Episode 5 The Big Performance

Ten kids terrified of singing in public...

Hey! Don't cry.

-What's happened?

-I don't want to do it.

-Two soloists...

-Chris and Oli.

-No!

..must undergo the toughest performance challenges...

-You must be extra nervous.

-Argh!

I'm still shaking, I don't know why.

..to face their ultimate fear...

..singing to a crowd of 40,000 people.

There's enough people there to eat you alive.

I just can't explain how I feel. I'm just really scared.

Could you do it? This is The Big Performance.

# Aaah... Aah-aah-aah-aah...

# Ooh-ooh-ooh!

# Yeah!

# Ooh-ooh-ooh

# Aah-aah-aah

# Ooh-oh

# Aah-ah! #

These shy singers are halfway through their Big Performance

tour of the country. In just six weeks, they must take to the stage

at one of Britain's largest outdoor concerts - Proms in the Park.

At the last stop on their musical journey,

a walk-out threatened the performance.

-What happened?

-I don't want to do it.

Today, their confidence is tested even further,

as they sing to their most important audience yet.

He may only be one man, but this is a really big deal.

Will the man from the Proms say yes?

All of the acts who take part have got to convince everybody

they're the best.

Today, The Big Performance tour bus is heading into the heart of the UK,

the Midlands. Home to Howard, musical maestro Ozzy Osbourne

and R&B star Jamelia.

There's a radical shift

in the music style this week.

It's not the kind of music they're expecting.

I think it could be kind of like hippie...

and, like, '70s music.

I don't actually know which music style

we'll be doing, but if I could guess,

I'd think it'd be something like classical.

I'm excited. It's very of the moment.

My shiny suit is a little bit of a clue.

Right, it's our fifth stop and this week, it's a little bit different.

The music theme is...

Electro-pop.

THEY LAUGH

And the soloist is... Drum roll, please!

The soloist is...Howard.

I love musical theatre,

but I can't stand rock or pop.

My favourite song is Where Is Love? from Oliver Twist.

My worst fear is singing in front of strangers.

Right, let's go, come on.

Electro-pop started in the late '70s and early '80s.

Its recent revival is thanks to artists

such as Ellie Goulding,

Lady Gaga and La Roux.

# Oh! Everybody's starry-eyed... #

I don't really know what electro-pop is. I've never heard of it.

I think that it'll be, um, techno

with, like, vocals in it.

I think it's kind of like...

rock music, kind of, maybe.

Today's music venue - the Custard Factory,

a media arts centre in the heart of Birmingham -

has played host to some of the world's biggest stars,

including Amy Winehouse.

Guys, we are now back in the 1980s, and this is electro-pop.

MUSIC: "Don't Go" by Yazoo

'When you're singing a new style of music, you've got to understand it,'

not just sing it in a vacuum.

# Came in from the city

# Walked into the door I turned around

# When I heard the sound of footsteps on the floor... #

Electro-pop came from synthesizers and disco,

it's a totally different era,

so just having a go at being in a disco,

seeing these lights,

getting into the mindset is very important when you're singing.

Howard, yeah! # Don't go! #

The choice of music, so far, hasn't struck a chord with the kids.

# Your cheatin' heart... #

-They were embarrassed by Country...

-Do you like country music?

-No.

-No.

-Do you hate country music?

-Yep.

-Yep.

UPBEAT MUSIC

..and show tunes failed to razzle-dazzle.

'I'm a bit disappointed about the song, because...'

it's not a song you can jump around to.

Will the electro-pop track get a more positive response?

The song that I've chosen for you

is one of my absolute favourites of the minute. It's called...

In For The Kill, and it's by La Roux. Know it?

-Yes.

-Oh, brilliant!

-I love that song!

-Yes!

A song that you love. # I'm going in

# For the kill

# I'm doing it

# For a thrill

# Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand

# And not let go of my hand... #

La Roux's hit, In For The Kill, peaked at number two

in the UK singles chart, bringing them massive success.

They've gone on to receive countless Brit Award nominations,

an NME Award, and they're in demand on the British festival circuit.

I really like this song.

It's all electronic

and it makes you want to dance and move.

I like it because it's actually modern,

unlike the others. Hallelujah!

# And don't let go of my hand. #

# We get ever so hot

# Ooh-ooh

# Whether we like it or not. #

Good. Don't fade away, keep it going.

