The School that Rocks

This programme contains some strong language.

Every September, hundreds of new students come here

to the Academy of Contemporary Music with a dream.

Each of them hopes to achieve stardom

and success in the music industry.

Many will make it, but there are hundreds that won't.

It's not a secret society, the music industry.

Anybody can join it, but it's hard work.

18-year-old vocalist Henrietta wants to hit the big time.

World domination.

That's my dream.

I'm being serious.

World domination.

At just 19, Ella's only got a year to make it

and she's already feeling the clock ticking.

They say that if you're over the age of 20, you're less likely to

make it as an artist because you're old.

Budding producer James is back at college

after his music career failed to take off.

It was terrible. It was... You're up there and then just kind of dropped.

Do you know what I mean?

Student band MassMatiks are set for super stardom

until things start going badly wrong.

Just a nightmare, to be honest. It sucks.

This film follows students of rock over the first term of the year -

from the music lessons to late-night sessions,

there's everything to play for at The School That Rocks.

Let's face it, there are lots of decent singers out there.

There are tens of thousands of amazing guitarists.

And more talented drummers than you could shake a stick at.

At this college, there are over 1,200 gifted students

who have been handpicked from thousands of applicants.

All of them have a dream to become stars in the music business.

But only a few will get the lucky break they need.

The Academy of Contemporary Music is only one of a few colleges

that trains performers, producers and artist managers

for jobs in one incredibly competitive industry.

It's the start of a new academic year

and, like all universities, term kicks off with freshers' week.

For these students, that means seven days of drinking,

checking out the new talent and wall-to-wall live music.

# Play your tunes... #

# I hear her voice... #

# I'm no longer suffering... #

# Smile with the rising sun

# And three little birds... #

INDISTINCT LYRICS

Meeting a load of female vocalists and stuff was really good.

Definitely a good place to network though, definitely.

I've never been so busy, ever.

In, like, a whole week, I've never been so busy.

And we haven't even started lectures.

CHEERING

-Jamming sessions. We've gone to each other's houses.

-Song writing.

We've gone out for drinks to get to know each other. Everything, yeah.

Lectures start tomorrow,

but it doesn't look like anyone has remembered.

After a late night, some students have made it in for the first

day of term, including 18-year-old fresher Henrietta Adewole.

She was always the person picked out at school for her singing voice.

Big congratulations for making it on to the degree.

Really fantastic to have you as a part of this programme.

It's a big two years we've got ahead of us.

I got the confidence to start singing

when I was about maybe 14, 13.

I was just singing gospel, really.

I didn't really have a voice.

Then I got a few vocal teachers, and doing pub gigs

and little gigs at events and stuff. That's why I'm so confident now.

I could sing in front of anyone and I wouldn't be nervous,

sort of thing.

I guess, yeah, it's all built me up to who I am today.

We call this module Applied Technical Studies.

But it's basically how to sing.

But Henrietta knows she needs more than just raw talent

if she's to become a successful artist.

I want to be able to do everything from pop to rock,

from techno to drum and bass.

That's why I've come here, to be honest -

to, like, get better at things like that.

She wants to turn her talent for gospel singing

into a career in pop music.

Her tutor for this year is Jono McNeil,

a successful session singer and vocal coach.

This is your first trimester,

where we try to put down some real foundations.

Over the next two trimesters, you'll be learning all about reading

and you'll be learning about your voices and how to make them

really, really good, basically.

Hi. I'm Henrietta. I think my strength is, like, my belt.

I love belting. It's fun.

But I think my weakness is, like, I'm not very strong in my head voice

and my breathing, so I'm not very good at breathing.

A random fact - I have an afro.

LAUGHTER

Yes, you do.

The students' first homework assignment is to prepare

a song to sing in front of the class next week.

Henrietta may be used to performing, but it will be the first time her

vocal ability will be judged by an audience of other talented singers.

What song are you thinking of doing?

I'm thinking of Amy Winehouse, I Heard Love Is Blind,

cos it's kind of short but not too long.

OK, yeah.

-What about you?

-I don't know. I'm thinking...

Mmm...

-Jazmine Sullivan, have you ever heard of her?

-I haven't.

She's like an R&B singer. It's called In Love With Another Man.

But I don't know. I might sing some Tina Turner.

I don't know.

Another fresher starting this week is Ella Barber,

a 19-year-old singer from Southampton.

# Dreamer... #

She lives with her boyfriend Sonny,

but they don't always see eye to eye.

We met at college on a music course.

We didn't like each other at first.

Well, we did. We got on really well. Then at Christmas time we fell out.

Then we got back together again.

We've literally been joined at the hip for the last two years.

HE SINGS A HIGH-PITCHED RUN

-There you are.

-Yeah, but you'd change it every time, I bet.

-No, I don't.

-I bet you do.

There's no way you'd do that every time.

HIGH-PITCHED RUN: # You know. #

No, no, that was different.

