0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains strong language
0:00:05 > 0:00:07Come on! It's UK's Best Part-Time Band. Hello!
0:00:07 > 0:00:09'I'm Rhod Gilbert, stand-up comedian.'
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I've had a radio show for ten years and people send me music
0:00:12 > 0:00:15all the time. Some of it is absolutely fantastic.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19It's got me wondering just how much undiscovered talent
0:00:19 > 0:00:22there is out there.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26There are thousands of part-time bands in the UK.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31From barristers to bakers, dustmen to doctors, skiffling, punking,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33rocking and funking every week in pubs and clubs
0:00:33 > 0:00:37up and down the country to escape the nine-to-five grind.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40What possesses somebody my age to continue being in a band?
0:00:40 > 0:00:45It's definitely not for the money or the glory.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50The BBC have hooked up with this ropey, old van and I'm off on tour.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I've rounded up three musical juggernauts to help.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Supercool Soul II Soul legend Jazzie B.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58- Buongiorno.- Jazzie. How you doing, fella?
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Beardy Manchester music icon Peter Hook.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03There was some real weirdos in that station.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05- Was there?- Yeah, I felt perfectly at home.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09And the Fresh Prince of lip hair, Ultravox front man, Midge Ure.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11Oh, dear!
0:01:11 > 0:01:14'But this is no run-of-the-mill talent show.'
0:01:14 > 0:01:19There is no prize. No Christmas number ones, no recording contract.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23There is shit all. LAUGHTER
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Like musical truffling pigs,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29we're going to sniff out the working men and women who play music for the
0:01:29 > 0:01:31sheer bloody love of it.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Music is something that really soothes the soul.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Each legend will pick their top two bands...
0:01:37 > 0:01:41I just felt like an idiot. A stupid, inane grin on my face.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45..who will battle it out at a grand final in Manchester...
0:01:45 > 0:01:51Unfortunately, you've got to decide which are your favourites now.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54..where one will be crowned the UK's best part-time band.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01This week, my ropey tour bus is taking me on an epic 700-mile
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Celtic funfest to Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10Joining me is Midge Ure, who's been in his fair share of bands.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12Best known as the front man of Ultravox...
0:02:12 > 0:02:14# We walked in the cold air... #
0:02:14 > 0:02:18He also played guitar with the Rich Kids and Thin Lizzy.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Despite being born with a debilitating moustache,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Midge co-wrote and produced the second-biggest selling single
0:02:24 > 0:02:28of all time, Do They Know It's Christmas?
0:02:29 > 0:02:31HORN HONKS
0:02:31 > 0:02:35- Hey.- Midge Ure!- How you doing?
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Midge Ure from Ultravox!
0:02:38 > 0:02:41- Oh, this is going to be fun.- Aw, I'm going to have to go up on the kerb.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44LOUD SCRAPING AND CREAKING
0:02:44 > 0:02:46I'm sorry to say, Mr Gilbert, you have failed your test.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48THEY LAUGH
0:02:51 > 0:02:54So, Midge, 1,200 bands have entered this.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56That's a lot of bands!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59We're going to see them all this week!
0:02:59 > 0:03:02No, we're not, we're going to see as many as we can cram in.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06At the end of the week, you're going to choose your five favourites
0:03:06 > 0:03:09to go on and do a gig in Belfast.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11That's going to be scary stuff for some of these guys.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14Performing in a big club can be quite daunting.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17The ones who aren't maybe as capable might just crumble.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23They may well crumble before that.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Midge is just going to wander in,
0:03:25 > 0:03:28in the middle of their rehearsals and gigs.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30'My driving went to shit the moment he got in the van.'
0:03:30 > 0:03:32- Down there?- No, you can't go down there either.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35- Oh, for fuck...- You'll have to pull in there and reverse
0:03:35 > 0:03:37- and go back the way we came. - Oh, for fuck, fucking sake.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40Come on, this is good practice for you.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41Every time I get in this van...
0:03:43 > 0:03:45You're looking for that coherence.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48You're looking for that indefinable something,
0:03:48 > 0:03:51you know, that when they start playing you feel something,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54kind of, build. People are passionate about what they do
0:03:54 > 0:03:58and I presume if you're working all week to make enough money
0:03:58 > 0:04:01to afford to be able to go out and play music,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03you better be good at it.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08We're going to Edinburgh to see a ska band.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11- They're called Bombskare. - Bombskare?
0:04:11 > 0:04:15- A ska band.- Is that a Scottish thing?- A Scottish ska band.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Is that a big Scottish thing?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19- McReggae. McReggae's big.- McReggae!
0:04:21 > 0:04:23I know less about Scottish reggae
0:04:23 > 0:04:26than a 92-year-old Bulgarian sheep farmer.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27What makes a good ska?
0:04:27 > 0:04:30What are we looking out for when we watch a ska band?
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Well, I suppose, from the 2 Tone days it was...
0:04:33 > 0:04:36There was a look about it, there was a vibrancy about it.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40It was real bouncy, tight playing.
0:04:43 > 0:04:48I'm looking for something that's a bit of joy.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51# Oh-ay-oh...
0:04:51 > 0:04:54# Gold crocodiles
0:04:54 > 0:04:57# They snap their teeth on your cigarette
0:04:57 > 0:04:59# Foreign types with their hookah pipes say
0:04:59 > 0:05:01# Ay-oh, ay-oh
0:05:01 > 0:05:04# Ay-oh, ay-oh
0:05:06 > 0:05:10# Walk like an Egyptian... #
0:05:10 > 0:05:12When he's not walking like an Egyptian,
0:05:12 > 0:05:17Scott, Bombskare's lead guitarist, can be found delivering meat...
0:05:17 > 0:05:18like a Scotsman.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Mysterious meats. I don't know what that is.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24Klingon burgers.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28It's all pretty glamorous.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34I used to do a lot of crew work and techie work but I just had to stop
0:05:34 > 0:05:37doing it because it was interfering with the band.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I had to take something a little bit more regular,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Monday to Friday. This is it.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Scott might love delivering his meat but his dedication to the band
0:05:46 > 0:05:49means Bombskare always comes first.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I changed jobs and I took a pay cut to make the band work.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58The band have been part of Scott's life for almost 20 years.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00It's definitely a labour of love.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05If it was all about making some financial gain, or to get famous,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08we would have given up ages ago, you'd have stopped doing that.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13When lead singer Andy isn't hitting the high notes with the band,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17he's doing other high stuff, as an industrial climber.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23While bassist Mandy wrestles real-life mannequins
0:06:23 > 0:06:26for a living as a visual merchandiser.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30People come up to us and gigs and say, "My 90-year-old granny
0:06:30 > 0:06:31"was just dancing.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35"She hasn't moved in 30 years."
