Episode 3 Hit the Stage

Hi I'm Katie B and this is Hit The Stage,

and I'm going to be taking a group of budding musicians

and giving them the chance to perform on the biggest stages

we can find.

Budding DJs go from playing their mum and dad's parties

to rocking the decks at major festivals.

Singers from singing hymns in church to performing to sell-out crowds.

And songwriters from sharing their songs with no-one

to playing to an audience of thousands.

Are you ready to Hit The Stage? We are!

# I keep on moving with the lights on

# The lights on

# So come on play me just one more... #

I've been lucky enough to make a life out of doing something

that I love - singing and performing.

You may even know some of my hit singles.

And now I'm in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Why am I here? Well, it's simple.

This year the city is the UK's first ever City Of Culture,

which means there's loads of massive music events happening

all year round and I'm going to help some local kids to Hit The Stage.

I won't be doing it alone - I've got two local musicians to help me out

when I'm not around. Glenn, who loves hitting the stage himself

when he's rocking out with his band...

The spark of creativity they have really reignites the spark

that you have, so I'm really looking forward to the eight months,

and seeing where this is going to go.

D Major...

And Jenny, who likes to take things a bit more slowly

when she's teaching students how to play the harp or sing.

It's really inspiring to think that these kids really have

so much potential, so I'm really, really excited to see

what they're going to come up with.

Last time on Hit The Stage,

we saw Micaela go from singing songs in church

to performing on a massive stage in front of thousands.

We found out that Eibhin loves to sing,

but needs to work on his preparation a bit more.

Hiya!

And I told singer-songwriter Hannah she's been booked

to play a massive outdoor stage at a CBBC festival.

She has all the confidence in the world

when she plays other people's songs,

but when it comes to the brilliant songs that she's written herself,

it's a different story.

I always think to play me own song, you know, it's a bit of a risk,

it's always a bit of a risk, like, are they going to like it?

Are they going to, you know, are they going to hate it?

Hannah has a fabulous talent, and in preparation for her Leeds concert,

I want to convince her that she really belongs in the big time.

One of the headline events of City of Culture is Radio 1's Big Weekend,

and I'm sending her to soak up the atmosphere and meet Woody,

who is the drummer in one of her favourite bands, Bastille.

I actually do a cover of one of your songs as well,

-I do a cover of Pompeii.

-Nice, so can I please hear your cover?

-OK.

-If that's all right, yeah?

-OK. OK, yes.

-Let's hear it then.

# I was left in my own devices... #

I never thought that, like, I would be sitting here playing Pompeii

with, you know, one of the guys that wrote the song.

While Hannah is rubbing shoulders with her favourite pop stars,

guess who else she bumps into?

Yeah, me!

So how are you feeling that you're going to be performing

on a big stage outside like this at Radio 1?

No words. Like, I'm just...

Like... Even just being here today, it's like...

Like, to think that I'm going to be doing something like that is just...

mental.

Hannah seems to be flying on her musical journey,

but it looks like Eibhin is struggling to get off the ground

with his.

I've organised for Eibhin to perform

at a major City of Culture concert with Irish music legend Phil Coulter

and Damian McGinty from Glee.

Phil is known as Derry's Simon Cowell, and he's just as tough...

-There's no free rides in my gig.

-OK.

If it's not good enough, you're not on.

# Oh, it takes every kind of people... #

Eibhin sometimes struggles to remember his words...

# Life's about, yeah... #

..and that doesn't go down well with Phil.

Did I hear that on a previous airing that you forgot your words?

-Yeah.

-That, at the level we're talking about,

-the level that you want to aspire to...

-Mm-hm.

..that is unforgivable.

With only three weeks to go before hitting the stage

in front of 2,000 people, I think he needs all the support he can get.

I think the reason why he keeps forgetting his words

is that he's not really feeling what they mean,

so I've arranged for the city's top theatre director

to give him a crash course in performance.