MAN LAUGHS

# You know

# Yes, I do, I do

# You know... #

Although she sings in a soul band with Sonny,

Ella's dream is to be an artist in her own right.

I want to be the next Beyonce or the next Whitney.

She's come to ACM to find fame

and to collaborate with like-minded students.

I want to be known as the person that can sing, that can not just go

and flaunt around the stage, it's like, bam.

I'm the next Ella, it's the next big thing.

# You know. #

-I know that that sounds so silly, but it's every girl's dream.

-Mm.

Every vocalist's dream.

Yeah, why not?

Being able to belt out a great tune is only

one of the things that the students here must master

if they want to make it in the music business.

Having a strong image and plenty of attitude will make them stand out.

And today, Ella's class is getting the opportunity to learn just

what that involves with their very own photoshoot.

This is the chance for the students to project the image

they'd like to see on their album cover.

They need to describe the kind of artist they want to be

so Chris the photographer can take a picture

that will get their unique image across.

All right, guys, what have you got?

Ella is a 19-year-old soul singer-songwriter

with a powerful set of lungs.

She has high-class experience and front-woman confidence,

she wants to fill a gap in the industry

with a modern and edgy soul-funk band.

Cool. All right, I get it.

Not an easy ask, then. But Ella hasn't quite finished.

Almost like Amy Winehouse without the drugs.

-Right, clean Amy Winehouse.

-Yeah.

Hey! Book me for your wedding.

If Ella is to project the kind of image she wants,

she's going to need plenty of attitude.

It's left to Chris to explain how that can be done.

I like that. I think that sort of... you're beyond, it in a way.

You're like, "Yes, I'm in a photoshoot,

"but while you're taking pictures of me,

"I've got more important things to be thinking about.

"Because photoshoots are functional. Yeah, OK, promotional.

"Fine, I have to do it, I get it.

"But it's a function that I have to go through

"in order to achieve the important thing."

Chris has to take Ella out of her comfort zone

to get the shot he wants.

Oh, God.

Now, how do you feel now? Do you feel less...?

I feel like I literally want to frown and die in a little dark hole.

Ella's survived the photoshoot, but she knows she has to take

every opportunity that comes her way if she's going to make it.

They say that if you're over the age of 20, you're less likely

to make it as an artist, so I am going for just about everything.

I'm attending every single class, every single audition,

just in hope that one day someone will notice

or the lucky break will happen.

You may now go. Nice to meet you all.

Chris will be back next week to reveal the final photos.

HENRIETTA DOES VOCAL EXERCISES

Henrietta has been preparing all week for the all-important

opportunity to sing in front of the class,

which involves a complete hair transformation.

# Blossom on the tree

# You know how I feel

# It's a new dawn It's a new day

# It's a new life for me

# And I'm feeling good... #

Today, she'll be trying to impress a group of people who,

like her, have dedicated their lives to singing.

If she hits one flat note, they'll know about it.

Because I'm in a cast of musicians, they're going to judge you

whether you like it or not.

They're going to be like, "Oh, that didn't sound good,"

or, "That weren't right," or "This song is wrong for her,"

you know?

Henrietta comes from a close-knit family in Essex,

and ACM is her first taste of independence.

A little bit worried about how she's going to feed herself.

-Because she would rather go to McDonald's than cook.

-I can cook.

Yeah. Like, my mum teaches me,

but I can only cook if she's there supervising.

We do worry though that we've kept her quite, you know,

coddled up within our family quite a lot, so...

Big bad world out there.

Like all mums, Carole knows her daughter's strengths,

but she knows her weaknesses too.

She likes school but she's not academic.

She is not academic at all.

If she has to learn something, Henrietta goes,

"Oh, Mum, I've got to learn this." I say, "Yeah, you have to."

Knowledge is power, you have to.

But when it comes to performing, when it comes to acting,

she's just naturally good.

Despite years of practice, Henrietta didn't always want to be a singer.

I used to do athletics.

I was running for my county and I was running for South of England.

I did pretty well in it, but I had a car accident.

The car actually went off the road, hit her on the pavement,

lifted her up, bounced her off the pavement,

went over the hedge of the bush and crashed into a house.

The ambulance came, police came. It was like a scene from The Bill.

I just got really depressed.

Music sort of brought me out of that, you know?

It just helped motivate me to want to live again and have fun

and, like, aspire to be something.

# My God is awesome... #

Up until now, most of Henrietta's singing

has been in the gospel choir of her local church.

But singing in front of her class

feels like a whole different challenge.

Everyone in this room went through a rigorous selection process

before they were chosen for the course,

and today, they have the opportunity to show

they are worthy of their place.

# Set me free

# Leave me be... #

# Now we're face to face

# And I wanna take you away

# Let's escape into the music... #

# Soon we believe... #

The pressure is on

for Henrietta to prove she is as good as the rest of them.

Let's get Henrietta out.

CHEERING

# Fish in the sea

# You know how I feel

# River runnin' free

# You know how I feel

# Blossom on the tree

# You know how I feel

# It's a new dawn

# It's a new... #

I'm messing it up.