0:06:38 > 0:06:41# Walk like an Egyptian... #
0:06:41 > 0:06:44We entered this competition
0:06:44 > 0:06:51because that's describing us exactly, just gigging all the time,
0:06:51 > 0:06:53pushing what's possible as a part-time band.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Fantastic!
0:07:06 > 0:07:08When's the next gig?
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Stupidly tight.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13You obviously rehearse far too much.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- It was great. - How many are you? Two, four...
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Nine of you. You're obviously a band that don't want to make money!
0:07:21 > 0:07:22THEY LAUGH
0:07:23 > 0:07:27- I loved that. It was amazing energy. - Yeah, it was great.- That dancing!
0:07:27 > 0:07:29You exude energy.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32You obviously just love doing what you're doing,
0:07:32 > 0:07:36cos you look at some bands and you get the angst look of the singer...
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Ultravox, for example.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Ultravox is more...
0:07:40 > 0:07:42LAUGHTER
0:07:42 > 0:07:44You stick out a bit on this...
0:07:46 > 0:07:47How did you get involved in this?
0:07:47 > 0:07:51I pretty much begged him to play a gig. "I'll do it, I'll do it,"
0:07:51 > 0:07:53e-mailing Scott, "I'll do it, have you got any gigs?"
0:07:53 > 0:07:56As I said before, the tightness of the band, I mean, it's fantastic.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59All the syncopated stops, and all of that stuff, it's just really vibey.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01That stuff doesn't come overnight.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05I can see it when you're playing, you'd do this for nothing.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08We do!
0:08:08 > 0:08:11'We're off to a good start and Midge is clearly impressed.'
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Ridiculously infectious.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Stupid smiles.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19I just felt like an idiot, a village idiot, standing there grinning.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Yeah, you look at each person in turn and they're all doing something
0:08:22 > 0:08:26different but they're all together, each character is coming through.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29And what they did with the cover version,
0:08:29 > 0:08:30I think is a mark of the band.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- The Bangles, Walk Like An Egyptian. - Not a ska number at all.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35Not a ska number at all. They put their own mark on the thing,
0:08:35 > 0:08:39- which is really difficult to do. - Yeah.- Scottish ska is where it is.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49One band down and Midge and I are taking the high road
0:08:49 > 0:08:52to his hometown, Glasgow, to see our next act.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59So, Midge-aroo, we're going to see a blues band.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01- Oh, good!- Are you a blues fan?
0:09:01 > 0:09:05I am, although my subsequent music doesn't really show it.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08I learned my first guitar licks
0:09:08 > 0:09:10copying Eric Clapton and Peter Green.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19For window cleaner and GT's Boos' frontman, Greig Taylor,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22singing the blues squeegees his troubles away.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Blues music, for me, is the biggest release.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30When I was younger, life for me was a bit up and down.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32After a spell in prison,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36music played a big part in getting Greig back on track.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Cleaning windows is not what I want to be doing,
0:09:39 > 0:09:40but it puts food on the table.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Good old Scottish delicacy.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Fish and chips.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49But the flexible job has allowed Greig
0:09:49 > 0:09:52to bring his daughters up single-handed.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Whenever he got the chance to, he would sing.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56He loves being in the band.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Having devoted the last 10 or 11 years of my life to bringing up
0:09:59 > 0:10:03my children, to be able to head off to a band practice,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05it's just the most amazing feeling.
0:10:05 > 0:10:11# Every time I see your face
0:10:11 > 0:10:14# Wanna cry, cry, cry... #
0:10:14 > 0:10:18I can channel any of my problems, release it, through my music.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20# Cos you're my baby girl... #
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Twice a week, band-mates builder John, Fireman Sam,
0:10:24 > 0:10:27sorry, Alan, and Postman Pat, sorry, David, do just that.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35# It's been such a lonely road
0:10:38 > 0:10:44# But I'm coming home
0:10:47 > 0:10:50# Again
0:10:50 > 0:10:53# Mmm
0:10:53 > 0:10:55# Mmm... #
0:10:56 > 0:11:00- Very good.- Thank you very much.- It took me back to my Thin Lizzy days.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05- When did you start, then, Greig? - I started singing five years ago.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Nothing before that?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Nothing except singing in the shower or, I love to go...
0:11:11 > 0:11:14I was on holiday with my daughters, and I would have to find somewhere
0:11:14 > 0:11:17that we could go up and sing. That developed on to...
0:11:17 > 0:11:20We went to an open mic. John was there, looking for a singer.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22- Once we hooked up it was... - HE CLICKS HIS FINGERS
0:11:22 > 0:11:25Debate rages up and down the country about, what is blues?
0:11:25 > 0:11:29For me, it's that feeling and passion and honesty.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Lyrics-wise, it's me able to get my story across, you know?
0:11:33 > 0:11:38There's nothing wrong with writing a commercialised song
0:11:38 > 0:11:40that's rooted in the blues.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Look at early Fleetwood Mac. Beautifully written songs.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47- One of the greats.- But still had that great blues essence.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50You're doing gigs at weekends when you get the opportunity?
0:11:50 > 0:11:53At the moment, we're getting as many gigs as we can.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Two small tours to the Netherlands last year.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58We got a great reception over there.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00- ..to Holland, they drove the van over.- Your mum and dad?
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- Were the roadies. They drove the van.- They drove the fan...
0:12:03 > 0:12:05- Oh, you flew?- We flew.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Never stop being a parent, do you? You should be ashamed of yourselves.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Thanks for having us. Thanks for your time.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13Great to meet you guys.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Good luck with it. Good luck.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19- Well, well, well, well, well. - Yes, I know.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I thought they were great. And, as the singer's saying,
0:12:22 > 0:12:24he's pulling from his own life experiences,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27exercising all those ghosts he's got inside.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31There's no better format than music, especially blues, to do that.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33It's what blues is all about.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35They were great, technically, weren't they? Really precise.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Great guitar player. It's a really difficult thing to pull off,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40to play those really slow, bluesy things
0:12:40 > 0:12:43and still have all that empty space.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- Greig, he wants it. - As they say in Glasgow,
0:12:45 > 0:12:49he would shove his granny off a bus to get it!
0:12:49 > 0:12:53# You've got your spell on me, baby... #
0:12:53 > 0:12:54As we're in Midge's hometown,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57he wants to show me one of his regular haunts.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59In case he wants to throw a pensioner off our tour bus,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01I insist we go on foot.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05This is a bit like you taking me to joke shop,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I'm going to take you to this music shop I always go to.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I like that '80s...