As soon as I said La Roux, In For The Kill,

they had a really positive reaction.

It's a great song. It's very popular and they've all heard of it

# Ooh-ooh

# Whether we like it or not. #

Yeah. Good attitude. 'I was really starting to worry'

we'd never get a good sound out of them, but THAT is singing

like I have not heard out of them yet.

# I'm going in for the kill

# I'm doing it for the thrill Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand

# And not let go of my hand. #

But this song isn't a popular choice for today's soloist.

Singing a modern song

feels weird, because I don't normally

sing songs like this,

and it feels strange, because I normally listen to music theatre.

There's added pressure for Howard with today's performance test.

Now, as you know,

up until now, all the audiences have been getting bigger and bigger...

and bigger and bigger. This week, it's just one man...

THEY GIGGLE ..but this man

is the most important man you are going to sing to,

because he is from BBC Proms in the Park.

Later on today, the group must sing La Roux's In For The Kill

at Warwick Castle in front of the man from the Proms,

Chief Executive of the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,

Mr Stephen Maddock.

It's a huge event - 40,000 people there,

who've all paid money to be entertained,

so all of the acts who take part have got to be

absolutely at the best level, and they've got to convince everybody

that they're the best.

The group is halfway through musical training,

and there's no-one they need to impress more.

Things are getting serious, we're looking at Proms in the Park.

It may only be one man, but this is a really big deal.

# Ooh, oh-oh! #

OK, have a seat.

Gareth has spent the last four weeks building up the group's confidence.

He now wants them to understand

exactly the kind of performance expected at Proms in the Park.

What happens when we get in front of an audience?

-Do you get shy?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So, I'm going to show you a little video of...

your previous performances. THEY GROAN

# Can you feel it? Can you feel it? #

Severe stage fright affected their first performance

in front of Gareth's old school choir.

# Spread the word and try to teach the man... #

Are you smiling?

Yeah? Are you co-ordinated? Keep watching it.

# Cos we're all the same Yes, the blood inside of me... #

-That sounds awful.

-I know. We need some more work.

Yeah!

# I'd be tender. I'd be gentle... #

Their show tune from the Wizard Of Oz lacked courage...

-# Regarding love and art. #

-Howard.

Where was the smile?

# I'd be friends with the sparrows and the boy who shoots the arrows

-# If I only had a heart... #

-Oli?

-Yes.

-Slightly depressed face!

-Yeah.

Jordan, looking a little bit shy, but better.

# How sweet. #

# When tears come down... #

Country could have done with a little more yee-hah!

# Like falling rain... #

Falling!

-# You'll toss around... #

-That's better, isn't it?

-I look like a moron.

-You don't look like a moron. Look at it.

# You'll walk the floor

-# The way I do... #

-Annabel's doing a good job.

-She's looking straight ahead.

-# Your cheatin' heart... #

-I'm not seeing many smiles though.

-# Will tell on you. #

APPLAUSE Good.

This is a real wake-up call for the group. They can see

how their fear is holding them back.

-Did it have confidence?

-No.

-Did it have energy?

-No.

-No.

Did you look like you enjoyed it?

-Did you project your performance?

-No.

-Right.

We just looked frustrated and angry,

like something bad had happened, but nothing bad had happened.

Watching yourself back on video is quite a scary thing,

so you realise, "Oh, maybe I wasn't as good as I thought I was."

That's difficult, but we have to keep going, no matter what.

With some tough lessons learnt, it's time to put them into practice.

Invest more energy!

SINGING GROWS LOUDER Good! Smile!

# Ooh-ooh-ooh... #

'It's hard, I think, for them to remember'

just how petrified they were at the beginning.

They would not sing in front of each other at first.

And we've got way beyond that

to them actually starting to make a really solid sound.

# Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand... #

Energy!

# And not let go of my hand... #

For the first time, I felt like the whole group came together,

and we stood up and after a discussion

about what we needed to do, we sang.

And they were good.

# I'm going in for the kill

# I'm doing it for a thrill

# Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand

# And not let go of my hand. #

Beautiful.

In rehearsal, a newly-inspired Isthaque

bravely attempts the high notes...

-OFF-KEY:

-# La-la-la-la-la-la-la! #

LAUGHTER

..while soloist Howard gets extra coaching from Gareth.

-Howard, how are you feeling?

-A bit nervous.

OK, well, let's sort out your solo.