# Running on the river tonight

# With...

# Will history divide us...

# ..all alighting

# And the stars are written... #

OK, stop, stop.

I've worked with singers before and I've come up with this problem

because what happens is you get so focused on trying to make

-a lovely sound...

-Mm-hm.

-..I don't think you've really realised yet

that you're actually telling us a story.

You've come out there as if you were going to be shot,

whereas you're coming out to tell us

that there's a new future for all of us.

The song Bright Brand New Day that Eibhin is singing

has been written especially for Derry's City of Culture year

by top songwriter Phil, and it has a very special meaning.

# There's a fresh breeze blowing through the city tonight... #

Its hard believe now, but for 30 years Northern Ireland

was torn apart by a period of violence called the Troubles,

in which people from two different sides fought each other.

Hundreds of people from this city were killed by bombs and bullets,

but thankfully that's in the past, and Phil Coulter's song

has a powerful message of a brand-new future.

Just trust yourself.

You're afraid to do it cos you think you're going to look silly,

-isn't that it?

-And I know I'm going to look silly.

Your voice is great, your voice will be brilliant, but you're...

You're mixing up all the words as well. Like, Phil Coulter will

-not let you...

-Rip me apart.

-He won't let you on stage.

-Do you want to do this?

-Yeah.

-Do you?

-Yeah.

I don't think you do.

The way you're acting at the minute,

I don't even know if you want to be a singer.

No, but seriously, I mean, it's like...

It's like everything is so painful for you.

Everything is painful for me.

-It shouldn't be.

-Do you think she's right or is she completely wrong?

She is right, aye.

Can you find a phrase, three words that you like the sound of?

-The chorus. The...

-Say the chorus to me.

There's a bright brand new day, come and step out of the darkness

and into the light.

-Say that to me and mean it.

-Aaah!

If that's all we get out of today, you convince me

that something is going to change.

But I don't think anything's going to change.

It's the same, it's not a new day, it's the same day.

-Is tomorrow the same day...

-Yes!

-..as to day?

-Basically.

What makes it the same?

Well, you wake up, go to school, go to bed, that...

If Eibhin can't get to grips with this song,

he won't be allowed to sing at the concert.

It's tough, but that's what it takes

if you want to perform on the biggest stages.

Across town, another of our Hit the Stage group

is about to start his musical adventure.

Conal, come on, there's a match in the Brandywell. Come on, look...

Wait till you see what I got you...

Look at that. For the Candy Stripe.

13-year-old Conal loves his football.

Him and his grandad Tommy never miss a game

when Derry City are playing at home.

Not content to just cheer the team on, Conal's musical skills

are relied upon to bang the drum of support.

This kid has rhythm,

which is more than can be said for the team, unfortunately.

But drums aren't Conal's main instrument.

He's big into his Irish traditional music

and he's been playing the fiddle, what I would call a violin,

since the age of seven.

Irish traditional music is a big part of life here in Derry,

and Conal plays all over the city at small events

and when he practises at home

he's always guaranteed one dedicated superfan.

That dog's dancing!

So I'm just on my way to see Conal now.

I'm really intrigued by his fiddle playing

and his traditional Irish roots,

so hopefully I'll get to hear some more.

-Hello.

-Hello, Conal!

-Heyyy!

-How's it going?

When I said I wanted to hear him play,

I wasn't quite expecting this reception.

That was brilliant. Thank you so much.

-That was a bit of a fun.

-What's that piece called? Has it got a name?

-Er, the music?

-Yeah.

-Harvest Song.

-Not like the stuff you're doing.

-Yeah.

It was Conal's grandad Tommy who first spotted his sense of rhythm

and introduced him to the fiddle when he was only seven.

So how did you first get into playing the fiddle?

Well, I was at my granddad's house

and I was watching the TV.

There was music on and I started tapping me foot,

so then he got me a fiddle.

-What, there and then?

-Aye.

-Ah, cool.

Ever since then I was playing the fiddle.

