0:00:02 > 0:00:04Six talented young singer-songwriters...
0:00:04 > 0:00:07I think my first song I wrote was when I was about five.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10..chosen for a big performance of historical significance...
0:00:10 > 0:00:13- Gas! Gas! Gas! - Get your gas masks on! Quick!
0:00:13 > 0:00:16..to perform their own song at the centenary
0:00:16 > 0:00:18commemorations of World War I.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22The most difficult thing is trying to imagine what it was like then.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25There's only one man who can prepare them for this event...
0:00:25 > 0:00:28award-winning choirmaster Gareth Malone.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31- Say it more! - I am an expressive singer!
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Under his guidance they'll put their songwriting to the test
0:00:34 > 0:00:37in front of some of the biggest names in the industry.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39Dig deep, everyone. Are you ready?
0:00:39 > 0:00:42They'll take to the road to find inspiration
0:00:42 > 0:00:43for their World War I songs...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46They had to be doing this just for our country.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49..and discover more about their own family history.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51I can't believe it.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54Who will write the song to fit the occasion?
0:00:54 > 0:00:57- Only one will be chosen. - Good luck, everyone.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00This is The Big Performance.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07Today, the kids' songwriting ability comes under scrutiny...
0:01:07 > 0:01:08I listen to them in my bedroom
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and now I'm actually going to be performing in front of them.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14..postcards from the past have a big impact on the singers...
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I'm quite shocked really cos I thought they'd be sad
0:01:17 > 0:01:19going off to war, not happy.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22..and the pressure mounts as the six soloists work together
0:01:22 > 0:01:23for the first time.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25There's a little bit of a power struggle going on.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59It's the first day on The Big Performance.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Choirmaster Gareth Malone has brought six of Britain's most
0:02:03 > 0:02:07inspiring young singer-songwriters to a secret location in London.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Welcome to The Big Performance Music HQ.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13THEY CHEER
0:02:13 > 0:02:16This is where the group will be based as they prepare for
0:02:16 > 0:02:18the biggest performance of their lives.
0:02:19 > 0:02:21Look at that.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27- This is amazing. - Over there is the performance area.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30There's a music writing area there.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33These six young musicians have been hand-picked by Gareth
0:02:33 > 0:02:36to perform at the World War I commemoration in Belgium.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38This is the room where it's all going to happen.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41This is music headquarters, where they're going to write
0:02:41 > 0:02:43the song that represents the nation.
0:02:46 > 0:02:4712-year-old Sid is an ambitious
0:02:47 > 0:02:49songwriter from Folkestone
0:02:49 > 0:02:52who takes his music very seriously.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57# I think we should break free. #
0:02:57 > 0:02:59My favourite type of music is deep soul
0:02:59 > 0:03:02and jazz cos I find that really deep.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Molly from Huddersfield has
0:03:08 > 0:03:10performed in front of 2,000 people
0:03:10 > 0:03:13and her songwriting comes from the heart.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17# I'd like to say when I was lost. #
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Normally my songs are about love, which is really weird
0:03:19 > 0:03:23because I've never been in a real relationship before.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25I don't know really why I write them about love.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28Jasmine from Dagenham
0:03:28 > 0:03:30is a 12-year-old who is
0:03:30 > 0:03:31used to the big stage.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36# Gentle love is still the greatest gift of all. #
0:03:36 > 0:03:40I've performed in Wembley Arena twice now.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I think my performing is a little better than my songwriting.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46I can get used to this, just put it that way.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Ben is a rocker from Sussex who wants to make waves in
0:03:50 > 0:03:52the music industry.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55# What am I going to do in this place?
0:03:55 > 0:03:57# Don't want to be a laze-about for all my days. #
0:03:57 > 0:04:01My dream is to be either a solo artist or in a band.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03I would just generally love to be known
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and make people happy with my music.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07So easy.
0:04:07 > 0:04:1014-year-old Molly from Cardiff has only been songwriting for a year,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13but her singing is on another level.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17# It's not going your way. #
0:04:17 > 0:04:20At the moment I think my biggest strength is my voice.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I'm classically trained and I sing in a choir.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Feels like I'm a proper pop star now.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28And last but not least, it's Exeter lad Sam.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29He's only 11 years old,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32but he already has bags of songwriting experience.