# ..A new life

# For me

# And I'm feel

# Feel

# And I'm feeling good

# Oh-oh-oh

# I'm feeling good

# Yeah

# I know I'm feeling good. #

-LOW PITCHED:

-Eh. Eh.

THEY LAUGH

CHEERING

I really, really enjoyed that performance.

Really quite adventurous approach to vocal sounds,

which is really exciting.

So we had an issue with the structure halfway through there.

One, I would ask how you learn your songs

and if you're counting bars, etc.

But on the other side of things, you've done what we call,

in the business, corpsing, where you tell us, "I've messed up."

That's a huge, huge no-no.

For me, Henrietta, you've got a large personality,

you've got a large voice, but what you haven't yet become

is a performer.

What you need to now do is learn how to put the audience first.

You need to kind of bring some finesse to what you do.

I just feel like I really messed up.

It's just frustrating.

The first time that everyone hears me sing, it's not my best, you know?

The biggest opportunity for all the students at college this term

is the chance to take part in a special event -

the Industry Performance Showcase.

We have our student bands, artists, play two original songs in front of

an industry A&R panel,

and they get constructive feedback from that panel.

Amazing exposure. The key to it is, it's constructive.

It's about trying to develop them and improve what they're doing.

And there's an exclusive prize up for grabs for the best

act on the day.

They'll win the chance to cut a record

at the world-famous Metropolis Studios in London,

where some of the most iconic acts of all time have recorded,

including Led Zeppelin, Amy Winehouse and Adele.

For the winning act, this prize will put them

light years ahead of the competition.

Having vinyl to send out should make the record labels

sit up and take notice.

The best acts at college are taking part,

all hoping to attract the attention of the industry judges.

One of the hottest bands at college to enter the showcase

is indie rock outfit MassMatiks.

They've been together for three years

with big dreams of signing their first record deal.

Hi, we're MassMatiks.

But with guitarist Joe and lead singer George

due to complete their degrees at the end of the year,

performing at the showcase could be the band's last chance

to get their big break.

21-year-old Martin formed the band with lead singer

and guitarist George.

We've been doing it for, like, three years now.

I think motivation probably slipped once.

There was probably one point over the last three years where

I was just like, "Oh, I can't be arsed any more."

Then, shortly after that, Joe and Josh joined and over the last

eight months, there's never really been a dull moment.

I met them at a gig. We just started hanging out.

Martin and George sort of showed me how to party really hard.

THEY SING

Then, one day they said, "Look, we're getting a new drummer,

"do you want to drum for us?"

You know, us four literally are four best mates.

It sounds cheesy. Everyone says, "Bands. Four best mates."

But literally, the four of us are best mates.

I live in a room with Joe. I've lived in a house with George.

I've always said that

if we ever get to the Alternative Stage at Reading,

packed out the Alternative Stage,

that is, you know, that's goal complete for me.

Anything above that is just a bonus.

Determined to come out on top at the Industry Showcase,

the band need to gig as much as possible,

starting with a packed house at local venue, the Boileroom.

Cheers. We've been MassMatiks. Come and talk to us. Thank you.

CHEERING

So good. MassMatiks - spot on, man.

Oh, God. I'm going to be...

It's going to be a good night ahead of us for the rest of it.

Yeah, man. Sick.

Best response I've ever had at a gig. It was so good.

Hot, tired, need a beer.

Need to go back home and get drunk and party.

With their set over, everyone's heading back

to the MassMatiks' house to get a good night's sleep.

After a big gig, like all rock stars in training,

it's important to rehydrate.

CHEERING

-Go on, Linchers.

-Beautiful.

-Go on, Linchers.

-He's got it, he's got it.

-CHEERING

-Get down.

-Get down, boy.

-Below it.

The fact it's college tomorrow doesn't seem

to be bothering guitarist Joe.

This is our first housewarming party, post-gig coming in,

all the mates, everyone. Lectures tomorrow. I think they're at 11.

All day, three lectures.

But it's part of the lifestyle, innit?

You've got to get your balance right.

It's actually our cupboard.

I jumped off the side and it got caught in my belt.

Not ideal.

Someone's certainly not going to be too happy in the morning.

It's 10.30am, and at the MassMatiks' house,

no-one's in a hurry to get out of bed.

ALARM BUZZES

Joe and Martin have a cosy arrangement in their shared room.

Can't help a bit of moisturising in the morning.

People think, like, it's so weird that you share with another guy.

It's fine, cos we literally just take the mickey

out of each other all the time anyway.

Fart in each other's faces

when he comes out of the toilet in the morning.

That's an example for today.

Despite the heavy drinking,

George is a surprising fan of healthy living.

This is my breakfast every day.

Supplement drink.

I've always been quite healthy, to be fair, apart from drinking.

I've been kickboxing for 18 years.

Since I was five.

My dad does it, my mum did it, my brother did it and I do it.