0:13:10 > 0:13:12That?! No...
0:13:12 > 0:13:14That's a paddle.
0:13:14 > 0:13:19This... I did my little stint with Thin Lizzy,
0:13:19 > 0:13:22I went out to replace Gary Moore in an American tour.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26I'd never been to America before and I got a phone call from Phil Lynott
0:13:26 > 0:13:29one night, I was in the studio, finishing off the Visage album...
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- As you do.- As you do.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34I thought, "It's a long way to America.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38"I'll learn the songs on the way," and they flew me out on Concorde...
0:13:38 > 0:13:41- No way.- I was halfway through the second song and we landed.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I was in New York.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I turned up and I had a Japanese guitar.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48They said, "You can't go on stage with Thin Lizzy
0:13:48 > 0:13:49"with a Japanese guitar."
0:13:49 > 0:13:54Phil took out one of these, which he'd just bought on tour in America.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56A beautiful, old thing.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00It's an exact replica of that that I used
0:14:00 > 0:14:03during the Boys Are Back In Town.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08HE PLAYS INTRO TO BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
0:14:13 > 0:14:16MUSIC: The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy
0:14:18 > 0:14:19With loads of bands to see,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22we're going to work harder than Keith Richards' liver.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29In Scotland alone, well over 100 bands have applied.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Everything from police officers to psychiatrists,
0:14:34 > 0:14:35playing folk to funk.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Which doesn't actually mean anything, but you get the gist.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Lovely guitar stuff going on there.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48It's always nice to get good feedback, especially fae...
0:14:48 > 0:14:51- Somebody other than your mum.- Aye!
0:14:51 > 0:14:54Just who gets to play a whopping live gig in Belfast
0:14:54 > 0:14:58will be down to Midge and which bands tickle his musical fancy.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08We're back on the road for the next leg of our epic trip.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10But before we get there, we'll be getting off the road,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13getting onto the sea, and getting back on the road again,
0:15:13 > 0:15:14as we head for Northern Ireland.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18It's not very nice weather. The last time I did this journey,
0:15:18 > 0:15:23every single person on board emptied themselves of every single
0:15:23 > 0:15:26- bodily fluid. It was coming out of their eyes.- Aw!
0:15:26 > 0:15:29- How were you on it? Were you...? - I was empty.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33Which begs the question, "Why are we doing this?"
0:15:35 > 0:15:39This is going to be awful. We're going to drive off the other end
0:15:39 > 0:15:43- just two, empty, desiccated husks of men.- Two ex-entertainers.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53So ahead of us in Belfast. Do you have expectations, hopes?
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Ireland has a great history of music.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59You look at Van Morrison or Rory Gallagher,
0:15:59 > 0:16:03they've got a history of show bands. They were all brilliant players,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05but they had to go out and play pop songs.
0:16:05 > 0:16:11All the great Irish musicians stemmed from that background.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Music is something that they celebrate with,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17but they also lament with. You know, it's very Celtic thing.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21# So sing while you have time
0:16:21 > 0:16:25# Let the sun shine down from above... #
0:16:25 > 0:16:27Luckily, the sea was as calm and still
0:16:27 > 0:16:29as Daniel O'Donnell's underpants.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31'We've made it to Northern Ireland with no sick bags in sight.'
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Do they drive on the same side over here?- You do.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Well, in your case, somewhere in the middle.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Yeah, I'm just hedging my bets.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Thankfully, it's Midge making the decisions.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43The choices ahead of him are tougher than Dave Grohl's palms.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Next on our multi-stop tour is an art studio in Belfast
0:16:48 > 0:16:51to see Wookalily, a multi-female band of multi-talented,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53multi-instrumentalists.
0:16:56 > 0:17:01Made up of teachers, classroom assistants and a photographer,
0:17:01 > 0:17:04who play blend of Americana and bluegrass.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06# Sweetest woman
0:17:06 > 0:17:09# That you'd ever seen... #
0:17:13 > 0:17:17And they have the smallest roadie in the UK, 9-month-old Rosa,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20daughter of banjo player Sharon.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21The band absolutely adore her.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24At two weeks old she was on the road with us.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26She went to London for a showcase.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28ROSA GARGLES
0:17:32 > 0:17:34CHEERING
0:17:36 > 0:17:39The band was formed seven years ago by guitarist
0:17:39 > 0:17:42and festival programmer Adele.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45I needed some friends, so decided to form a band.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47We're like sisters.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50We can have a good punch-up still be friends afterwards.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52You've got a bit of a following?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54We got invited out to Nashville
0:17:54 > 0:17:57to the International Bluegrass Festival.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59There's big links between Belfast and Nashville.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02- Yeah, we're twinned, as a town. - Yeah, we're twinned with Nashville.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Country music came from the Celts.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08A lot of bluegrass came from Presbyterians, actually,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10emigrating over to the Appalachias,
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and they're called hillbillies cos they used to sing
0:18:13 > 0:18:14about King Billy, apparently.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18Really, is that where it came from? You see, I'm getting educated here.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- This is good.- A bit of politics!
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Is that what all of you individually were into?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25I would have started with traditional Irish music and rock
0:18:25 > 0:18:27music, so it's completely different,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and then went into country. I've branched into different stuff.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33You were rocking that ukulele. Quite rocky ukulele use.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35- It's a mandolin.- Was it?
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I didn't want to correct him! Thank you, Midge!
0:18:39 > 0:18:40What's the difference?
0:18:40 > 0:18:43- Eight strings.- A ukulele has four strings, that's got eight.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44OK, I couldn't...
0:18:44 > 0:18:46It's my maths.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52- So, Wookalily. - Multi-instrumentalists.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54They were playing a whole variety of instruments.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58- Lindsay was the singer. I loved her voice.- The song was great.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01The Devil's A Woman, yes. A lot of bitching in there.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04It was very good, and it's got a strong country influence, you know,
0:19:04 > 0:19:07all that shuffling snare drum.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11In a weird way, it came from here in the first place.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Our tarmac-munching mega tour continues at pace.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31This is pure love, isn't it? You can see it on stage.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34You're still out there giving it attitude, it's fantastic.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48350 miles and two countries down,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Midge's decision about which five bands are going to battle it out in
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Belfast is getting tougher.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58It's only right that the last leg of the tour should be in the spiritual
0:19:58 > 0:20:00birthplace of music,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03and I'm secretly hoping my country will do me proud.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05Have you got any expectations, going to Wales?
0:20:05 > 0:20:08It's a stereotypical cliche that the Welsh are all great singers.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11The Welsh are all great singers, apart from choirs...
0:20:11 > 0:20:13- I've heard you, so... - And I absolutely...