0:04:32 > 0:04:38# Dancing alone I'm fighting my fate. #
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I've been writing songs for almost two years now.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43I'm the youngest person here in the group,
0:04:43 > 0:04:44but that's not going to hold me back.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51In six weeks' time these singers will be performing a song
0:04:51 > 0:04:53one of them has written at the World War I commemoration
0:04:53 > 0:04:56in Belgium in front of Princes William and Harry.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58I think there will be a little bit of pressure,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00but I think it's good pressure.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03My nerves will be up to there.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05I think it's going to be quite difficult
0:05:05 > 0:05:07because I wasn't alive at that time.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I'm not looking for a song that is about guns and death
0:05:10 > 0:05:12and the really difficult side of war.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16I'd like them to have an appreciation of that, but out of that comes
0:05:16 > 0:05:19hope and looking forward, and that's what this song needs to do.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21That's quite a challenge.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23To help the kids hone their songwriting skills,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27each week Gareth will be setting the group a task based on a hit song.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32What we're going to do now is analyse a really famous pop song,
0:05:32 > 0:05:33Wild Hearts by the Vamps.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35Let's have a look at the lyrics.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37We're going to have a little sing through.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Two, three and go!
0:05:39 > 0:05:41# Tonight we'll dance
0:05:41 > 0:05:46# I'll be yours and you'll be mine
0:05:46 > 0:05:48# We won't look back... #
0:05:48 > 0:05:51The Vamps burst onto the music scene in 2012
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and quickly became an indie pop sensation.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Gareth has picked their hit song Wild Heart as inspiration
0:05:58 > 0:06:00for the kids' first challenge.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02# I got a wild heart. #
0:06:04 > 0:06:08What do you think makes a Vamps song a Vamps song?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10- It's catchy.- It is, it's very upbeat.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12It's something you can dance to.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15High energy I think is the key. That beat...
0:06:15 > 0:06:18HE HUMS BEAT
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Here is your challenge.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27You are going to write your own song.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30It needs to be an indie, rock, pop song.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33It needs to be upbeat and it had better be good
0:06:33 > 0:06:36because in 24 hours the Vamps are coming to listen to it.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Has anyone met the Vamps before?
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- I saw them in concert two weeks ago. - Did you get to talk to them?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- No. - And now you're going to meet them
0:06:52 > 0:06:55and you're going to perform a song to them that you've written.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I can't wait.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59It's like, I listen to them in my bedroom
0:06:59 > 0:07:03and now I'm actually going to be performing in front of them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Now I'm feeling ecstatic and I just can't believe all this is happening.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10It's going to be amazing tomorrow.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14It's a huge first challenge for the group.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18The kids normally take months to write a song,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22and now they have less than 24 hours to pen in the style of the Vamps
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and then perform it to their idols.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It's the first opportunity for the young musicians to
0:07:28 > 0:07:30show off their songwriting skills.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33But how will they fair working collaboratively for the first time?
0:07:35 > 0:07:39And then after, start dancing. Then it can start going real happy.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41When you do the harmonies...
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Do you want me to get you a pen so you can write this all down?
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Because they're all soloists they're used to working on their own,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48they're all talking all over each other.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It's interesting that Molly's just sat there quietly writing away
0:07:51 > 0:07:53whereas the two boys in the other group
0:07:53 > 0:07:55are telling everyone how it ought to go.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57The kids are all taking very different approaches to
0:07:57 > 0:07:59writing the song. But is it working?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02How are you getting on?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Good.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06What are the words for your verse?
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Feeling kind of lost, searching in the crowd,
0:08:08 > 0:08:10looking for a girl like you.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- Very good. That's one line. - I'm going to say boy.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16It's a round kind of thing, so it's...
0:08:16 > 0:08:17HE SINGS
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Because Sid wants to do a really good job he's taking it very seriously.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23There's a temptation for him to sometimes talk over other people.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25And they're all jostling for position.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27There's a little bit of a power struggle going on.