I love it. It's my life.

That and music is all I ever do, really.

Then when the boys are going out partying,

I usually go kickboxing first and prefer it, so...

So they'll be going out, getting drunk,

and I'll be going to training, and then come back and get drunk.

Martin's girlfriend Jill seems happy to take the band's

lifestyle in her stride.

It's entertaining. There's never a dull moment.

I love being here, though.

I hate going home, cos it's so fun.

Sorry, mate.

Henrietta's daily journey from Essex to ACM can take two hours.

After her disappointing performance in class,

she planned to redeem herself

by booking in a one-on-one with vocal tutor Jono.

But at the mercy of the trains, she's missed her tutorial.

JONO SIGHS

I know. I'm so sorry I didn't warn you.

-So what was it? A train issue?

-Yeah.

-OK.

I understand, circumstances happen. They always happen.

There's always an excuse, there's always going to be something.

It's almost about putting the precautions in

that's going to make you always in a place

where people just know you as being an extremely professional person.

-Hmm.

-Reliable, those kind of things.

Now we've got to find another time and my time's all full.

So we've got to look at how we can make that work.

Perhaps an opportunity missed.

-Yeah.

-But, anyway, these things happen.

-Well, I'll see you soon.

All right. Bye.

Being told off by Jono just adds to the pressure Henrietta's feeling.

After her disastrous singing performance at the beginning

of term, she's also been struggling with her more academic classes -

music theory in particular.

How was that, Henrietta?

It just wasn't good at all. I just didn't like it.

It's just...he's so fast

and I can't understand some of the things he does.

Then I'm just sitting there and I just feel really stupid.

Like, I just feel like I don't know what I'm doing

half of the time and I don't understand what he's talking about.

Time to get Mum on the phone.

-SHE SOBS

-I just feel like I don't know what I'm doing.

It's not even that hard, I just feel like...

I feel like I'm rubbish. I don't know.

-Oh, Mum.

-SHE SOBS

Like, I think for a while I've just been feeling quite overwhelmed.

Like, I just think... I just think everything just builds up.

I think I just put a lot of pressure on myself.

I feel like I need to know certain things

and I feel like I should know how to do certain things or

I should understand, and things like that, and I just don't.

It's just a bit frustrating.

It's a week since Ella and her class got their photos taken by Chris.

He's come back in to show the students their head shots.

He's joined by business tutor Julia Martin.

So the whole rationale behind this was

so that you get some physical stuff that you can begin to use,

and that you realise that you guys need to take control of your image,

and begin to get you, as we move towards Christmas, to having

a portfolio of materials, as artists, that you need

that send a message out there to your audience

and to your prospective audience.

Time to see what message the students' pictures

are getting across and whether any of them could be album covers.

I think that's more indie at the moment.

I like that.

My view, right.

-Do you like it?

-It looks a bit weird, but maybe I will like it.

If Ella didn't like getting her picture taken,

what will she think of the result?

It looks like that.

Oh, my God!

Yeah. Look at that, look at the hate.

I don't think I've blushed so much in my life,

having a room full of my classmates look at an awful photo of me.

I just did not like that one at all.

It just made my face look really wide.

I look like I've got a fat face.

And you're not that person. You don't look... You do not look...

That doesn't even look like Ella, does it?

No.

That, to me, says punk, 100%.

You're punk, indie, quite hard-edged.

I wouldn't want to interview you. I'd be scared of you.

You'd probably say something very, very feminist and right on.

I think you're more pop than that and more current.

You're far more current than that communicates.

Well, other photographs I've had taken before that,

they definitely didn't look like that. So...

..maybe it was a bad day.

Maybe.

Behind every great recording artist is an even greater producer,

which is why they are some of the most powerful

people in the music industry.

Splitting them out, we've only got 24 channels here,

so if you've got 48 channels of audio in your DAW,

we're going to have to do some submixing.

27-year-old James Craise is starting

the two-year contemporary production degree.

But it's not his first time at ACM.

I've been at ACM three times over a period of about eight or nine years.

After his second time at the college,

he was signed by a major management company and, for a while,

it looked as if he was on his way to becoming a successful artist.

It was a massive lifestyle change.

You're walking into the studio, Gary Barlow over there.

There could be Madonna walking in through over there.

You're backstage at the BRITs and you're getting all the perks.

You're doing some amazing gigs

and you're working with some incredible musicians.

But it wasn't meant to be.

Despite being ready to record several songs,

a record deal failed to materialise.

It was really quite abrupt.

I was out of there within a month.

With his music career in tatters, James spent a year on the dole

and was forced to move back in with his mum.

It was terrible.

It was, you're up there and then just, kind of, dropped.

Do you know what I mean?

I've, kind of, you know, fallen from my pedestal, so to speak.

Now he's decided to dust himself off and take a different path.

For many years,

I was always the guy in the vocal booth recording the song.

Now, I want to take control of the situation

and I want to be the guy writing the track and producing it.

At ACM, first-time producers are encouraged by the college to

work with up-and-coming artists.

James has decided to grab the bull by the horns

and find a singer he can collaborate with.

Having heard that first year Ella is looking for new opportunities,

-he's arranged a meeting to check out her vocal abilities.

-Hi.

Just don't ask to take her photo.

-How's it going?

-Good, thank you.

-How are you?

-Yeah, yeah, not too bad.

# All along, it was a fever

# A cold sweat, hot-headed believer

# I threw my hands in the air and said, "Show me something"

# Not really sure how to feel about it

# It's something in the way you move... #

Go for it, come on.

# Makes me feel like I can't live without you

# It takes me all the way

# I want you to stay

# I want you to stay. #

Sweet. That's good.

It's good, I like it. It's a good place for your voice.

You can do more with it. So, what do you want to do?

What have you come to ACM for?

-I'd like to be out of my comfort zone.

-All right, sweet.

I think, for me, what's most important is a song

and is the lyric in the song and a melody.

If you've got a great melody and a great lyric, you're a winner,

and it's just interesting production that will make that the best thing.

And if you've got a great vocalist with a unique tone, brilliant.

So far, so good.

Ella wants to find a style of music that will suit her voice and image

and James may be just the person to help.

Let's exchange Facebooks and things.

I want you to send me

what you really like at the moment that's new.

-I don't want to influence you too much.

-OK.

Because otherwise, you'll start fulfilling the role.

-What I want you to do is be the role.

-OK.

If I start going, "Here, look at this,"

you'll go, "Yeah, I can put myself into that."

You're a singer, a good singer, so you can deal with those things.

What we need to do is get the identity to really start

coming from you and then we can shape it and mould it

and kind of distil it down a little bit.

-Do you know what I mean?

-Yeah.

'She's the sort of person that I'd want to work with.'

I think there's a character there, there's a little spark there

so it's like, "OK, what can we do with this?" Do you know what I mean?

What we'll do is we'll incorporate that into the song

-and we'll make it into something.

-OK.

-OK.

-Cool?

-Yeah.

James has definitely made me think a lot tonight about me

as an artist, about what I'm writing.

And it was actually quite nice

and refreshing to have someone that has that opinion that will

probably...not mould me, but will push me in the right direction.

-Wicked.

-Thank you very much.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

With the industry performance showcase just round the corner,

there's been a disastrous development for MassMatiks.

Lead singer and guitarist George is taken into hospital.

An injury he sustained

while kickboxing has suddenly flared up and he needs an operation.

Bye, George, good luck.

He's sent home to recuperate at his dad's house.

But his injury has now placed the band's

chances of playing at the industry showcase in serious jeopardy.

I thought it was sprained

and I even played the gig at the Boileroom with it.

Dad told me I should go to A&E to get it checked.

Got there and it turned out it was quite serious

and I'm out, no playing any guitar or anything for about...two months,

I think, maybe three months, which is causing a lot of problems.

We had to cancel a gig on Thursday.

The operation went on for like an hour and 40 minutes

and then I was in recovery for two hours and then, yeah,

I woke up and I was in loads of pain.

We'll have to probably take a couple of weeks off to teach

a session guitarist the guitar parts.

Usually, I can push through any mini-injury or sprain or bruise,

I can usually see through the pain, whereas this is kind of a serious

injury that can end my guitar-playing if I didn't get it sorted.

It's just a nightmare to be honest. It sucks.

It's halfway through term

and Henrietta's still struggling to cope with the academic

demands of her course and her confidence has taken a hard knock

so she decides to visit the college mentor.

If she hopes to hear that raw talent is enough to get her through,

she's in for a shock.

Hello, come and sit down.

So, fire away, really.

Basically, I just feel like I'm really struggling.

I just feel like in lessons, I'm not...

Everything's like 100%, speed, speed, speed

and I don't know what's going on.

So, what's your structure on a Monday? What lessons do you have?

I have Levels on a Monday.

-What happens on a Tuesday?

-Applied Technical Studies.

-And that's for two hours, yeah?

-Yeah.

-What about a Wednesday?

-I don't do anything.

-So, do you only have LPP on a Thursday?

Yeah, that's it.

-And then on a Friday?

-It's just Vocals Essentials.

In-between the lessons, are you booking like little practice

rooms like this and working on the exercises or anything like that?

-Em, like, no.

-No.

-So you're not really utilising your time.

-Yeah.

I've been quite disorganised, actually.

I'm focusing on so much different stuff, that it's hard for me

-to focus on that.

-But what are you focusing on?

-Like...

It's just loads of...

Like, it's just loads of stuff that I've still got to do at home.

Like what?

I'm trying to think.

Cos loads of stuff is just a group of words.

What's that "loads of stuff"?

-I think travel, a lot, occupies my time.

-OK.

-It takes me two hours.

-That's a long day.

-An hour and a half if I'm lucky.