0:20:13 > 0:20:14You've broken the mould.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17We're in the bosom of my home nation, heading for Cardiff,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and I've got an embarrassing confession to make
0:20:20 > 0:20:23about how Midge's music shaped my early years.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25If I think about Ultravox stuff,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27which I was massively into as a kid...
0:20:27 > 0:20:29You have excellent taste!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31The Ultravox collection, that played...
0:20:31 > 0:20:36That was my first, sort of, proper girlfriend, teenagers...
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I don't know whether I should tell you this!
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- ..experimenting... - You are sullying my songs.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43We were at it to Dancing With Tears In My Eyes.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46When you should have been at it to Vienna, you know,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49especially the bit where it speeds up and then there's the big...
0:20:49 > 0:20:51"Nothing to me!"
0:20:51 > 0:20:53This means nothing to me, yeah.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57- We had tears in our eyes, but for different reasons.- Oh, dear.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58What was it actually about?
0:20:58 > 0:21:01You know when you take your two weeks away from work
0:21:01 > 0:21:04- and you go on holiday and...- Don't tell me Vienna was about a holiday?
0:21:04 > 0:21:07- Well, kind of. - A package holiday in Vienna!
0:21:07 > 0:21:10So, you go to somewhere beautiful, like Vienna,
0:21:10 > 0:21:13this crumbling, ancient old city,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16you meet somebody and you vow that that wonderful moment
0:21:16 > 0:21:19that you've had together will carry on when you get back
0:21:19 > 0:21:21to your normal life, and, of course, the moment you get back
0:21:21 > 0:21:23to your normal life, that moment disappears.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25It means nothing to me any more.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28So, are you telling me Vienna is a sort of arty Summer Loving?
0:21:28 > 0:21:30Yeah.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34# Summer Loving... # It's basically a holiday romance.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36- Is that what it was? - It's exactly that.- No!
0:21:36 > 0:21:38That's exactly what it is, yes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40# The image has gone only you and I
0:21:40 > 0:21:41# It means nothing to me... #
0:21:41 > 0:21:44So was it a woman in Vienna?
0:21:44 > 0:21:46No, it wasn't, it was an absolute fantasy.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49- I'd never been to Vienna.- What? - I'd read about it, you know, and...
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Oh, my God. My whole childhood is going up in smoke.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Well, don't ask me the questions!
0:21:52 > 0:21:54# Oh, Vienna... #
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I don't want to burst people's bubbles.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59You'll tell me David Bowie was never in space next.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06There is no time to mend my shattered childhood,
0:22:06 > 0:22:07cos we've got work to do,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10on a picturesque, little industrial estate just outside Cardiff.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15We're hunting down local rockers Johnny Cage & The Voodoogroove.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17When these self-confessed scuzz bombs
0:22:17 > 0:22:20aren't chasing the rock and roll dragon,
0:22:20 > 0:22:21band-mates Dan and Peanut...
0:22:21 > 0:22:24- He's so strong. - He only smells strong.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26..are living a different dream.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Selling and repairing catering equipment.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The daily routine is after a gig or rehearsal,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38get to bed in the morning,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41and get up in the same morning, and come to work, bleary eyed.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47We've got to install microwave ovens, custom kitchen deliveries,
0:22:47 > 0:22:49got to move refrigerators.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50HE LAUGHS
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Money for nothing, mate.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Peanut and Dan first met when they were 17 on the dance floor
0:22:56 > 0:22:58of a local rock club
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and they've been making music together ever since.
0:23:00 > 0:23:05And that's been made easier as their best mate is also their boss.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09You need an understanding partner and an understanding boss
0:23:09 > 0:23:12to make music work, yeah. I mean, if you haven't got those two things,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14it's not happening, dead in the water.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17When we're busy, it's two full-time jobs, pretty much,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20as we'll come out of here, we'll have a rehearsal.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Gigs, sometimes two or three gigs a week,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24so it does get absolutely mental.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Dan and I couldn't do it without each other, now.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28THEY LAUGH
0:23:28 > 0:23:30Musical soul mates, man.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45# There she blows
0:23:45 > 0:23:47# ..her everywhere... #
0:23:55 > 0:23:57# Some things are better left alone
0:23:57 > 0:24:01# And some things are better off left alone
0:24:01 > 0:24:05# Some things are better off left... Left alone
0:24:07 > 0:24:09# They have got a hold of you...
0:24:15 > 0:24:18# Some things are better left alone
0:24:18 > 0:24:20# Some things are better off left alone
0:24:22 > 0:24:25# Some things are better off left alone... #
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- Thank you very much. Cheers. - Is this your smallest gig?
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Yeah, yeah!- That was brilliant, thanks, guys. Thank you very, much.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40I loved that. It's funny, when you come back to Wales, you do have a
0:24:40 > 0:24:43little bit of investment, a little bit of ownership...
0:24:43 > 0:24:44I thought you did us proud.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48When we were in Scotland, you didn't give a shit about the band.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50It was very powerful and it was...
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It was lovely and tight and chunky and you've obviously been playing
0:24:53 > 0:24:55together for a bit of time, haven't you?
0:24:55 > 0:24:57For longer than we care to remember!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00It's got that pub rock thing, that mid-70s in London or whatever,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03the feel-goods, pure energy.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Fantastic. You were like a muppet, it was fabulous.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Your mouth was wide open.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11- It was great.- Animal.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- Animal, yeah.- So, what's the situation at the moment, then?
0:25:13 > 0:25:17- Does it pay for itself?- We tried to give up our jobs, and we couldn't,
0:25:17 > 0:25:18so we went back to work.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21In the summer, with the festivals, we do generally play every weekend.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24There was one gig where a girl just tore her clothes off
0:25:24 > 0:25:26and threw herself down the front of the stage.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28- What, she stripped all her clothes off?- Yeah, yeah.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Pretty much everybody pulls at Johnny Cage & The Voodoogroove.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33So you whip them up into such a frenzy,
0:25:33 > 0:25:35they all get off with each other?
0:25:35 > 0:25:37We do want to be the band on stage at the party
0:25:37 > 0:25:39- at the end of the world.- Yeah!
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Being the megastars we are, we'll be in a rocket, somewhere.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Totally, totally.- "See you, guys!"
0:25:44 > 0:25:47You will be. I'll be standing, holding everyone's coats going,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49"What's happening? Where's everyone gone?"
0:25:49 > 0:25:52THEY LAUGH
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Those grimy buggers have thrown a mangy cat amongst the pigeons.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- That's shaken things up a bit, Midge.- In a great way, actually.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03A really funny, likeable bunch of guys.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07That was a real surprise, I wasn't expecting to see something go bang.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10I can imagine, you know, watching them in a club somewhere,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13sticky carpets, sweat running down the inside of the walls.
0:26:13 > 0:26:14Knickers flying everywhere.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17You've got to choose them, cos I want to go to a gig where
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- everybody strips off and gets down to it.- What, including me?
0:26:20 > 0:26:22You don't want to see that!
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Funnily enough, I didn't have you in my head when I was...
0:26:25 > 0:26:28- Well, you have now!- I have now! God...
0:26:31 > 0:26:35Midge clearly seems to be enjoying himself. How could he not be?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38We're in Cardiff, on the biggest tour of his career.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43# I'm on my way from misery to happiness today. #
0:26:43 > 0:26:47- Uh-huh.- Uh-huh.- Uh-huh.- Uh-huh. - What do you think of the new van?
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- I liked the old one until you broke it!- I didn't...
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Our van blew up.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- How do you feel about skiffle, Midge?- Uh...
0:27:01 > 0:27:03- Skiffle? As in... - You like a bit of skiffle?
0:27:03 > 0:27:05- As in skiffle, yeah. - As in tea chests and stuff?
0:27:05 > 0:27:07As in, this isn't just chitchat.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09- Oh, right, I thought... - This isn't idle chitchat, mate.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12We're going to see a skiffle band in Cardiff.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- I thought you genuinely wanted to know.- No. Well, I do.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16In a way, skiffle was the punk of its day.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19You know, if you couldn't play an instrument,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22you'd buy a tea chest and a broom handle and a bit of string and you
0:27:22 > 0:27:24taught yourself how to play a one-string bass.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28It was at transition between trad jazz and rock and roll.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31John Lennon started out playing skiffle.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35We are going to see a band called Railroad Bill.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39# Way down in Soho
0:27:39 > 0:27:45# Poor Rocky had to die
0:27:45 > 0:27:49# Way down in Soho before the world began
0:27:49 > 0:27:52# Way down in Soho before I was a man... #
0:27:52 > 0:27:56The band first met at Aberystwyth University, so long ago,
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Jesus was still best known as a carpenter.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Now all grown up, the band boast a history teacher,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10two council workers, two IT geeks and, handy for any band,
0:28:10 > 0:28:12a wine merchant.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19CHEERING
0:28:23 > 0:28:26Thank you very much for that. So, 30 years.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29- That's amazing.- 30 years without any success whatsoever.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31THEY LAUGH
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Your song was great, cos it was so much of that era.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37I wouldn't have been able to tell whether it was an original skiffle
0:28:37 > 0:28:42- song or not.- Dan and Chris tell good stories in the songs,
0:28:42 > 0:28:43so the songs are entertaining.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45We're both very traditional song writers
0:28:45 > 0:28:48in the sense of verse, chorus, middle eights...
0:28:48 > 0:28:51- Nothing fancy.- We're clearly limited with instruments
0:28:51 > 0:28:53and there's not a lot you can do.
0:28:53 > 0:28:55You are with this.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58I think I've probably taken it to the limits.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01- Is this home-made?- Yes. It literally is what it looks like.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04- It's a tea chest. - It's a tea chest from Kenya.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07It's a broomstick, screwed to the corner of a tea chest,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09with a bit of parachute cord.
0:29:09 > 0:29:10So, when you formed the band,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13were you looking to do that as a full-time thing?
0:29:13 > 0:29:17I think one of the big mistakes that young bands do is look in a very
0:29:17 > 0:29:22linear way at making it, rather than having a good time,
0:29:22 > 0:29:26keeping going, enjoying themselves and being able to do this
0:29:26 > 0:29:28into their 50s, and I think it's a shame,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31because there are so many other ways you can make music.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37What do you make of them?
0:29:37 > 0:29:39Real buzz, real lovely stuff.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42But it's so diverse from everything else that we've seen.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45It's like dolly mixtures. Which one is your favourite?
0:29:45 > 0:29:47It's really difficult to choose.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50These guys, I thought, were just vibey, fun...
0:29:50 > 0:29:56I was floored when they said they had been together for 30 years.
0:29:56 > 0:29:59I mean, that's some drive, to take that through all the highs and lows
0:29:59 > 0:30:01that those guys have been through.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- If Madness and Lonnie Donegan and Chas and Dave...- The Pogues...
0:30:05 > 0:30:09..all crashed into each other, this band would pop out the middle.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15# Well, it's a hard road Dead or alive
0:30:15 > 0:30:18# Well, it's a hard road Dead or alive... #
0:30:18 > 0:30:21I think Wales are punching above their weight.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25I've been really chuffed that they've been excellent.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28So, can you stop sticking £20 notes under my door every night?
0:30:28 > 0:30:31I don't want to sway you, but you should definitely choose
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- the two Welsh bands we've seen so far.- Subtle as usual.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37Do you have a clear idea in your head so far
0:30:37 > 0:30:38of who your favourite is?
0:30:38 > 0:30:43There are a handful of very, very strong contenders.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47This is about the best part-time bands, so you've got...
0:30:47 > 0:30:49I think I've got to think of, "If I was standing here,
0:30:49 > 0:30:52"watching an entire gig, would I love this?"
0:30:52 > 0:30:55And that criteria alone makes it a little bit easier.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57So, you've got two Welsh ones so far - who else?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59MIDGE LAUGHS
0:31:00 > 0:31:04It's a difficult moment for me, as I have to break it to Midge
0:31:04 > 0:31:06that we only have one more band left to see.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11We are off to the infamous Welsh town of Pontypool.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15We are going to see a nine-piece R&B...
0:31:15 > 0:31:18When I say R&B, I mean old-school R&B, they got together...
0:31:18 > 0:31:22Well, in 1963, they supported The Who, these guys.
0:31:22 > 0:31:27They have got a combined age, I can tell you, of about 850,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30- and I'm not exaggerating. - Hold on, how many are there?- Nine.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34- You do the maths.- Old-school R&B, rhythm and blues, it's the Stones...
0:31:34 > 0:31:36I presume these guys are old-school R&B.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40Maybe they're not. Maybe they're, like, Rihanna and that.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44So, these men are reputed up to the age of 90
0:31:44 > 0:31:47- are going to do some twerking for us?- Yeah!
0:31:49 > 0:31:52Pieces Of Mind are playing a gig to friends and family
0:31:52 > 0:31:55over 50 years on from supporting The Who.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58I was offered £1,100 for that.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01These pensioners make the Cardiff skiffle band
0:32:01 > 0:32:02look like S Club Juniors.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06Nonstop dancing, they've all got nonstop dancing, 7:30 to 11,
0:32:06 > 0:32:0712 shillings and sixpence.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09And late buses back to Newport.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13All of them have got late buses, "Don't worry. Don't panic."
0:32:13 > 0:32:16This is gold dust. This is fantastic stuff.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26# Early in the morning 'bout the break of day
0:32:28 > 0:32:31# That's when my baby went away
0:32:33 > 0:32:35# Come back, baby, I wish you would
0:32:38 > 0:32:40# Try and love me You won't do no good
0:32:44 > 0:32:46# Come on, now
0:32:49 > 0:32:51# On my way
0:32:51 > 0:32:52# Ow
0:33:01 > 0:33:04# I wish you would. #
0:33:07 > 0:33:09APPLAUSE
0:33:09 > 0:33:10Thank you.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15- How are you doing, man? Fantastic. How are you doing?- Awesome.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21- Are you sure you're all in the band? - Here, we've lost a couple.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24- A couple, unfortunately.- We lost one last week, unfortunately, as well.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26One of the band died last week?
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Yeah, and then we lost a drummer last year.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30Thank fuck we got two others.
0:33:31 > 0:33:32What, one and a spare?
0:33:32 > 0:33:35We've still got five out of the original six left.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38That's him, him, him, him and me.
0:33:38 > 0:33:39In 2012, we were talking about
0:33:39 > 0:33:42the Rolling Stones having their 50th anniversary,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46so I said to Rob, "Pieces Of Mind have their 50th anniversary in 2013.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49"Why don't we get together?"
0:33:49 > 0:33:51Cos we hadn't seen each other for 50 years, whatever,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55and so we got together in Wales, didn't fucking recognise anybody,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58because obviously, we had barnets and that when we were kids,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02and this one, because he's the leader of the pack, said,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05"We should play." So, we do about half a dozen shows a year, now.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08The posters out there, you've got, supporting The Who...
0:34:08 > 0:34:11When we played with The Who, it was January '66.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14We had the audacity to finish with My Generation,
0:34:14 > 0:34:16which was number one for them at the time.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19So, we come back down into the dressing room
0:34:19 > 0:34:22and Daltrey has got Pete Townshend up against the wall,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24cos they're off their tits, Townshend and Moon,
0:34:24 > 0:34:26and I said to Ducksy, "There's no fucking way
0:34:26 > 0:34:28"this lot are going to stay together."
0:34:28 > 0:34:31So, you obviously know how to ingratiate yourselves with the bands
0:34:31 > 0:34:34you're playing with, by playing their current hit before they do!
0:34:34 > 0:34:37Well, I can't make Vienna, otherwise we would have done that for you.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40How the hell do you get together for rehearsals?
0:34:40 > 0:34:43- We don't rehearse. - I'm glad YOU said that!
0:34:43 > 0:34:45LAUGHTER
0:34:45 > 0:34:48Midge, you're going to get a kick in the bollocks!
0:34:48 > 0:34:50That's how I can still hit the high notes in Vienna!
0:34:56 > 0:34:59Oh...Welsh cakes all round.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Not that they were trying to bribe us.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04Of course not! But they were brilliant,
0:35:04 > 0:35:07and they kind of epitomise what this is all about.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09You know, they're a band who broke up for 40 years.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Stonkingly good, now.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15The three Welsh bands we've seen here are really good. Very proud.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17- Stop it.- Very proud. Nothing to do with being Welsh.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Think about it while you have that Welsh cake.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21Is this... Is this, kind of...?
0:35:21 > 0:35:24You have that, don't let that influence your decision.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30So, Midge, has this trip been the greatest touring experience
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- of your life? - I've had an absolute ball.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Was it just me or was it partly the bands and things as well?
0:35:35 > 0:35:37Oh, no, it was all you!
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Always all you.
0:35:39 > 0:35:40I didn't know what to expect.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43- Are you surprised?- Hugely surprised.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Some of the bands are just...
0:35:45 > 0:35:49exceptional, and incredibly diverse -
0:35:49 > 0:35:52the cross-section of musics, age groups...
0:35:52 > 0:35:55Which made it even harder to try and decide
0:35:55 > 0:35:57who you'd like to see again,
0:35:57 > 0:36:00but I am trying to do it just simply from
0:36:00 > 0:36:03the sensation you felt when you saw the band perform.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10After six days and over 700 miles,
0:36:10 > 0:36:13our monster road trip in the love bus is over.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16This is it, mate. 'And Midge has chosen his favourite five
0:36:16 > 0:36:19to follow in the footsteps of the Arctic Monkeys,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Blur and the Strokes,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24by playing the legendary Limelight in Belfast.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27So, Midgeroo, who's made it through?'
0:36:27 > 0:36:29Strangely enough, they're two Scottish acts
0:36:29 > 0:36:32and two Welsh acts and one local Belfast act.
0:36:35 > 0:36:36All-girl band Wookalily.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38- Wookalily.- Country rock.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Multi-instrumentalists and they're really talented girls.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44We've got GT's Boos Band from Glasgow.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Bombskare, a brilliant ska band.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Just so full of power, it's fabulous.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58Johnny Cage and the Voodoogroove.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59You know, real energy.
0:36:59 > 0:37:05And Pieces Of Mind, a band who supported The Who in 1966.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07- They broke up for... - 45 years, I think it was.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09..and got back together again.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13It kind of epitomises the whole idea of a part-time band.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16It's going to be buzzing in here. You know, Friday night, Belfast,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19- it's going to be phenomenal. - Awesome. Good choices.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21- Good choices, Midge.- Thank you.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26Once he's seen how the five bands perform
0:37:26 > 0:37:28in front of a capacity crowd,
0:37:28 > 0:37:32Midge must choose which two will go through to the grand final.
0:37:34 > 0:37:36It's a big step up from the rehearsal rooms,
0:37:36 > 0:37:38pubs and clubs we have seen them in,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42and the sound check is a chance to iron out any technical issues.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44Because the girls aren't a rock band, like the rest,
0:37:44 > 0:37:47can you pump their overall level up a bit?
0:37:49 > 0:37:52Going through to the regional heats was just really exciting.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55Our families were really delighted whenever we got through.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Just completely over the moon.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59Excited or nervous?
0:37:59 > 0:38:02- A bit of both?- I'm nervous. - I'm quite nervous.
0:38:02 > 0:38:03Excited nervousness.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07But you want that, don't you? That's what makes you step that extra...
0:38:08 > 0:38:13For GT's Boos Band, tonight's gig is a step up the ladder.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15But ironically for lead singer Greig,
0:38:15 > 0:38:17it is also a chance to step down off the ladder.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Yesterday, I was out in the snow, cleaning windows.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Then I was getting picked up two hours later
0:38:23 > 0:38:25to come here and do this.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30You can play all your life and never get a tiny, tiny step,
0:38:30 > 0:38:33so it's really nice to have a little insight to that.
0:38:33 > 0:38:35It is really interesting that this is the first time
0:38:35 > 0:38:38they've actually seen each other, these bands.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Till now, they didn't know who they were up against.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46How does it feel, watching the other bands?
0:38:46 > 0:38:48The ones we've seen have been fantastic.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52- The competition is tough.- The competition is tough, I have to say.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54It made me a little bit nervous, man, yeah, yeah.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56I don't get nervous often, but, yeah, yeah.
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Win, lose or draw,
0:38:59 > 0:39:02- tonight, we are going to... - Win.- Yeah.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Basically. If I've got to pick three, it's got to be win.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10It's scary and exciting for them.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13As long as they control it and look to the right direction,
0:39:13 > 0:39:16then the only direction for them is forwards.
0:39:16 > 0:39:17I want to see that spark,
0:39:17 > 0:39:19I want to see it come alight in front of a crowd.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23Sound check over, it's showtime.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25GT's Boos Band!
0:39:25 > 0:39:30Fans and family have travelled from all over the UK to be here.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33Stirling, Newcastle, by boat, by sea, by plane...
0:39:34 > 0:39:37We are from South Wales and we are supporting Pieces Of Mind.
0:39:38 > 0:39:40THEY SHOUT
0:39:41 > 0:39:43Please welcome to the stage Rhod Gilbert
0:39:43 > 0:39:45and the legend that is Midge Ure!
0:39:45 > 0:39:46CHEERING
0:39:46 > 0:39:50Hello! Give it up, give it up, let me hear you!
0:39:50 > 0:39:52Are you excited?
0:39:52 > 0:39:55- ALL:- Yes!- Welcome to the UK's Best Part-time Band.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58There's no prize, no recording contract, no Christmas number one.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00There's fuck all. Nothing.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04It's a pointless waste of time, the whole thing.
0:40:04 > 0:40:06But we're here for the love of music, that is it.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09This is Midge. CHEERING
0:40:09 > 0:40:12You are seeing the combined talents of Scotland...
0:40:12 > 0:40:14CHEERING
0:40:14 > 0:40:17..Wales... CHEERING
0:40:17 > 0:40:19..and Northern Ireland.
0:40:19 > 0:40:20CHEERING
0:40:20 > 0:40:23Midge selected them all.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- Do I get to speak?- Yeah.
0:40:25 > 0:40:27Oh, right, OK. All right.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29I thought it was only that fucker Geldof
0:40:29 > 0:40:33- that stopped me from speaking. - At last, he says it! At last.
0:40:33 > 0:40:3730 years, we've been waiting for you to say that.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40- 30 years. - Oh, I'll regret that!
0:40:40 > 0:40:43Tonight, you are seeing five, and we are going to choose two,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46which will go into the finals.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49We've got window cleaners, we've got postmen, we've got firemen.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50This is not karaoke.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53This is proper music by people who love it.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Midge, the first band, from Scotland...
0:40:55 > 0:40:57CHEERING
0:40:58 > 0:41:01This is a band who will never, ever make any money
0:41:01 > 0:41:03because there are so many of them.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08But they were phenomenal, so you're in for a good time.
0:41:08 > 0:41:12The most sober I have ever been before a gig, so I'm very nervous!
0:41:12 > 0:41:15But when I tell you their name,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18you'll realise why I am in a slightly awkward position.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Don't get me wrong, I like Belfast.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25But...I've never had to bring on a band called Bombskare.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27CHEERING AND WHOOPING
0:41:29 > 0:41:31I'm glad you laughed at that!
0:41:33 > 0:41:38Ladies and gentlemen of Belfast, for once, we can cheer for Bombskare!
0:41:38 > 0:41:40APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Hello!
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We are Bombskare!
0:41:53 > 0:41:54Go!
0:42:04 > 0:42:08# Don't you know that it's true that Big Brother's watching you?
0:42:09 > 0:42:13# I'd rather have him watching me than watch Big Brother
0:42:15 > 0:42:19# I don't mind standing in the front line where I can be seen
0:42:20 > 0:42:24# Cos he knows where I am Where I'm going and where I've been
0:42:26 > 0:42:28# You're all for us
0:42:28 > 0:42:31# Or you're against us
0:42:42 > 0:42:45PLAYS HARMONICA
0:42:47 > 0:42:51# Woke up one morning to the crime of the century
0:42:53 > 0:42:57# Wake up, can't you see? It's right in front of you
0:42:58 > 0:43:02# Woke up one morning to the crime of the century
0:43:04 > 0:43:08# Wake up, can't you see? It's right in front of you... #
0:43:11 > 0:43:13CHEERING
0:43:16 > 0:43:19It was excellent. Very good. Very pleased.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- Hell of a pace.- A lot faster than the sound check.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26- Yeah.- That's pure excitement and adrenaline, I guess.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30- It was fantastic. By the end, they were with us.- They were there.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33- One more song, we'd have been like...- One more song.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35- Just one more. - We would have destroyed them.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38CHEERING
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Did you enjoy Bombskare?
0:43:40 > 0:43:41CHEERING
0:43:41 > 0:43:45The next band, ladies and gentlemen, are all the way from Belfast...
0:43:45 > 0:43:47CHEERING
0:43:49 > 0:43:52- How are you feeling?- Excited! - No pressure!
0:43:52 > 0:43:54No pressure at all.
0:43:55 > 0:43:56Any teachers in?
0:43:56 > 0:44:00This band, some of them are teachers and classroom assistants.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Formed in Belfast... Don't start!
0:44:04 > 0:44:07We could literally go up on stage and fart
0:44:07 > 0:44:09and they would be like, "Yeah!"
0:44:10 > 0:44:13This band uses lots of different instruments.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17I got a mandolin and a ukulele mixed up and he ripped the shit out of me.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20"Oh, fuck... What's the difference?"
0:44:20 > 0:44:24One of us on stage knows something about music.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28- Did you know that, about a mandolin and a ukulele?- Yes!
0:44:28 > 0:44:31- Oh, yeah, everybody knew, yeah? ALL:- Yes!
0:44:31 > 0:44:32All right. Ladies and gentlemen,
0:44:32 > 0:44:37please welcome to the stage...Wookalily!
0:44:37 > 0:44:39CHEERING
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Calm down, calm down. Why are yous so excited?