So now I've met Conal I have definitely got a bit of a vibe

for his Irish roots.

I've had his sisters doing Irish dancing in the living room,

so I'm really going to have to find something with a traditional vibe

in the city this year for him perform at.

This is the live room.

Conal's journey might just be starting, but Hannah is gearing up

for her biggest stage yet - CBBC's Live in Leeds festival.

In preparation for her big performance she's hard at work

in the studio with Glenn.

He's a pro at recording all the best local bands,

and Hannah's trying out a new song that she wants to play at the event.

# Cos I don't know who you are any more... #

I knew that by sending Hannah to Leeds to perform on a bigger stage

she would have to up her game, and she has.

That new song sounds great.

I'm so excited for her.

-Do you feel good?

-I feel great.

-Cool.

Eibhin has just two weeks to go to make the song Phil Coulter

gave him to learn his own.

But he is still struggling with it.

# ..brand new day that's coming... #

Especially getting the words right.

I'm here to help...

Ice cream!

How you feeling?

-Oh, yeah, terrified. Completely, really.

-Terrified?

-It's going to be awful.

-Oh, why are you saying that for?

I'm going to mess up my lines or something... Oh, God!

No, you won't, you won't.

Oh, gosh, this looks...

If I need to learn a song I'll put the song on my phone

or on my MP3 and I'll just keep playing it over and over again.

Are you're not sick of it by the end of it?

The feeling of going on stage under-prepared is like torture.

It's like the most horrible feeling that you can give to yourself.

So I just think, "Ah, I don't want that feeling,"

I want to be able to go on stage, be confident, have fun, enjoy it,

you know, really think about like performing it,

and think about the emotion rather than thinking about

-the technical words and the notes, you know.

-Uh-huh.

Eibhin has such a beautiful voice.

I really hope that he can crack Phil's song in time.

There's the stage, Hannah.

Hannah's cracked her song and has made it to Leeds for her big gig.

Before the gates open to let the crowds in,

Hannah has to sound check to make sure everything is working properly.

# Hold on to what you have

# Start dreaming something better

# Dreaming something better

# Dreaming something better... #

And it looks like she's picked up a couple of new fans.

Second on... I'm second on! I'm second on!

-Hi, Hannah.

-Hi!

-How you doing?

-Dom!

-We do huggles, do we? Hey, look at this. How are you, Hannah?

I-I love, I loved Da Bungalow. I watched it every morning.

-Did you really?

-How are you?

-Hi!

-Lovely to meet you.

Oh, my love. Cuddles.

She watched the Bungalow every morning when she was little.

-Watched it every single morning.

-And now look at you headlining this gig!

We're your comperes now, we're working for you.

We're introducing you.

This is so crazy. I used to love you so much.

I've just been to your sound check, your rehearsal, sounded nice.

Your voice is absolutely beautiful.

If I had known you were here

I would've brought me Da Bungalow annual.

To sign? We'll have to sign your guitar. We'll deface it.

-She's not so keen on that idea.

-No.

-We'll leave you to rehearse.

-Good luck.

OK. OK. I'll see you later. Bye.

Aaah!

The pop star might just be starting to relax and enjoy the atmosphere,

but her mum is really feeling the pressure.

I'm sick as a dog. I'm so nervous I'm going to throw up...

..and I'm not coping very well with it.

With the gates open and crowds streaming into the venue

it's time for Hannah to Hit The Stage.

Oh, my God.

I never thought I'd get to here, where I am, ever,

ever and I'm really nervous now, so don't talk to me.

Make a big Leeds noise and a big welcome for Hannah!

CROWD CHEERS

Hi, everybody. Having a good time?

# I feel sorry for the girl that came before

# Cos I don't know who you are any more

# So here we are

# Just me and my guitar

# Like a lone park ranger

# Writing a song for a stranger

# People told us they made a mistake

# And at the time I just didn't listen

# But it did something

# Changed you

# I felt it

# More powerful than any song ever written

# And I'm sorry for wasting your time

# But in a way you'll always be mine

# So here we are

# Just me and my guitar

# Like a lone park ranger

# Writing a song for a stranger. #

Thank you!