So, it sounds as if there's loads of ideas in creative stuff that's

buzzing around you but we need to try and consolidate that

so that you've got a clear vision of where you want to go.

Unfortunately for Henrietta,

there's no substitute for putting in the hard work.

I think I got on OK but I just thought that maybe

she was sort of putting it across like I'm not trying and I am.

I just thought.. Yeah.

-All right.

-Well, thank you very much.

-OK, it's a pleasure.

I'll see you soon.

It's not just about the singing.

You have to have good time management so I think, for me,

my priority over the next few weeks is to get her into a good

time-management framework and that she feels that she's supported.

You know, she has studied theory.

I think she probably does understand a lot more than

she gives herself credit for but probably the pace

of the lessons is going quicker than she's able to digest, really.

I don't know, I just feel like she was just talking to me

a bit condescending or something.

She's got to be pro-active and want to do it for herself.

I can help and guide her but I can't do it for her.

This industry is tough and you have to have vision

and direction otherwise you'll end up frustrated.

Over at the MassMatiks' house,

the band are practising for the showcase, now just a week away,

but they're still no closer to finding a new guitarist.

George has even tried picking up the guitar again, without much luck.

I tried playing a couple of chords and it's not really happening,

to be honest. We need someone to commit fully, fully commit.

We've got band practice probably every day for the next week

and it's getting a bit worrying, actually.

At ACM, there's a lot of guitarists, but that's not enough.

It's how they look and how they pick up

and how much commitment they want to put in cos it's quite hard to find

someone who's willing to commit when we don't have any money to pay them.

We've got a couple of people that we think we might audition.

We're not 100% sure yet.

And, yeah, they've just got to look the part,

they've got to play the part and they've got to perform the part.

And it's hard, it's hard to find, but we'll find someone.

Right now, it's a problem. A bad problem.

They're not letting a little issue like this get them down, though.

Finish him!

SOUND EFFECT OF EXPLOSION

THEY SHOUT

Ella and James are both looking for a musical partner that can

help them to achieve individual success.

They've started collaborating on a new show.

He's not so threatening today because he hasn't got his hood up.

I didn't even recognise him, I walked straight past him,

and he had to say hello to me so I felt really rude.

It was like, "Sorry, I didn't recognise you."

A bit awkward but never mind.

I'm aware of that rhythm of the vocal but we've got to use that.

James has already been working on an idea for the music

but the lyrics have yet to be hammered out.

We've got an opening line, that's about it.

-Shall we sing it in?

-Mm.

Sing that in and then see where we go from there.

TRACK PLAYS

# I'm finding it hard to swim

# In your ocean... #

This is all new for Ella who's more used to singing in her

boyfriend's band than writing her own songs.

She's desperate to find a style that would turn her into a modern,

credible artist and together, they're discovering a new sound.

# I try to break you open... #

Yeah?

Yeah.

-That is, yeah, that's really nice.

-Yeah?

When you're a vocalist

and you're trying out vocal ideas in front of people, it's very,

very personal so it's also like,

"Oh, what if that person doesn't like my ideas and whatever?"

And it's not really like that for me, I'm just kind of like,

"Look, it's all about you and trying to get something from you."

SHE MOUTHS

# Be with someone like you... #

It's been a bit tentative

but I think she's really coming out of herself.

-RECORDING:

-# I... #

Eventually, Ella finds her feet and her song begins to form.

So, maybe try another melody.

SHE SINGS HIGH-PITCHED RUNS

-Well, wicked start.

-Yeah.

I think we're getting somewhere so we should arrange a time

when we can finish it off.

No, that's cool, it's a good start. It's really cool.

Henrietta's had time to absorb the advice

she received from the college mentor so she's asked specialist

vocalist coach Abi to help with her music theory.

So, how are you with your circle of fifths?

I do it my own way, like I've got another way of doing it

so I'm quite all right with them, actually.

So, if I said what key has four sharps? You'd say...?

-I probably wouldn't know the key but I'd know the sharps.

-OK.

-So, you've got this down, have you, the major scale formula?

-Um... No.

This is absolutely fine cos we're going to start from the beginning.

This is what I was hoping cos I was hoping that we could

start from the beginning and if we get all the fundamentals in,

-it'll be a lot simpler.

-Yeah.

So, what's this middle line then?

-E-F-G-A-B.

-B, yeah, sweet.

Basically, every major scale that we play, it doesn't matter what

-key we're in, it's going to have the same chord qualities.

-OK.

So, it's always the third that defines any tonality in a chord

-whether it's major or minor.

-Oh, OK.

Father...

-Charles goes down and ends battle.

-You're good.

Abi has a way of explaining things which Henrietta understands.

So, what's the major scale formula?

-Major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished.

-Pow.

Suddenly, it's all going rather well.

She's so lovely, she's so cool.

Things that I was getting taught in lessons,

she like re-taught it in a simpler way.

Henrietta definitely had

underestimated herself in as far as music theory was concerned.

