

THEY BEATBOX

# Out on the winding windy moors

# We'd roll and fall in green

# You had a temper like my jealousy

# Too hot too greedy

# How could you leave me

# When I needed to possess you?

# I hated you

# I loved you too

# Bad dreams in the night

# They told me I was going to lose the fight

# Leave behind my Wuthering, Wuthering

# Wuthering Heights

# Heathcliff It's me, I'm Cathy

# I've come home I'm so cold

# Let me in your window

# Oh-oh

# It gets dark

# It gets lonely on the other side from you

# I pine a lot I find the lot

# Falls through without you

# I'm coming back, love

# Cruel Heathcliff, my one dream

# My only master

# Too long I roam in the night

# I'm coming back to his side to put it right

# I'm coming home to Wuthering, Wuthering

# Wuthering heights

# Heathcliff It's me, I'm Cathy

# I've come home I'm so cold

# Let me in your window

# Heathcliff It's me, I'm Cathy

# I've come home I'm so cold!

# Let me in your window

# Heathcliff It's me, I'm Cathy

# I've come home I'm so cold!

# Let me in your window

# Heathcliff It's me, I'm Cathy

# I've come home. #

APPLAUSE

I'm moved, I'm moved.

He's got tears in his eyes.

I have never seen that from them. They've done it. I felt something.

I felt a lot.

Next up, a rock anthem given a novel twist

by the one, the only Gospel Essence.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-# Ah

-God knows

-# Ah

-God knows

# Ooh

# I want to break free

# I want to break free

# I want to break free

# I want to break free from your lies

# You're so self-satisfied I don't need you

# I've got to break free

# God knows

# God knows I want to break free

# It's strange but it's true

# I can't get over the way you love me like you do

# But I have to be sure when I walk out the door

# I have to be free

# Oh Lord, I want to be free

# Oh, how I want to break free

# Do do do do do

# Do do do do

# Hey, yeah

# Whoo-hoo, ooh-ooh

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

# Whoo

# But life still goes on

# I can't get used to living without

# Living without, living without you by my side

# God knows, God knows

# I don't wanna live alone

# God knows

# I've got to make it on my own

# I've got to break free

# I want to break free. #

There were some great moments in that. It had energy,

but it's not perfect.

Gospel Essence, everyone!

There was nothing I could do, you trod on it.

I couldn't get the rope from behind me,

he was walking on it so I had to drop it.

One step on the robe, it's just getting to me.

Time for the final act of the night, Stratford East Singers!

# Da da da da da da da

# Da da da da da

# Da da da da

# Up in the club

# We just broke up

# Doing my own little thing

# Decided to dip

# Now you wanna quit

# Cos another brother noticed me

# I'm up on him

# He up on me

# Don't pay him any attention

# I cried my tears for three good years

# You can't get mad at me

# If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it

# Don't get mad

# If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it

# Don't you love me?

# Don't be mad once you see that he want it

# If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it

# Three years

# I cried my tears

# Don't be mad cos another man looked at me

# You, you should have put a ring on it

# If you liked it You should have put a ring on it

# If you liked it, you should have put a ring on it

# If you liked it You should have put a ring on it

# Ring on it, ring on it

# Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring

# Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

# Should have put a

# Ring on it

# Should have put a ring on it, ring on it

# Should have put a

# Ring on it

# Should have put a ring on it

# Ring on it

# Should have put a

# Ring on it

# Should have put a ring on it, ring on it

# Yeah! #

-CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Unbelievable! Yes!

Who will be going through to my semi-final

is now a decision solely for the jury.

Choral Stimulation, I just loved this.

Cool choreography, it was sophisticated.

Loved the lead singer.

The only thing I would say is, don't close your eyes

when you're singing solo. There's still an audience

that you've got to bring into your performance.

Sons of Pitches, brilliant. Great tension, eerie harmonies.

We've talked endlessly about how technically accomplished they are

but that they didn't grip us. That gripped me tonight. Great job.

So, Restless Symphony, I thought

the starting tableau here was absolutely fantastic.

You were drawn in from the start.

I thought they did a good job of that, given there's not many of them

to actually create that amount of sound.

Great soloists, I really felt like the key was a tone too low

but overall I really loved it.

Gospel Essence, I really struggled with this. It wasn't unified.

I think they struggled with the change of outfit.

They were thinking about robes and steps.

But they had nice rhythm changes and it was good to see

the new soloist because I haven't really heard her.

Stratford East.

OK, if you saw my face when I heard that soloist,

it would have looked like this.

I thought their intonation was 100% better than ever before.

That's a great thing to fix and very difficult to fix, and they did it.

I suppose if I had to nitpick a little bit, it would be

just at the very end, we kind of went ambiguous pitching territory.

So, I guess it's time to vote.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, members of the audience,

I have the results.

I can now reveal which acts will be going through to the semi-finals.

The results are in no particular order.

I'm going to start by revealing the first act to make it through.

It's Stratford East Singers!

SCREAMING AND CHEERING

The next group staying in the contest...

..is...

Restless Symphony.

Staying in the contest is...

..The Sons of Pitches.

Two groups left now on stage

but only one will be going through to the semi-final.

The jury said that this was an incredibly tough decision

but the group that they felt should stay in the contest is...

..Choral Stimulation.

That means that, sadly, Gospel Essence,

you'll be leaving us at this stage of the contest.

We will be very, very sorry to say goodbye to you.

I'm going to miss you guys. It was great.

I really enjoyed your performance today.

I don't know how you pulled that off, really well done!

Can we have a huge round of applause? Thank you.

It's brought us all massively close together

and it's tightened a bond

that we already thought couldn't get any stronger.

We've been through so much, so I haven't got any words at the moment.

It's lovely. I'm really proud of what we have achieved.

Look, there were so many great things about your performance.

You did a great job. Gem, that excellent solo.

Excellent solo, Rebecca.

You were beaten fair and square just on points of precision, I'm afraid.

Yeah, it's completely fair. We've just enjoyed the whole process.

We love the other groups as well so hats off to them

and we wish them every success.

We might join Stratford East anyway!

It feels as though we've jumped over the emotion hurdle.

The last couple of weeks,

they've been talking about emotion, emotion,

and hopefully we've nailed that now.

It was really good tonight.

The standard of singing is getting so much better

and the standards of performance, it was slick time.

There were moments that were really professional on that stage.

It was great!

It's now getting so hard to separate between the groups. All the groups.

I am so excited about the semi-finals.

It will be brilliant and they'll have so much fun.

It's going to be hard.

Gareth, what's your next challenge?

Cos we're ready, we're coming for you!

-ALL:

-Yeah! Whooo!

Next time...

The last four groups fight for a place in my final.

HE GROWLS

For the first time, they must choose their own song.

# Me, you treated as a punk You know that's unheard-of... #

Oh, gosh!

As I challenge them to take a cappella

from the stage to the screen.

I hated this. Hated it.

This was a brave decision,

but I don't know if they're up to it.