-Class! You sounded amazing.

-Thank you!

I never thought I'd get to where I am now.

I always thought I was just going to be bedroom Hannah.

I have always wanted to play on a stage like this,

this is something that only somebody my age can dream about.

It's an amazing feeling.

Hit The Stage isn't just about individual performances.

Our entire group of 13 are all performing something together.

I've chosen the song Chasing Cars from local band Snow Patrol,

but when it was announced it didn't go down so well.

It only does playing when someone gets put out the X Factor.

Everybody keeps saying

that they sort of hear it all the time, it's played out.

So I think I'll have to do something radical to get the ball rolling...

for real.

OK, guys, is it nice and warm in there?

Oh, my God!

I wanted the group to relax and have some fun,

and I think they're really starting to get into the swing of things.

Three, two, one!

Why don't we just get them to practise?

I can't believe Glenn and Jenny have been roped in to this too.

Three! Two! One!

After all their fun it's time for a little bit of work,

but not too much.

I'm hoping this next exercise will start to make them think

more creatively about the track I've chosen.

OK, guys. Now we're going to try and workshop our ideas.

We're all going to get paint, we're all going to grab a colour each

and that's going to be kind of like your part.

So this is a big blank canvas. This is the start of the song,

and way down there is the end of the song.

So every person has a colour

and the more colours we have the more people there are,

and if there's only one colour

there will be only one thing playing.

SONG: "Express Yourself"

Do you think the piano should come in here, then?

I could make the beats along with the piano.

Well, do you want to try and maybe put on some colour?

At the end, do you think we should all come in together,

and have that really big...

That really big finish?

I think it really unlocked everybody's kind of creative side.

And made everybody think about each other.

And want to express themselves more.

JENNY: They've really bonded well together today and the graffiti

was a great way to start, but I think we need to take all this now

and go back to the practise rooms and get concrete plans.

The group have definitely made their mark.

Let's hope this can inspire them in the practise room.

The time has come for Eibhin to find out

if all his hard work has paid off.

Phil Coulter wants to listen to his voice one more time

before deciding if he's done enough to earn a place on stage

alongside Damien McGinty at tonight's concert.

Well, the ball's in his court.

I just need to gauge how seriously he's taking it

cos if he's not taking it seriously,

well, then he needs to adjust his attitude.

How you doing, Eibhin?

This is it. Either he'll get the biggest gig of his life,

or all his hard work will have come to nothing.

-Want to try it then?

-Sure.

When he started playing the songs, the music,

I kept sort of thinking, "OK, you have to get this first note."

# The... # I'm so sorry.

I'm really terrified.

'Then I missed the first note.

'So everything playing through your head is,

"Oh, my God, I messed everything up,

"four weeks of preparation for nothing. Dear God, dear God!'

# Though our memories will still... #

-The memories.

-Oh, sorry.

# Though the memories will still... #

'Messed up a few of the words, like added an it or an and,

'and nothing really major.

'I sort of can put that down to the nerves.'

# It's a bright

# Brand new day. #

Yeah. OK.

I think you've done enough work now to convince me

that I should give you a shot.

-All right?

-Mm-hm.

-OK. Good boy.

-Thanks.

Well done.

-Well?

-I got it!

I'm delighted for Eibhin. It just goes to show how hard work

can really pay off, but for Conal

the hard work is just about to start.

I've got a message from Katy B.

In just three weeks' time,

City Of Culture will host the biggest Irish Traditional Music

festival in the world - The Fleadh.

Over 400,000 people are due to pack out Derry's venues

and I've arranged for Conal to play with the headline act.

No pressure there, then!

Cara Dillon is a wonderful Irish artist,

and she wants you to join her, and her band

for their big show on the last night of the festival.