0:08:27 > 0:08:3012-year-old Sid is a self-taught musician with a powerful voice
0:08:30 > 0:08:33and grand plans for the future.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Well, my big ambition in life with my music would be probably
0:08:37 > 0:08:39to be a West End performer.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42I so want to be the person on the stage
0:08:42 > 0:08:45and share with the audience the story behind the song.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Back at the auditions he put on a super-confident performance
0:08:48 > 0:08:50of one of his own tracks.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56# Everywhere I see people living by the book
0:09:00 > 0:09:02# I can't hold you back
0:09:02 > 0:09:04# But if you choose to live that way, you're just fools. #
0:09:04 > 0:09:07And Gareth was blown away.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10He's bright and interested in the world, and I think exactly
0:09:10 > 0:09:13the sort of person I want to represent young people.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I thought he was great, I really liked him.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Sid is one of six very talented singer-songwriters
0:09:20 > 0:09:23picked by Gareth for The Big Performance in Belgium.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25# Feeling kind of low... #
0:09:25 > 0:09:28But over the next few weeks they're going to have to
0:09:28 > 0:09:30push their songwriting to a whole new level.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Each of them must try to compose a song to commemorate World War I,
0:09:36 > 0:09:38a subject they know very little about.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41At the moment, World War I is a historical event
0:09:41 > 0:09:43that you might read about in a book.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45I've got to bring that to life for them
0:09:45 > 0:09:47so that they can write a song that sums up
0:09:47 > 0:09:51the feelings of a nation about one of our most important historical events.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54With the Vamps challenge on the back burner for now,
0:09:54 > 0:09:58the kids are heading out on a World War I fact-finding mission.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00But how knowledgeable are the group already?
0:10:00 > 0:10:02We're going to have a little quiz.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07What was the name of the German's plan of attack?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09The German plan.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11INCORRECT BUZZER
0:10:11 > 0:10:13The answer is the Schlieffen Plan.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17Why did World War I begin?
0:10:17 > 0:10:19The Treaty of Versailles.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20INCORRECT BUZZER
0:10:20 > 0:10:25Because of the Serbian assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Jasmine, in your audition you told me
0:10:27 > 0:10:30that you thought the war lasted 37 days.
0:10:30 > 0:10:31INCORRECT BUZZER
0:10:31 > 0:10:34How long do you think it lasted now?
0:10:34 > 0:10:35- Four years.- Well done!
0:10:35 > 0:10:37CORRECT BUZZER
0:10:37 > 0:10:40They don't really have any connection to World War I at all,
0:10:40 > 0:10:42it's just a bunch of facts for them.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Some of the facts aren't right.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46They need to connect with it, they need to understand it more
0:10:46 > 0:10:49if they're going to write a song that really does the job.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52I think it's really difficult to write a song about something
0:10:52 > 0:10:54that happened 100 years ago.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57With my experiences, I know exactly what happened.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01With these experiences, we have no clue what they actually felt like.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Gareth has brought the singers to a very soggy Folkestone on
0:11:05 > 0:11:06the south-east coast.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09The harbour front is now derelict,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13but back in 1914 it became a hub of military activity.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18This used to be where people would come before they went off to
0:11:18 > 0:11:20France to fight in World War I.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23People were coming from all over Great Britain on trains.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26When they got here they would have been able to hear the guns
0:11:26 > 0:11:30over on the front line. Can you imagine that?