Sorry, I might get too excited.

'Obviously, we started off at a very simple level but, actually,

'considering we had an hour, we moved on quite quickly.'

So, if you can do a little bit of this outside and ready for next week?

I imagine, cos she's a very strong character, that it actually

did take a lot for her to come here but I'm really glad she did.

And then we'll do a bit more recap of the modes and keys and stuff.

Feeling more confident because of her lessons with Abi,

Henrietta has upped her game with her vocals as well.

# Why should I feel discouraged?

# And why should the shadows come? #

'I can tell that she's come a long way,'

that she's starting to process some vocal function,

she's starting to realise what technique does and can do for her.

Head up, chin up a little. That's it.

And now, just push in, "Sing because I'm free."

# Sing because I'm free... #

She's teachable as well,

she listens to what I say and this is a good thing, I like that.

# And know

# For heaven ain't home... #

The trajectory is positive and I think we'd be hard pressed to

not say that it's a magnificent voice in there.

Perhaps a diamond in the rough

but there's some really fantastic stuff that's coming out.

-Let's hug it out.

-Let's hug it out.

-Thanks, man.

-That's a good weave, by the way.

-Oh, thanks.

MUFFLED MUSIC PLAYS

It's nearing the end of term.

The industry showcase is now just days away and in the nick

of time, MassMatiks have managed to solve their problems.

We got a guitar player sorted out,

a guy called Angus Chandler who's actually in a class with Joe.

# Count yourself lucky... #

Obviously, it's a big feat, it's a big ask for him as well.

We're pulling in a big favour, we're not paying him which,

obviously, we're very grateful for.

None of us have got any money

so we don't really have the option to pay him.

And yesterday, we had a four-hour rehearsal round Josh's place

and then, yeah, here I am.

Running about at ACM.

He's a really good guitarist, he's reliable, and then we kind of give

him the chance to learn the parts but then also have his own input on it.

And as it turns out, for George,

losing his guitar has resulted in unexpected benefits.

'I'm just on mics, I'm just figuring out what I'm going to do on mic'

and I'm loving it to be honest.

Absolutely loving the space I'm getting.

Jumping about, I feel confident. I was a bit worried at first,

I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but now I'm confident.

I'm more confident than I've ever been.

INDISTINCT LYRICS

After a successful rehearsal with Angus,

the lads decide to have a quiet night in with a few mates.

Or not.

A more confident Henrietta also decides

she has something to celebrate.

But not too much.

-Mum, I'm going home. I'm going to be safe.

-She'll be safe.

After turning things around at college,

she doesn't want to overdo it.

Thanks, Jenny, bye.

It's the big day of the industry showcase

and weeks of preparation for the 12 acts have boiled down to this -

one stage, two songs and ten minutes to impress the judges.

Each act is vying to outplay the others for the prize

of recording at Metropolis Studios.

I'm excited. I love rock music.

I love rocking out.

Today, they'll have the chance to perform in front of three A&R

executives and the managing director of Gary Barlow's publishing company.

These four people could be all that stands between them

and their first record deal.

The standard is high and there's a lot of competition for MassMatiks.

# You know I'm never going to give up

# Oh oh-oh-oh

# Oh oh-oh-oh oh

# You know I'm never going to give up. #

With their new guitarist, this will be the first time

MassMatiks have played for an audience with their new line-up.

The stakes couldn't be higher.

Yeah, it's hard. It's definitely the hardest sort of gig you can do.

You've just got to put up a barrier and not really think of them

and don't really react too much to the way they look at you cos

they look at you like this all the time.

Finally, it's their turn in the spotlight.

# One, two, three, four

-ALL:

-# Bah-bah-brah-bah-bah

# Bah-dah-bah-bah-dah-bah

# What's it going to be?

# You staying with him or you staying with me... #

INDISTINCT LYRICS

-BOTH:

-# ..And everybody knows... #

INDISTINCT LYRICS

# ..Bah-bah-brah-bah-bah

# Bah-dah-bah-bah-dah-bah

# Bah-bah-brah-bah-bah

# Bah-dah-bah-bah-dah-bah. #

Cheers.

Loads of energy, I think you have a natural frontman.

I think as a band, you all play well together.

As a group of people,

you sort of pick up on the collective energy of what

you're doing and I think we were all saying the same thing,

we all liked your spirit.

Loved the energy. I just...

You just need to gig more.

-Cheers, guys.

-Go grab those CDs. Thanks very much.

Each of the 12 acts have had their chance.

All that's left now is the big decision.

Who will be taking their music to the next

level by recording at Metropolis?

-It was good, in the end.

-Got good feedback.

-Yeah.

Didn't get much bad stuff. Was kind of, keep doing what you're doing.

-What is that on your eyebrow?

-It's another curly one. Urgh!

Later that evening, ACM's Chris and Amy arrive

at the MassMatiks' house bearing news of the judges' decision.

Their decision was based on who had the two strongest consistent songs

for the live cut at Metropolis, and they ended up saying MassMatiks.