Now this might be totally different to anything else you've ever done,

and it's going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of practise

to be ready in time and be focused, but I am more than sure that you are

capable of doing this.

-Are you up for the challenge, then, yeah?

-Aye, definitely.

It's going to be quite a quick turn around. He hasn't got that long

to learn it. It's going to be serious hard graft for him,

a lot of practise.

Practising can be really tough - I should know.

So if you're struggling to keep going, here are some top tips.

Dad always told me that practise makes perfect and I think that's

probably the best advice I was actually given.

And I think it does.

John Mayer actually once said as well that he used to lock himself

in his bedroom and just play guitar for hours and hours.

I practise quite a lot,

but I didn't ever see it as practise.

Being a teenager, you know, like,

you want to rebel against what people are saying.

Like, if someone's going, "Make sure you practise,"

and it just kind of makes you

not really want to do it in a way.

You'll play cos you love it,

not cos you see it as a chore or something you have to do.

It's just cos you really enjoy it, and it's good for the soul as well.

It's just a few hours before doors open for tonight's major

City Of Culture concert featuring Phil Coulter, Damien McGinty

and Eibhin... Yay!

It's all got very real all of a sudden.

-Eibhin?

-Yeah.

You're going to do the second half of the second chorus...

Phil is trusting Eibhin with a solo part

on the two most important lines of the most important song.

He really has to get this right.

# There's a bright brand new day... #

And during the sound check, someone is having trouble with their lines,

and guess what, it's not Eibhin!

-Stand here in the light.

-Stand here in the light.

Next!

Want to try it again with the right words this time?

Stand here in the light, it's a bright band new day...

May our... Our voices will all unite.

May our voices all...

No, not may. Our voices will all unite.

Our voices will all unite.

But mixing up his words doesn't throw Damian.

I hope Eibhin is taking note.

It's a massive crowd and Eibhin's parents are there for support.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome home Phil Coulter.

As Phil begins his concert,

Eibhin is backstage with Damian getting some last minute advice

So, enjoy it, because as Phil says to me when I was 14,

it goes by in a heartbeat, and you might not believe it now

when you're sitting there very scared before you go on stage,

but trust me when you're finished and you're walking off

and the people are going crazy, you'll wake up tomorrow morning,

and you'll think to yourself, "Dang, did that really happen?"

Have a good time, man, you've worked for it.

I think the future of Derry is in the hands of the young kids.

and so I'm going to invite first of all Damian McGinty.

And a young 14-year-old kid

called Eibhin. A promising lad. Give him a shot.

CROWD CHEERS

# Well the planets are all aligning

# And the future is brightly shining

# For Derry our time has come at last

# There's a bright brand new day that's coming

# Step out of the darkness

# And stand here in the light

# There's a bright new day that's coming

# Our voices will all unite

# Sing it out

# Sing it clear

# Sing me a song the world can hear

# It's a bright, brand new day

ALL: # Our voices will all unite

# Sing it out, sing it clear

# Sing it so the world can hear

# It's a bright, brand new day. #

Wow! It's a standing ovation! Go Eibhin!

Oh, brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

You could hear his first two words he was a wee bit nervous,

and then when the crowd started getting along,

he was like "Oh, God, what's going on here?"

and then he blew everybody away. It's unbelievable.

-Was it good?

-Oh, you delivered, yeah.

That's a good start. You are the age that Damian was

when I heard him first, you know.

That's the significance of that

and it's like kind of handing the torch to a new generation

because, like, I'll be long gone when you're up and doing,

when you live up to your potential. Anyway, well done.

-Cheers for that.

-God bless. Thanks a lot. Take care.

Next time on Hit the Stage

singer Chloe gets to rock out with a band.

Pianist Darrel impresses me with his skills.

What you talking about, they're not too good? That's amazing.

And Conal prepares for the performance of a lifetime.

Your hands get sweaty, and your fingers are slipping.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd