Episode 3 The Big Performance

Six of Britain's most impressive young singer-songwriters...

I think my first song I wrote was when I was about five.

..and award-winning choirmaster, Gareth Malone...

It's got to be right there. This? Disaster.

..team up with the best in the business...

When your verses came up, you stepped out. That was cool.

..to prepare for a Big Performance of historical significance...

-Gas, gas, gas!

-OK, gas masks on, quick!

..on the 100th anniversary of World War I.

Only one song will be chosen to represent the nation.

Writing the right song for the right occasion. That is the challenge.

Can they do their ancestors proud

or will the responsibility be too great?

I think it is risky to put them under so much pressure, but who dares wins.

I'm probably the most nervous I've ever been.

Today, the kids' songwriting is judged by a new pop superstar.

Some of us are overdoing it, underdoing it, and we all

just need it to be perfect.

Ben and Molly debut their World War I songs...

That was one of the sternest-looking crowds I've ever seen.

..and the group are asked to dance,

with varying degrees of success.

It doesn't look balanced, at the moment. I don't want this to be

a step backwards.

With just three weeks until their big performance,

Gareth's six young singer-songwriters are hard at work

on their songs, but are struggling to keep their minds on the job.

I think everybody's quite annoyed about how the Conor Maynard

performance went, last time.

In their last songwriting challenge, the group hit

a major stumbling block, when they forgot the words and melody

in front of Conor Maynard.

Guys, erm, did that go perfectly?

-ALL:

-No.

I think we were all

a little bit gutted, cos we lacked confidence a little.

It's a bit, sort of, like, scary, when you forget your words in front

of someone famous.

I think it happens to everyone.

It was just unfortunate it was in front of Conor.

They had written a good song and they were great

in rehearsal and it just fell apart in performance.

-And that is so disappointing.

-Gareth has concerns

it could have an even larger impact.

When we get to the Big Performance, if we forget our words, in front of

a television audience, it is going to feel absolutely disastrous.

I don't want to scare you, but we need to just up our game

-a little bit, don't we?

-We were a bit too relaxed.

We thought, "This is going to be easy." But it wasn't.

The kids need to turn things round in today's songwriting challenge.

They will be composing a track for a new pop star,

but who will it be?

Let's have a message from somebody very important.

Hi, guys. I'm Eliza Doolittle and I'm coming to meet you,

so get writing.

CHEERING

-Are you all huge fans?

-She's really amazing!

-I love her songs.

-She's so lovely.

-She's amazing.

# Let it rain on me... #

I'm really excited that Eliza Doolittle's coming.

Eliza Doolittle is just an amazing artist and her songs are brilliant.

I'm really forward to this one. This is going to be a good one.

# Just let it rain on me... #

So, today, we are going to look at a song that I think is really upbeat,

lifts people's spirits and, in fact, it's based on a song that got people

through the First World War. It's called

Pack Up.

# Pack up your troubles

-# In your old kit bag and... #

-Pack Up is one

of Eliza's biggest hits.

The lyrics are based on Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit-Bag -

a morale-boosting World War I song.

# Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag

# And smile, smile, smile... #

# Pack up your troubles... #

Now, the kids are going to use Eliza's song

as inspiration for a morale-boosting song of their own.

Let's look at this song and think about what makes it successful.

# Pack up your troubles in your old kit-bag

# And da-da, da-da-da, da-da... #

Two chords. Very, very simple.

Your challenge is to write something very simple - a simple melody

and a simple chorus.

First, Gareth wants to brainstorm lyrics for the upbeat song.

I like the fact that we have got

Pack up Your Troubles in your Old Kit-bag.

Is there anything we could do like that?

-Use your wings and fly away.

-Oh!

-I was thinking, you could shed

-your worries, like the cocoon. Shed

-your worries! Now, we are cooking!

If you are in favour of these lyrics, put your hand up.

With the group's light-hearted lyrics starting to take shape,

the next step is finding a catchy tune.

Over to you.

Gareth wants to keep things simple,

so the kids have just six notes to work with.

Eliza Doolittle goes that way. Maybe we could start from the bottom.

Some of the biggest hits are no more complicated to sing than

a nursery rhyme. They have got

very few notes and that's what makes them catchy.

That's sounding really good. I think they have got a tune.

One, two, three, four...

# Use your wings to fly away

# Down the path to a better place. #

I like that.

I think that the energy's changed. I really like the song

and what they have done.

They have worked hard at it and come up with something that works.

The tide is turning.

If the kids can impress Eliza with a simple tune,

they will be on to a winner.

Getting the melody right is crucial

for your songs to succeed in the music industry.

I find it truly amazing

that we have a limited number of notes

within music, yet we keep coming up with new songs.

You can't really explain what makes a good melody. It's just people

like it. That's it.

I think that's why hits aren't written every day.

Imagine you're playing at a festival in front of 80,000 people.

How would you get them all singing along?

How would you get them dancing and keep them interested?

THEY SING

With lyrics and melody already in the bag,

Gareth has one final element he wants the kids to work on.

Can I introduce you to a very, very, very important word,

which is groove.

In this performance, he wants the group to dance...

I think we want everyone dancing around in the intro. Yeah!

Get in the groove! That's it!

..but it's not something that comes naturally to everyone.

Some of them were really getting into their dance moves.

Sid and Ben were really loving it. I wasn't quite so sure about Molly.

She has such a beautiful voice. Molly's voice is one of the nicest

in the whole group and, yet, she looks the most reserved.

If you look embarrassed, it will be embarrassing.

Connecting with the audience is so important,

if you want to be successful. It is absolutely vital and it is

something that Molly really struggles with.

14-year-old Molly, from Cardiff,

is an accomplished musician, with an extraordinary vocal range.

SHE SINGS

'At the moment, I'd say my biggest strength was my voice.'

I'm classically-trained and sing in a choir.

Back at the auditions, her flawless voice

hit the right note with Gareth.

# Sail away from today It's not going

# Your way... #

Molly's voice, it just poured out of her.

-Really, really good.

-But he did have one concern.

Molly's thinking very hard about the music and about the notes,

so her eyes glaze over slightly. It wasn't perhaps as expressive

as it could be.

'I would have to work with Molly to draw that performance out.'

Molly has been chosen as a soloist in today's performance,

so Gareth needs to address the problem.

I'm really interested in you, cos I think your voice is so lovely.

-But sometimes, you look quite serious.

-I don't mean to be.

I love singing, but I concentrate and just forget to show it

on my face. I need to put on a show more, cos it is all about the face

-and I know that. I just don't really do it.

-We need to turn this round.

Come on, let's just dance on the sofa.

Go over the top, as much as you can. Be ridiculous.

# There's no point in worrying... #

Smile!

# It will be all right... #

-What is it with your hands?

-I don't know what to do with them.

Just...communicate.

I feel that I need to do it to progress. I do need to.

-(You need this.)

-I know!

-You need it, you really do. And you've got it and you can do it.

-Yes.

Say to me, "I am an expressive singer".

-I am an expressive singer.

-Say it!

-I am an expressive singer.

-Say it more!

-I am an expressive singer.

-Are you really?

-I am!

Because this is based on a song about lifting people's spirits,

if Molly doesn't go for it and enjoy it, like all of the others do,

I think it will really bring the mood down.

Putting today's writing challenge to one side,

the musicians must now focus on their Big Performance.

In just three weeks, the kids will be performing a song

one of them has written at the World War I

centenary commemoration in Belgium.

To help inspire their writing, Gareth is taking them to a place

he hopes will show a different side to The Great War.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery is a mounted unit

of the British Army, who were formed to honour the role of horses

in World War I. Today, they appear at ceremonial occasions,

but back in World War On, their role was much more vital.

I don't think they are going to write songs about horses,

but it is really useful for them to have an idea of the scale

and how much World War I affected every aspect of life.

CHEERING

Gareth has arranged to meet Captain Nick Watson.

How important were the horses in World War I?

Horses were used massively during World War I.

I think there were about 1,000 a week shipped over the Channel.

Without them, we would never have been able to be as quick

around the battlefield as we were.

There were several important roles for the horses when they arrived

on the front line - moving ammunition and supplies,

being ridden by soldiers

and pulling large guns out onto the battlefield to be fired.

All of which were exceptionally-dangerous jobs.

In total, about eight million horses died during World War I.

Incredibly, only a quarter of all horses killed in the war

were from the result of enemy action.

The rest were a victim of the harsh living conditions.

Many stories have been written about horses' bravery,

including the famous book, Warhorse.

As a way of remembering the important role horses played

in the war, today, the Royal troop have six original World War I guns

they pull out for ceremonial occasions.

It was quite a surprise to me about how much the animals made

a contribution to the war and the amount of horses that died.

I think it was eight million, or something like that,

which is really high.

Animals just get used to where they are and to be sent off to

a strange place and strange sounds, like the guns firing,

-that would be really, really hard.

-I think it will have been

a huge surprise to all of them that, actually, animals were affected

by World War I just as much as humans.

Almost every family in the UK has some connection to World War I.

Today, Gareth wants to speak to Molly about what he has discovered

-about HER ancestor.

-It's amazing to see the work that still goes on

with horses - exactly the same as would have happened 100 years ago

or more. So, Molly, you have a family

World War I connection to horses, as well, don't you?

-Do you know anything about it?

-I only know that I had

a great-great grandad whose horses were used in World War I.

That's right. Arthur Edward Hill, his name was.

-I have actually got a photo of him on his motorbike, here.

-Wow.

And there he is.

He was a farmer who was very involved with horses and his horses went,

as you say, to the front. While they were gone - he didn't have any horses

left - he had a job. He was a dispatch rider.

As a dispatch rider on the home front, Arthur's job was to deliver

urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units.

-It's a wonderful little scene, isn't it?

-It is like it comes to life.

-It really does.

-Oh, I can't believe it.

-Do you feel proud?

Yeah. Very.

It's incredible. I just... I wasn't expecting this, at all.

I definitely think it's made me feel more connected to World War I.

I think I am connected more with my song, as well.

Molly isn't the only songwriter

with a family link to the horses of World War I.

I found out some information about your great-great grandfather,

a man called John Robert Duke Barber.

In fact, I have got a picture of him, here...

..with two horses.

That's pretty cool.

It's great, isn't it? Isn't that amazing?

He, when he was a civilian, worked in a diary.

He used to take care of the horses.

Then, when he went to the front, he carried on taking care of the horses

and if any of the horses were lame or sick,

they would bring them to your great-great-grandfather.

That's him.

100 years ago.

As well as bringing

his valuable skills with horses to the front line,

John Barber was a driver in the Royal Field Artillery

and won several medals for his bravery in the war.

It's really weird because it looks like one of those photos

-you see in a history lesson, like...

-Mm.

And now it's actually, like, real life.

That-that could have been me, that's my relative.

'Knowing that that was his great-great-grandfather

'in that photograph'

was really a very important moment for him.

World War I is starting to feel a lot more real for Ben and Molly,

but are their commemorative songs heading in the right direction?

It's time to test run what they've written so far

in front of the toughest crowd they have ever faced,

the King's Troop soldiers.

It'd be great to get your feedback on the mood

and whether you think it would fit a state occasion

commemorating the beginning of World War I.

Really looking forward to hearing what you've come up with.

Ben, would you like to start?

# Today's the day that we will say that war is finally over

# Today's the day that we will sail towards the Cliffs of Dover

# You served your duty well

# And our respect will never end. #

Any immediate thoughts about that?

You can almost imagine the scenes exactly in your head

as it's going on. When he sang, "The White Cliffs of Dover,"

-to me, I instantly could picture that.

-Great.

That was... It was really good. Really enjoyed it.

What about the way Ben performed his song?

Did that work for you as military people?

Yeah, I thought it was good

but I think he needs to just project himself,

stand up a little straighter.

So imagine himself as a soldier.

I thought Ben really had some lovely lyrics about the war being over

and rhyming that with Dover. Whereas it...

Perhaps the rhythm of it, it felt a little bit light and poppy.

So that's perhaps something for him to think about.

Molly, shall we have yours?

# Stand up

# Be proud

# They were all the heroes

# For light

# For peace

# We walk ahead as one. #

How did you find her song?

I thought it was really good. I liked "Stand up and be proud."

I liked that sort of tone running through it.

-I thought that was really good.

-Feels right for a state event?

-Yes, exactly.

-OK.

That was one of the sternest-looking crowds I've ever seen.

Actually, I thought Molly and Ben both did very well.

They held their nerves, they performed

and I think their songs went down well.

Back at HQ, it's time to get rehearsing for today's challenge.

Eliza Doolittle is on her way.

The talented group have managed to write

an upbeat song for Eliza Doolittle,

based on her own track, Pack Up,

But, this time, Gareth wants them to dance

and their groove still needs work.

So far, they have not pulled of a performance

where they all look like a group.