Well done.

The reason why we chose MassMatiks ultimately

was because they were able to come up with a very interesting sound,

they look like mates, they look like they're living

and breathing what they're doing.

They're very exciting and they bring a great energy into the room.

I think they've got a lot to offer in the studio,

and it'll be interesting to see how the record turns out.

It's a momentous evening for Ella and James.

Having been hard at work on their new track,

they're listening to the final mix.

SONG PLAYS

Sounds good.

Sounds good.

-Voice sounds good on there.

-Hm.

For James, taking a chance on Ella has paid off.

I'm really happy.

I think, could come out of the end of something and go, "Right,

"this is what we set out to do,"

then, as an end result, pretty much there.

What do you think? Cos obviously you've written quite a few songs.

This is my third song.

-Do you like it?

-I really like it.

I think it's really good. It's not...shit.

-Put it that way!

-Yeah. It's not shit, so I'm really proud of it.

I think it'll be really good. Yeah. Wicked.

Before coming to ACM, Ella was just another vocalist covering

the same ground as many singers before her.

However, after just one term,

she has discovered a new sound that's all her own.

It's an important milestone on her journey to becoming an artist.

I see the song being very much my musical direction.

We've pulled it together and it's a really nice song.

I'm really chuffed with it.

It's been really good working with Ella.

Obviously, she's been a bit naive, but it's been easy

so I think it can only get better from now on.

When we first met, what was it you were singing?

-Was it Rihanna or something?

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

Oh, God, yeah! That's a bit embarrassing.

This could make or break me.

Now I've found a niche and found a genre, it's getting exciting,

but I've still got to hold back cos I think I've only got one song.

Working with Ella has helped me transition from artist

and performer into a producer a lot easier.

I don't get jealous of watching anybody else sing, like, I enjoy it.

I still enjoy it, I still do it,

and watching someone else go through their parts is wicked.

-Are you happy with it? Proud of it?

-Yeah.

-Do you feel like you own it?

I feel like I need to get it shown to everyone in the world right now.

-Wicked. Like my dad needs to hear this, and the Queen.

-And the Queen!

-Wicked.

-Yeah.

It's been a traumatic term for Henrietta Adewole,

a term where she has come close to losing heart.

But today, she's being given the chance

to perform in front of her class once again.

Can she prove that she's getting back on track?

# I sing because I'm happy

# I sing because I'm free... #

Keep it going, keep it going.

# ..His eye is on the sparrow

# And I know

# He's watching me... #

Yes.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The teachers, actually, have really helped.

Tutorials with Jono, tutorials with Sarah.

I actually saw Sarah again,

she was actually really lovely,

but I did tell her I was so emotional that week.

If you'd have poked me, I would have cried.

I think I just needed someone to talk to, you know?

She's really helped me put things into perspective,

cos I've got so much that I want to do

and so much I want to achieve, you know,

and she really gave me the hope that, actually, I can achieve it

and that I should keep on going.

It's Saturday morning at Metropolis Studios in London.

Cutting a record here is an expensive process,

usually only reserved for bands who have already been signed.

But today, it's the turn of an energetic five-piece

from ACM called MassMatiks.

They're following in the footsteps of the likes of Jimi Hendrix

and Queen, who've also recorded tracks onto this

state-of-the-art piece of old technology.

In the indie world, vinyl is making a huge comeback.

Being able to send copies out to record labels should

make them stand out from the crowd.

MUFFLED LYRICS

Friends and tutors from ACM have come along to show their support.

I'll get you to do all that once more.

And finally, it's time to cut the record

and it has to be done in one take.

Five, four, three, two, one...

# Your little brother

# You looked after

# Now it's time I... #

-That's cool. That's great.

-Whoo!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

They've done it first time.

Few new bands will ever be able to say they've cut their first record

in a studio as big as this

but with their session complete, MassMatiks have placed themselves

squarely on the first rung of the industry ladder.

-Here it is.

-Oh!

That's the acetate, so you've got the acetate. There you go.

Oh...

Cheers, guys.

And they spelled MassMatiks right.

That's always a plus.

Term's almost over for the students at this college.

It's the first step on a long journey

to fulfil their dream,

a journey with many twists and turns,

and no guarantee of success at the end.

A lot of what happens in the music industry

is based on two things -

luck, that somebody spots you,

and hope, that it's the right person that spots you,

and when that person spots you,

and develops your career, as an artist or a producer,

that they know the right people.

# Ba, ba, brra-ba

# Ba-ra-ba, ba-ra-ba

# Ba-ra-ba, ba-ra-ba

# And everybody knows

# That's how it is

# What comes will soon go

# That's how it is

# A or is it B?

# Don't tell me there's a C

# Bring them all to me cos I am happy to complete

# A shame it is for you

# Have much less to lose

# As a greener grass, seeds to grow

# I am not too happy so

# Does he really want to fight like this?

# I don't think so

# But I still want... #