11-year-old Howard,

one of the youngest in the group, has Tourette's syndrome,

which causes his body to jerk and move in unexpected ways,

something he's not always able to control.

It doesn't stop him loving swimming and the outdoors.

He's even trekked from one coast of Britain to the other!

But it does stop him singing in front of others, even his mum.

Despite his love of musical theatre, Howard is petrified

people will laugh at his tics.

# Where... #

At the first stop on The Big Performance tour,

Howard plucked up the courage to sing solo in front of

the rest of the group.

# Skies above... #

-When he just sang that, I was like, "Whoa."

-Beautiful, isn't it?

-Yeah.

But he's yet to conquer his fear of singing in front of strangers

who have no idea he has Tourette's.

# Let's be cold to create heat... #

Right. We know you can sing. That's a great voice, yeah?

No problem with that.

You're a little bit stiff.

So now we're going to have a boxing match, OK?

Gareth wants Howard to loosen up

and start connecting with his audience.

# Peace

# Let's be cold to create heat... #

See if you can land a punch on me.

# Let's go to war to make peace... #

Use the punches with the words.

# Let's go to war to make peace

# Let's be cold to create heat. #

I don't care about your tics. An audience isn't going to care.

What they will be interested in is your voice.

It's all about what's going on here, yeah? In the eyes.

In your singing, in your inner confidence, yeah?

Well done, that's going to be great.

The electro-pop sound is made from synthesized electronic beats.

Time for the group to discover if they've got an ear for it.

This is DJ school.

SCRATCHING AND SAMPLES PLAY

This is about you learning how electro-pop

is layered up with drumbeats and the sounds and the voice.

We're going to have a competition. We're going to get into teams.

'They're going to make up their own electro-pop tracks.'

I think that will be really good for them,

to get into the style of electro-pop

and understand how much effort goes into making music,

it's not all that easy.

The singers will be split into two groups.

To help, Gareth has brought in

a special guest, who knows what sounds good.

To judge it, we have got a Radio 1 DJ, Tom Deacon!

Hey, guys, how you doing?

ALL: Hi!

Tom currently hosts The 5:19 Show on a Sunday night.

He plays the hottest tunes to millions of listeners,

which means he has the perfect credentials to advise the group.

I'm going to be judging you on which one produces

the best track. I want you to keep it simple. That means

the track should have a nice melody, good beat,

and I want to see who's having the most fun as well.

'Meeting a Radio 1 DJ and having him say'

that singing an electro-pop song is cool,

I think it's really helpful.

The competition is on, with a drum kit, a vocoder

that manipulates the sound of your voice...

DISTORTED: # I've got the power... #

..DJ decks...

-SCRATCHING

-..and keyboard.

The two groups have 30 minutes to put their track together.

I think this'll be about having fun, becoming more of a team,

just enjoying making music together.

As the group starts experimenting with different sounds...

Yeah, I like it.

..hidden talents are revealed.

CYMBAL CRASHES Hang about! That's brilliant!

You are amazing!

But everybody knows the most important thing

about being in a band is the name.

It's called DJ Stars?

-BP Stars.

-DJ Stars. One of them.

-I think DJ Stars is good.

-Oh, see, see, see? Oh!

We're not always going to DJ, though.

-A-Class Rhythm.

-A-Class Rhythm?

That's my one as well!

-That's what Jordan made up.

-I like that.

Could somebody sing "A-Class Rhythm" into the vocoder? Chloe? Howard.

Howard's the electro-pop man.

Electro-pop has found a new fan.

A previously-reluctant Howard appears to be changing his tune.

# A-Class Rhythm

# A-Class Rhythm. #

Group Two decides on I Have The Power as their name,

and a newly-self-assured Miriyah can't wait to start improvising.

# Ali-i-i-ive... #

But when it's Emily's turn, her confidence takes a dive.

Just a couple of notes, yeah?

When Gareth first met Emily, she was so timid,

she could barely sing a simple nursery rhyme.

# Twinkle, twinkle, little... #

I can't!

You just did! You just did!

Do you ever sing in front of your friends? Nope? Never?

Never done it?

Emily is still terrified of sounding stupid when she sings.

Come on, try it. It'll be fine.

No-one in this room's going to laugh,

they're just going to encourage you

to give it another go until you nail it.

I was trying to let them know, "Just have fun.

"Smile. It's not the end of the world, go for it,

"and if we make a mistake, we'll do it again."