0:11:30 > 0:11:32You would have heard this loud bang.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37As war broke out against Germany, the seaside town of Folkestone
0:11:37 > 0:11:40became a major departure point for the millions of soldiers
0:11:40 > 0:11:43heading across the Channel to fight in France.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It's the perfect place for the kids to start getting ideas
0:11:48 > 0:11:50for their World War I songs.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53How do you think people would have been feeling as they went off?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56I would be really scared and nervous
0:11:56 > 0:11:59because I wouldn't know what's going to happen.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01It's hard to imagine now, 100 years later,
0:12:01 > 0:12:03what the atmosphere must have been like.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I think it's really important to come here
0:12:05 > 0:12:07and realise what those people went through
0:12:07 > 0:12:08when they went off to France.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12OK, soldier, here's a kit bag for you.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16And standard issue hat. There you are. Get that on.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Right, follow me. Left, right, left, right.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25But it's not just packs and hats.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Gareth has given the six songwriters real postcards
0:12:28 > 0:12:32written around 100 years ago by soldiers as they headed off to war.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37"Dear Aunt, just to let you know that
0:12:37 > 0:12:41"I arrived at Folkestone on Tuesday, leave same day for France."
0:12:41 > 0:12:45"Dear Helen, I don't know when I'll get home
0:12:45 > 0:12:47"as the war has started."
0:12:47 > 0:12:50"All the boats are waiting ready to take us over to France.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53"Best love and kisses, Daddy."
0:12:53 > 0:12:56"No doubt by the time you receive this card
0:12:56 > 0:12:58"we shall be on French soil."
0:12:58 > 0:13:02"I'm in the pink and quite happy. Charles."
0:13:02 > 0:13:05I'm quite shocked really cos I thought they'd be sad
0:13:05 > 0:13:08going off to war, not happy.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11It's quite sad cos it's like the dad's writing,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14I think it's the dad writing to his son,
0:13:14 > 0:13:18but he doesn't know what it will be like in France when he's fighting.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21It was very surprising reading those letters
0:13:21 > 0:13:25because they were keeping it short, not showing any emotion.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28I think they thought it was going to be a big adventure,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30but obviously it wasn't.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34No-one can understand the upbeat nature of the postcards.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37But Gareth has a plan to help the group get a feel of
0:13:37 > 0:13:41the adventurous spirit of those boarding the boats in 1914.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Right, we're off. We're off to France.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I know you're struggling to get in your mind what it was like,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54so I've got a letter written by a boy soldier,
0:13:54 > 0:13:57he was 16 years old, called Thomas.
0:13:57 > 0:14:03"Behind me lies the life of ordered things - comfort, security, peace.
0:14:03 > 0:14:09"Ahead is the unknown - danger, hardships, wounds, perhaps death.
0:14:09 > 0:14:15"But these possibilities leave me unmoved. THIS is my great adventure."
0:14:18 > 0:14:24I think heroism and being upbeat and doing things for your country,
0:14:24 > 0:14:25that was how people felt at the time.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28One of the way people would keep spirits up
0:14:28 > 0:14:32and be positive was through singing.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34So we're going to have a little singsong,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37it was a very popular song. Pack Up Your Troubles?
0:14:37 > 0:14:44# Pack up your troubles in your old kitbag and smile, smile, smile... #
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Pack Up Your Troubles was the smash hit of its day.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It shot to fame after winning a wartime competition for
0:14:50 > 0:14:52a marching song, and was so inspirational,
0:14:52 > 0:14:54even the Germans were singing it.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57# It never was worthwhile
0:14:57 > 0:15:01# So pack up your troubles in your old kitbag
0:15:01 > 0:15:05# And smile, smile, smile. #
0:15:05 > 0:15:06What about you?
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Do you think you have what it takes to write a song that's that popular,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12that 100 years later people are still singing it?
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Hopefully we can write a song as good,
0:15:15 > 0:15:19but I think it'll be really hard to compare ourselves to this.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25'I've got a lot of ideas rushing through my head and definitely'
0:15:25 > 0:15:30this has given me a much bigger idea of what I'm going to be doing.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33The most difficult thing about this is probably trying to imagine
0:15:33 > 0:15:36what it was like for them. The atmosphere and that.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I don't know if I've got it in me to write the winning song,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41but I'm going to try and see how I do.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43If they wrote a song today,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45I don't think it would represent the feelings of the nation.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I don't think they really understand what the First World War
0:15:48 > 0:15:50was all about - how could they?