And it's really important here

because we've actually got movement in it.

Can I just hear it? Ready?

# There's no point in being scared

# It will be OK

# Use yours wings to fly... #

Good. Molly. I'm just noticing that you're sort of staring off in front.

Your performance has to take in everyone.

Do you feel like you're doing a lot at the moment?

Kind of. I could do more.

MORE?!

Honestly, there is no such thing as too much in a situation like this.

Earlier, Gareth tried to get Molly fired up for her solo performance.

-Say it!

-I am an expressive singer.

-Say it MORE!

-I AM an expressive singer!

But he's still not seeing the expression he was looking for.

I'm worried that, in front of Eliza Doolittle,

Molly might actually get worse. She might retreat into herself

and what I want is for her to have a really good time.

Fingers crossed, she's going to pull it out of the bag.

# It'll get better... #

And today's other soloist, Ben,

appears to have the opposite problem.

Ben, you can't seemed to stand still for a second. It's just like...

you've just burnt the bottom of your feet or something.

Down the end, we had this...

THEY LAUGH

And then, down this end, we had this...

..so it doesn't look balanced at the moment.

My two soloists are really different.

Ben can't stand still, he's fidgety -

that doesn't make for a great performance.

Molly is completely the opposite.

She hardly moves at all, she just stands stock still

and looks terrified.

Gareth is looking for a seamless group performance

but blending in doesn't come naturally to Ben.

# ..a better day... #

HE PLAYS DISSONANT CHORDS

-BEN:

-That was my fault, sorry!

I do sometimes find it quite hard to stand still

because I have a different kind of performing style -

I used to be, like, in a band,

so it was more jumpy-around kind of thing.

13-year-old Ben is a super-charged singer

who wants to get his music to the masses.

I would just generally love to be known

and, like, make people happy with my music

and to know that they love my music would be just fantastic.

Back at the auditions,

he put on an impressive performance of one of his own songs.

# You have the eyes of a wise man

# So guide me through... #

And his stage presence also caught Gareth's eye.

Ben is really creative. I thought his song was very good.

But he was a bag of nerves.

He couldn't stand still, he was very jittery,

so that's something that would worry me.

-Lovely to meet you. I'll be in touch.

-OK.

Final rehearsal time.

Now Gareth needs to quickly address the problem,

before Ben faces his solo in front of Eliza Doolittle.

You sing really well. And you're really expressive.

I think what we need to do is just contain your energy -

you've got so much energy, it's like you can't stand still.

# Everything's going to be OK... #

It's these little telltale giveaways. Just that. Just before...

-Want me put my hands behind my back?

-No. I just don't want you to fidget.

I can just see your hands are like this.

Like, "Oh, what I do? "What do I do with my hands?"

-I'm usually playing an instrument.

-Ah, I see. That's what this is.

No, we definitely just want you to perform.

Gareth has discovered the cause

but can he help Ben channel his nervous energy?

Nice and still. Your feet are still, legs are still.

Relaxing.

Whatever it is, just make it slow and kind of fluid.

Like waves lapping the shore.

Can you see how slow my movements are? They're not like this.

# Everything's going to be OK.

# It'll get better from here. #

Yeah? Feels really agitated.

I need to work on not doing this with my feet, like,

moving my feet around and just need to stop fiddling with my shirt

and just show all the energy in my face.

This applies to everything we're going to do.

I want to see a relaxed Ben, a calm Ben. That's really going to help.

BEATBOXING

With Eliza Doolittle just minutes away,

the kids have kitted up for their party song,

but no-one feels like celebrating just yet.

This is important, to get it right,

cos last time, when we performed in front of Conor,

it sort of fell apart.

This one really want to get perfect so we can sort of redeem ourselves.

If I don't smile as much as I could do in the performance,

then I think that I might let the whole group down.

We're all trying to get it right and some of us are overdoing it,

under-doing it and we all just need it to be perfect.

You know, the group has got to get better and better and better

on the way to our big performance at Belgium

and I don't want this to be a step backwards.

With a string of hits already to her name,

Eliza Doolittle has high expectations

when it comes to performance.

I love to hear a really good voice

and definitely charisma on stage and good energy.

I'm always honest, so if I hear something that...

you know, I think they can improve on, I'll give them true feedback.

-Hello.

-Here she is!

Oh, my God!

Hello, guys.

Eliza, we've been writing a song for you.

And it's a very upbeat song.

It's sort of based on the idea behind Pack Up,

which is a, you know... It's a cheering-people-up song.

So how has it gone, all the songwriting?

It's gone pretty good, to be honest.

We were pretty proud of it in the end.

Like, we sang it and we were like, "This is pretty cool actually."

Oh, dear! Pride comes before a fall.

-Right. Are you ready to hear the song?

-I'm ready.

-Let's do it!

The young songwriters desperately need a good performance.

But will their upbeat song strike a chord with Eliza?

# Everything's going to be OK

# It'll get better from here

# What's the point in worrying?

# It'll be all right

# Use your wings to fly away

# Down the path to a better day

# Shed your worries, spread your wings

# Out of winter, the sunlight springs

# Out of winter, the sunlight springs

# Everything's good to be all right

# It will get better from here

# There's no point in being scared

# It'll be OK

# Use your wings and fly away

# Down the path to a better day

# Shed your worries, spread your wings

# Out of winter, the sunlight springs

# Out of winter, the sunlight springs. #

Yeah! Loved it!

The catchy song has got Eliza smiling.

-What did you think?

-I thought it was really good fun. Yeah.

I really enjoyed that.

Especially that lyric, "Out of winter, the sunshine springs."

I love that.

Who came up with that? Sid! Well done, Sid.

Eliza, how did you feel about our two soloists?

Ben was Mr Fidget earlier on

and Molly was hardly moving at all.

Did you feel that it balanced out in the performance?

Oh, yeah, yeah. Definitely.

Ben, I thought your voice was really something special, actually.

I really like it.

It doesn't matter about your movement, just make sure

you don't look nervous or unconfident because that...

You've got to be, you know, really sure of yourself.

Molly, I wouldn't have known

that you were struggling with your movement,

you seemed really relaxed with the way you were moving.

-You just had a little thing going on, it was cute.

-Thank you!

Well done, Molly, that's fantastic feedback, really good.

Did you think... I mean, good performance?

How did you feel about that?

You guys have obviously been working on your movement

as well as the songwriting.

Since it's your first time trying to get really into it,

it felt a little bit, at times, unnatural

but that's completely normal,

cos this is your first time trying it.

So I would say, next time, just try to really feel it from your heart.

And just don't think about it too much.

Do you find that the more you think about things,

the more unnatural it gets?

Definitely. I do it all the time as well.

I'll be on stage and be like,

"Oh, why is my leg over there?"

And, you know, I just have to shake it off and forget about it

and get back to the moment again.

Do you have any tips for being confident on stage?

Even now, when I get a bit nervous, I just take a big breath and...

exhale just before I walk on and just try and really relax.

Going forward, I think we can...

-They can afford to be confident, can't they?

-Absolutely.

You should be really proud of yourselves.

I think it went really, really well.

It's one of our best performances yet.

I think it is a real confidence booster for everyone.

The energy was high. I think that's what this song needed.

The biggest thing I've learned this time

is to show what I feel on the inside on the outside

so it looks as though it's a good performance to everyone.

Eliza said my voice was something special. That's...

Ah!

HE CHUCKLES

That was their best performance so far.

I really enjoyed it, it felt like they enjoyed it, too.

Definitely in the right direction.

It's a great step forward for the singers

but, in three weeks' time, they will face an even bigger challenge -

performing at the World War I commemoration in Belgium.

We can't rest on our laurels now.

We've had a good performance but they're not ready for Belgium,

not by any means.

I think fir the kids it's going to be really difficult

to write a song for World War I because...

-I mean,

-I

-would find it difficult.

There's so much emotion in something like war.

I guess the most important thing

is to think about what's really important in life.

So the deal is they've sung for you, it's your turn to sing to them.

OK, that's a deal.

BEATBOXING

# I always give away too much

# Too much of who I am

# And when I don't get no returns

# I have to start again

# And it takes time

# To collect every little speck that makes me whole

# It's a hard-knock life

# But I know just what'll give me that push to make it home

# Because you make me feel... #

Today the young songwriters have ended on a high note

but can they stay positive under pressure?

Next time, it's back to school for the Big Performance kids...

If you have ears, use them to listen!

..the musicians face their most emotional challenge yet...

-Nobody's going to cry.

-I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, guys!

..and can the songwriters impress pop star Pixie Lott?

Hello, everyone.