# She had the power

# But has thrown it away... #

Emily, beautiful. That's great.

'Making our own songs is really cool,'

because we're learning how to do what pop stars actually do.

Practice over, it's time for the two bands to lay down

-their electro grooves.

-OK, everyone,

we're going to go for a take. Any last tips?

Just be really confident, it sounds amazing in rehearsal,

just really sell it.

First up is A-Class Rhythm, with DJ Jordan,

MCs Howard and Chloe,

Chris on drums and Katie on keyboards.

# A-Class Rhythm

# Get the rhythm

# A-Class Rhythm

# Get the rhythm

# A-Class Rhythm

# Get the rhythm. #

Are we ready?

Next up, it's I Have The Power,

featuring Oli on keyboards, DJ Isthaque,

Annabel on drums and lead singers Miriyah

and Emily.

# Now I can think twice in my everyday life

# I had the power

# But you stole it away

# Now I can think twice in my everyday life

# I had the power but you stole it away. #

Woo!

With two tracks in the can, it's down to judges Gareth and Tom

to decide on a winner.

-It's a good start.

-It's poppy... Yeah, I like it. I like it.

We've got A-class rhythm. It even says it in the lyrics!

Please pick our team. Come on!

-Yeah, it's quite "up", isn't it?

-Mmm.

I'm going to put a tick by this, is that all right?

Feels like a tick, yeah.

Pick our team, pick our team, pick our team!

-This is catchy.

-Is it as good as the other one, though?

Could you play this on Radio 1?

Pick my team, cos it's enough that I did drumming, let alone singing!

-I'm going to, so pick it!

-SHE CLICKS HER TONGUE

I hate breaking hearts, Gareth.

It's a cruel business, the music industry.

We're going to have to smash a few dreams today. THEY SIGH

After some careful deliberation, Tom and Gareth have agreed a winner.

Take a deep breath.

GARETH INHALES SHARPLY AND MIMICS A DRUM ROLL

I Have The Power...

-ALL: Yes!

-..did it today!

Well done. Very good.

This group proved they had the most musicality

and succeeded in making the best electro-pop track.

-We won! We won!

-SHE SCREAMS

-SHE SCREAMS

-Woo! We won, we won!

I think you should shake hands with the other team.

Runners-up A-Class Rhythm still feel like winners.

We feel like we have won in a way, because we've made our own track.

It was great that we got to learn about electro-pop music.

Even though we didn't win, it was a great experience.

That's the first time I've seen them look excited about making music.

Now I've seen what they're capable of, I expect that every week.

And I'm expecting great things from the performance.

Today is Howard's turn under the solo spotlight.

And as usual, Gareth wants him to face his fears

before his Proms test in six weeks.

So he's brought him to a cafe in Warwickshire.

This place is full of customers and they've all turned up

to hear Howard sing.

The reason that Howard is so nervous about singing in front of strangers

is that they won't know he has Tourette's,

so he'll be very, very worried about his tics.

And there's someone desperate to hear Howard sing - his mum.

I've never heard Howard sing in front of me

and he doesn't know I'm here, so it's going to be quite hard for him.

I'm really scared of singing in front of strangers

because I don't want them to laugh at me

about my tics or anything like that.

Howard's had some quite big setbacks as a result of his Tourette's.

I hope that this will help him to see

that the tics shouldn't be an obstacle in his way

and that he should carry on and do all the things that he's capable of.

This is Howard's chance to prove to himself

that his tics don't have to hold him back forever.

Let's do this. After you.

You come and stand here, Howard.

Hello, everyone. This is Howard.

ALL: Hi, Howard.

-Are you ready?

-Yeah.

-Yeah? OK.

# We can fight our desires

# Ooh, ooh

# We're in the...fires... #

Howard's nerves threaten to get the better of him,

as he stumbles on his lyrics.

# We get ever so hot

# Ooh, ooh

# And what are feelings without emotions?

# I'm going in for... #

But he continues like a true professional.

# I'm doing it for a thrill

# Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand

# And not let go of my hand. #

APPLAUSE

Well done!

Howard has succeeded.

Take a bow.

Howard, why don't you tell everyone why you were so especially nervous?

I was nervous that people would be laughing about my tics,

my disability. I can't help twitching and making noises

-and lots of other things like that.

-Did it happen then?

-No.

No, it didn't. Does it matter, do you think, that he has Tourette's?

-Absolutely not.

-I really don't think it does.

You've got such a good voice, you win the audience over.

-He moved me to tears, I have to say.

-Oh, tears!

LAUGHTER

-Tears of a good sort.

-Very, very, very good.

Good job, Howard.

I think Howard found it difficult, clearly.

But I think he's proved to himself he has got the courage now.

And hopefully he'll be able to do that more often.

-Absolutely fantastic. Are you pleased?

-Yeah, very.

-Did you actually enjoy it?

-Yeah, I actually had a good time.

I had a nice time. I just want to do it again.

I know he made a couple of little fluffs,

but I thought he was really good.

He got to the end of the song,

and I think, most importantly, he enjoyed it.

It's back on the road, as the group heads closer to

that all-important performance in Warwickshire.

With so much pressure on how they do today, preparation is crucial,

as these celebrities will testify.

I think for me to warm up for a show,

I like to know what the crowd is, what kind of vibe they're on,

what kind of music they like, so I can prepare myself

and give them one of the best shows they've seen...in their life.

Before every singing performance,

I always do a full vocal warm-up,

so scales and arpeggios.

And often I quite like to sing through a song,

or a couple of songs, that I'm about to perform.

I have four songs that I always sing,

just on my iPod, and I go over and over again.

And I do my make-up and I get the costume on

and that really helps you prepare for

what you're going to go out and do.

I call my nan sometimes.

-"Hi, Nan. I'm going on stage."

-"Well, we love you, love.

"Have a good show and tell us how it went." I like all that.

A bit of support from wherever you can get it.

Warwick Castle.

This week's performance venue was built over 1,000 years ago.

And while this place has played host to many a battle and siege,

it's also played host to Girls Aloud and JLS.

I've never actually been to a proper castle,

and it's just really big and we're doing a performance here.

I love history. I think this castle's a "me" kind of place.

And I'm really excited to be here.

Kings, queens, dukes and duchesses have all been entertained here.

But no-one more important than today's special guest.

Mr Proms himself, Stephen Maddock.

I've worked with some of the world's greatest acts,

people who can command a big stage,

know what the audience is looking for, and how to deliver it.

At Proms in the Park, that's what you've got to do.

It's a huge event - 40,000 people there.

So all of the acts who take part

have got to be absolutely at the best level.

A successful electro-pop act has composure and inner confidence.

The group can't afford to fall apart today.

The man coming from the Proms has expectations.

He wants to see a good show.

So I really hope that they just...get it right.

The stage is set. Have the group learnt from their past performances?

Or will their nerves get the better of them once again?

# We can fight our desires

# Ooh, ooh

# But when we start making fires

# We get ever so hot

# Ooh, ooh

# Whether we like it or not

# Let's go to war To make peace

# Let's be cold To create heat

# I hope in darkness We can see

# And you're not blinded by the light from me

# I'm going in for the kill

# I'm doing it for a thrill

# Oh, I'm hoping you'll understand

# And not let go of my hand. #

They're finally starting to perform together as a group.

Can the man from the Proms see their potential?

I'd have to be honest and say they're not quite ready

for Proms in the Park yet. It's a work in progress.

The singing is very nice, but it's about the whole performance.

So in terms of really convincing me

that they're ready to walk out and face that big crowd,

there's still some work for Gareth to do.

I think I've done well because I came in at the right times,

I sang at the right times, and I sang in tune.

I think that it was the best performance we've done

because we really showed him how we can sing

and how we can enjoy what we're doing.

I still think that they could do better.

I just feel like when we get into the performance,

it just gets a little bit quieter, a little less energy than in rehearsal.

But there's confidence coming. But I still expect more.

I still feel that they could go the extra mile.

They're not digging deep enough yet.

Today, Howard overcame his fear of people laughing at his tics,

and sang in front of a cafe full of strangers,

and Mr Proms.

But is he in the running for The Big Performance solo spot?

I think that Howard has got a high chance of doing the solo

at the Proms in the Park.

And so far, that's just him and Ollie.

Tough decision.

Next time on The Big Performance,

special guest Barney gets them rocking.

It feels silly, but it's so much fun.

Emily struggles under the spotlight.

SHE GASPS

I'm still shaking. I don't know why.

And they take on their most public performance yet.

I'm feeling nervous because everyone's staring at us.

I have to say I am excited about this one.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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