0:15:50 > 0:15:53So we've got a long way to go before they even start writing this song.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Back on dry land, the kids must leave the past behind
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and focus on the present -
0:16:04 > 0:16:07writing a Vamps-style song for the boys themselves.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09But are Gareth's six soloists ready to
0:16:09 > 0:16:11perform as a group for the first time?
0:16:16 > 0:16:18# Feeling kind of lost, searching in the crowd... #
0:16:18 > 0:16:20All of them are just getting to know each other,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and one or two are really taking a lead.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Ben is taking a lead, Sid is dominating the group at the moment.
0:16:25 > 0:16:29# I just want you for mine tonight... #
0:16:30 > 0:16:32At the moment, they all want to be noticed,
0:16:32 > 0:16:35so they're all singing loudly and really trying to be heard.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The group needs to settle down and start working.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Back at HQ, the kids need to get rehearsing.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51But instead of pulling together, the group seem to be falling apart.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- OK, we ready?- We're missing Sid. - Where's Sid? Is he OK?
0:16:57 > 0:16:59- KIDS: Yeah. - Oh, there he is.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Should I run my...?
0:17:02 > 0:17:05You're all right, we're fine, just come and stand, let's join in.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I was just about to start the lesson and run through the song,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10and Sid came in late. And he looked upset.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13I don't know what had gone on, he wouldn't tell me what was
0:17:13 > 0:17:16happening, and I think there's a tension running through the group.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18I think that's cos they're under pressure.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Before we start, Sid, you looked a little upset when you came in.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24- Yeah, it's fine.- What were you upset about? Is it the song?
0:17:24 > 0:17:30- Oh, no, it was to do with...just something inside the group.- You OK?
0:17:30 > 0:17:33- I'm fine. - Do you want to tell me?- No.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36It appears not all the songwriters are working in harmony.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Sid was trying to take control of us all
0:17:38 > 0:17:41and it was quite annoying, to be honest.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46Cos he was, "No, we should do this, no, we should do that." And then
0:17:46 > 0:17:50if someone else had an idea, "No, no, no, we've already decided."
0:17:50 > 0:17:52'No, we didn't all decide, he decided it.'
0:17:52 > 0:17:54All of us as a team are feeling the pressure,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57and we're trying to get our points of view through.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I think it's just a personality thing.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02We're all different, so we just have to try and get along.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07It's not just group dynamics that are looking shaky.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10# I just want you for mine tonight... #
0:18:10 > 0:18:13That's changed, hasn't it?
0:18:13 > 0:18:16"Just want you for mine toniiight" was how it went yesterday.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20- Sid, can you remember?- Well, we changed the chorus this morning.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23But now, when we're trying to go back to the old chorus,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26which is better, we've got the new chorus stuck in our heads.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31If it ain't broke, don't fix it. You had a really good chorus tune.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32Why did you change it this morning?
0:18:36 > 0:18:37Erm...
0:18:37 > 0:18:39It was all going really well
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and everything's sort of started to get more difficult.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45The song isn't finished and now the pressure's getting to them.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47I need to get the team back together,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51cos if it goes wrong in front of the Vamps, it could be embarrassing.
0:18:51 > 0:18:53With the performance just hours away,
0:18:53 > 0:18:56the six soloists are still struggling to work together.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson knows what you need
0:19:00 > 0:19:02to succeed as a group.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Hi, this is Ricky Wilson, and you're watching The Big Performance.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15The reason bands exist is because everyone falls into a role
0:19:15 > 0:19:16which they're best at.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19The trick of writing in a band is to find your place
0:19:19 > 0:19:21and trust the others to find theirs.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Gareth needs the kids to find their places quickly.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30So he's called in some backup.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35Military backup. Say hello to Sergeant Amory.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I've brought the kids here today to learn about teamwork, because
0:19:38 > 0:19:41nobody knows more about working together as a group than the Army.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43It might sound trivial,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45that writing a song is anything like going into battle,
0:19:45 > 0:19:49but it's not, it's all about working together as a team and succeeding.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Squad! Right turn!
0:19:54 > 0:20:01Squad! Quick march! Left! Left! Left-right-left!
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Rubbish, everyone round the goalposts, back to me. Go, go, go!
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Quick as you can.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09There's no being an individual when you've got Sergeant Amory around.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Come on, guys, quick as you can, back in!
0:20:11 > 0:20:13They're going to do a great performance.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15They're going to have to trust each other,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19- and that means working as a team. And that starts here.- Squad, lift!
0:20:19 > 0:20:23And let's go. Through this way, guys, there's bombs going off.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25There's explosions, keep it going.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28For the first time, everyone is working together.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30But will Gareth's squad of songwriters
0:20:30 > 0:20:32keep in formation for their Vamps performance?
0:20:32 > 0:20:37Well done, everyone. Excellent teamwork, really good.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40As we get closer and closer to our performance, I think
0:20:40 > 0:20:42pressure can start to fracture a team,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46and everyone can start arguing OR a team can come together.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48I don't know which way this team will go.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57The Vamps are already en route to Music HQ.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00It's the last time for the group to pull together.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Choirmaster Gareth has some serious conducting to do.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08On that line, I want you and you to really move in.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- # Start of something new... # - Ahhh! Feel the difference?
0:21:12 > 0:21:17It's a bit more punch-punch-punch on that.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19# Oh-oh-oh. #
0:21:19 > 0:21:21No-one is more important than anyone else.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23We're all in it together, that's teamwork.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25'I think it's risky to put them under so much pressure early on,'
0:21:25 > 0:21:29but you know, he who dares wins. I hope the Vamps like it.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Indie pop sensation the Vamps already have
0:21:32 > 0:21:34three hit singles to their name.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38And the boys know what makes a successful song,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42so the kids will have to pull out all the stops to impress them.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44We like catchy melodies, big pop melodies.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47We've heard very good things about the kids doing it,
0:21:47 > 0:21:50so we've got high hopes. No pressure!
0:21:50 > 0:21:55I'm just so nervous to see what they like. I'm, like, shaking.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57It's a bit overwhelming.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58This is something we're going to
0:21:58 > 0:22:01remember the rest of our lives and this is our first challenge.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04So...it's big. I just don't want to mess it up.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08- Here they are, it's the Vamps! - Hey, guys, what's up?
0:22:13 > 0:22:17- How you guys feeling, you nervous? - KIDS: Yeah.- Don't be.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19We've done this, like, a million times in front of people.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It's very scary, so we know how you feel.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27- So don't worry.- So we are so excited to hear this song. Let's do it.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29OK, let's go.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32It's a huge first performance for the group.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34They've managed to write a song,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36but will their last-minute changes cost them
0:22:36 > 0:22:38in front of their pop star idols?
0:22:42 > 0:22:47# Feeling kind of lost, searching through the crowd
0:22:47 > 0:22:50# Looking for a girl like you
0:22:51 > 0:22:56# Then I saw your face, lighting up the place
0:22:56 > 0:22:59# Eyes were like the stars to me
0:23:01 > 0:23:05# Now that I'm with you, the whole world's full of life
0:23:05 > 0:23:09# Just want you for mine tonight
0:23:11 > 0:23:13# We danced all night
0:23:13 > 0:23:15# Till the morning light
0:23:15 > 0:23:18# We won't move on from where we started
0:23:20 > 0:23:24# We danced all night, till the morning light
0:23:29 > 0:23:31# We were dancing, we were dancing
0:23:31 > 0:23:33THEY GET VERSES MIXED UP
0:23:33 > 0:23:36# We were dancing, we were dancing
0:23:38 > 0:23:40# We were dancing, we were dancing
0:23:40 > 0:23:42# Till the night fell away
0:23:42 > 0:23:45# We were dancing, we were dancing
0:23:45 > 0:23:47# That day became today
0:23:49 > 0:23:52# Whoa-oh-ohh
0:23:52 > 0:23:54# Whoa-oh-ohh
0:23:54 > 0:23:56# Whoa-oh-ohh
0:23:56 > 0:23:59# You mean the world to me
0:23:59 > 0:24:00# Whoa-oh-ohh
0:24:01 > 0:24:04# Whoa-oh-ohh
0:24:06 > 0:24:11# You mean the world to me. #
0:24:14 > 0:24:16THE VAMPS CHEER AND APPLAUD
0:24:16 > 0:24:17The group fluffed a few words,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21but they've got through their first challenge together.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25- So, what did you think? - That was great.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28The harmonies, we need to have some lessons with you guys,
0:24:28 > 0:24:32cos I have no idea how you did those, like...
0:24:32 > 0:24:34six-bar harmonies!
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Yeah, it was incredible, honestly. Congratulations, you guys.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Let's get to the real stuff - what can they work on?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44A really good thing to do is to stare at the audience.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Not stare, but have good eye contact.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Lot of times when we were performing for each other
0:24:50 > 0:24:53and we'd just met, you look at the ceiling and the floor
0:24:53 > 0:24:58cos it's less awkward, but if you learn to look at them directly...
0:24:58 > 0:25:00It captures the audience.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03We noticed you stumbled a bit, but an absolute credit to you,
0:25:03 > 0:25:08it was barely anything and you recovered really well.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Just forget about it and enjoy the rest of the song.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15We do it all the time. Live TV, everything, so, you know...
0:25:15 > 0:25:17It's cool, guys, you've done really well.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20I'm feeling really amazing that I've just
0:25:20 > 0:25:23performed in front of the Vamps, it's so cool.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26They were so comfortable, and we were there, really frightened,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30- thinking, "What if we mess up?" - It went a bit wrong in the middle.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34That's a lesson, they need to learn that they need to write the song,
0:25:34 > 0:25:35then rehearse it, then perform it.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Everyone apart from me plays guitar. I play piano.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Writing a Vamps-inspired pop song has been a great
0:25:42 > 0:25:46first achievement for the young singer-songwriters.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48But coming up with a fitting tribute to mark
0:25:48 > 0:25:51the start of World War I is on a different scale.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56The performance they're going to do makes that look really simple.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59There's so much more work to do before they're ready for Belgium.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01I think if you were put in that position to write
0:26:01 > 0:26:05a song for World War I commemoration...yeah, probably
0:26:05 > 0:26:08putting yourself in the situation, living in it
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- and reading about it.- Yeah.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13If you look down the family tree, that's what's crazy
0:26:13 > 0:26:16about World War I, everyone, somewhere along their family tree,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19has been affected by World War I.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Thank you so much, really good tips.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25The Vamps are going to perform their new single Somebody To You.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26Let's do it!
0:26:32 > 0:26:36# Yeah, you
0:26:36 > 0:26:40# Yeah, you
0:26:40 > 0:26:42# I used to wanna be
0:26:42 > 0:26:45# Living like there's only me
0:26:45 > 0:26:49# And now I spend my time thinking 'bout a way to get you off my mind
0:26:49 > 0:26:50# Yeah, you!
0:26:50 > 0:26:55# I used to be so tough, I never really gave enough
0:26:55 > 0:27:00# And then you caught my eye, giving me the feeling of a lightning strike
0:27:00 > 0:27:02# Yeah, you!
0:27:02 > 0:27:04# Look at me now, I'm falling
0:27:04 > 0:27:06# I can't even talk, still stuttering
0:27:06 > 0:27:09# This ground of mine keeps shaking
0:27:09 > 0:27:12# Oh, oh, oh - NOW!
0:27:12 > 0:27:18# All I wanna be, all I ever wanna be, yeah, yeah, is somebody to you
0:27:18 > 0:27:20# All I wanna be, all I ever wanna be
0:27:20 > 0:27:22# Yeah, yeah, is somebody to you... #
0:27:22 > 0:27:25It's the perfect end to a challenging few days.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27But for the Big Performance musicians,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31things are only going to get tougher from here.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34Next time, the group test their talents in front
0:27:34 > 0:27:35of a music megastar...
0:27:37 > 0:27:39..there is terror in the trenches...
0:27:39 > 0:27:40Gas, gas, gas!
0:27:40 > 0:27:44..and the kids' relaxed approach to songwriting backfires.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Uh, did that go perfectly?