0:44:47 > 0:44:52# Half past 12 and I'm watching the late show
0:44:52 > 0:44:55# In my flat all alone
0:44:55 > 0:45:01# How I hate to spend the evening on my own
0:45:01 > 0:45:07# Autumn winds blowing outside my window
0:45:07 > 0:45:09# As I look around the room
0:45:09 > 0:45:15# And it makes me so depressed to see the gloom
0:45:15 > 0:45:19# Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
0:45:19 > 0:45:23# Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away?
0:45:23 > 0:45:27# Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight
0:45:27 > 0:45:31# Take me through the darkness to the break of the day... #
0:45:37 > 0:45:38Woo!
0:45:45 > 0:45:47APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:45:50 > 0:45:52Thank you, Belfast!
0:45:55 > 0:45:58- That was great.- That felt like a very genuine reaction, as well.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00It wasn't just a home crowd being partisan.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02I threw my sunglasses into the crowd.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05But I really liked those glasses!
0:46:05 > 0:46:09I was just taken up in the moment.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11Give it up one more time for Wookalily!
0:46:11 > 0:46:13APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Next band. Midge, they're from your neck of the woods, Scotland...
0:46:16 > 0:46:18CHEERING
0:46:19 > 0:46:22One of these men, yesterday,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25was rescuing people from burning buildings, ladies and gentlemen.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27He is a fireman.
0:46:27 > 0:46:28Is that your fella?
0:46:30 > 0:46:33One of these men - not quite as exciting - was delivering the mail.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38One of them - even less exciting - was cleaning windows.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Tell me if you are up for a bit of blues.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42CHEERING
0:46:42 > 0:46:44- Here we go. - They're absolutely amazing.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47All the way from Scotland, it is GT's Boos Band!
0:46:47 > 0:46:50CHEERING
0:46:50 > 0:46:52Is everybody having a good time?
0:46:58 > 0:47:00# Everybody's talking, baby
0:47:00 > 0:47:02# About this crazy situation
0:47:05 > 0:47:08# Everybody's walking, baby
0:47:08 > 0:47:12# Just trying to escape this misery
0:47:14 > 0:47:18# I'm blaming you for falling in love
0:47:18 > 0:47:21# And now everybody knows
0:47:24 > 0:47:27# Yeah, I've been angry, baby
0:47:27 > 0:47:30# Cos you've been lying with other guys
0:47:32 > 0:47:36# Now I find myself riding high lately
0:47:36 > 0:47:40# To hide the evidence of some crime
0:47:40 > 0:47:43# But I'm a man and I said no
0:47:45 > 0:47:49# Now everybody knows
0:48:03 > 0:48:05# Everybody knows! #
0:48:05 > 0:48:07CHEERING
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Thank you!
0:48:13 > 0:48:15Thank you so much.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19Whoa! You've got a fight on your hands, there, mate.
0:48:19 > 0:48:22It was powerful, and the musicality was fantastic.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24The guitarist is extremely good.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27A very tricky thing to pull off, but they pulled it off, as you said,
0:48:27 > 0:48:28with great aplomb.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Yeah, it is a great feeling for us to come and do that
0:48:31 > 0:48:33and to get a response like that off the crowd was fantastic.
0:48:33 > 0:48:35Just trying to calm down a wee bit.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41Rhod, in the absence of Tom Jones, you are basically,
0:48:41 > 0:48:43like, Wales personified, so...
0:48:43 > 0:48:45So, we are doing this for you.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47We are doing this for you and my nan.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51CHEERING
0:48:51 > 0:48:53The next band are from Cardiff.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55CHEERING AND BOOING
0:48:56 > 0:48:59- That was a boo!- Oh!
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Right, someone is having it, now.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03They describe their own music as
0:49:03 > 0:49:07Cuban dirty rock and roll rockabilly...
0:49:07 > 0:49:09It's rock and roll, it's proper rock. It's great.
0:49:09 > 0:49:10You say it's rock and roll.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14I would describe it as standing on a dirty needle...
0:49:14 > 0:49:16in a good way.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19If that makes any sense.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22Give a massive, warm Belfast welcome for
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Johnny Cage and the Voodoogroove!
0:49:26 > 0:49:27APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:49:29 > 0:49:32- Good evening, Belfast, what's happening?- So many Celts.
0:49:32 > 0:49:33It's fucking beautiful.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15# Edna Milton in a drop dead suit
0:50:15 > 0:50:18# Dutch Pink on a downtown train
0:50:18 > 0:50:22# Two dollar pistol and her gun won't shoot
0:50:22 > 0:50:25# I'm in a corner on the pouring rain
0:50:25 > 0:50:28# 16 men on a dead man's chest
0:50:28 > 0:50:32# And I've been drinking from a broken cup
0:50:32 > 0:50:36# Two pairs of pants and a mohair vest
0:50:36 > 0:50:39# I'm full of bourbon and I can't stand up
0:50:39 > 0:50:42# Hey, little bird Fly away home
0:50:42 > 0:50:45# Your house is on fire Your kids are alone
0:50:45 > 0:50:48# Hey, little bird Fly away home
0:50:48 > 0:50:52# Your house is on fire Your kids are alone
0:51:06 > 0:51:09# I said hey, little bird Fly away home
0:51:09 > 0:51:12# Your house is on fire Your kids are gone
0:51:12 > 0:51:15# I said hey, little bird Fly away home
0:51:15 > 0:51:19# Your house is on fire Your kids are gone. #
0:51:19 > 0:51:21APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:51:22 > 0:51:24Yes!
0:51:27 > 0:51:29I'm watching this, and it's great that...
0:51:29 > 0:51:31They turned it up to 11.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33The drummer looks like the sort of boy
0:51:33 > 0:51:37you'd want your daughter to bring home,
0:51:37 > 0:51:39- until you see him play!- I know!
0:51:39 > 0:51:42- Unbelievable.- He's determined to break the drum kit.
0:51:42 > 0:51:44Great musicians. Guitarist is very good.
0:51:44 > 0:51:46The singer is excellent, I think.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51CHEERING Ladies and gentlemen,
0:51:51 > 0:51:54what did we think of Johnny Cage and the Voodoogroove?
0:51:54 > 0:51:57CHEERING Next band.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01They are from a little place called Pontypool in the Welsh valleys.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04As we pulled up in front of what looked like a little scout hut
0:52:04 > 0:52:07in the middle of nowhere, Rhod said,
0:52:07 > 0:52:10"The combined age of this band
0:52:10 > 0:52:13"is 860, or something."
0:52:13 > 0:52:17THEY LAUGH
0:52:17 > 0:52:19One of them is called Ducksy.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21I asked, "Why are you called Ducksy?"
0:52:21 > 0:52:24All the others went, "Cos he used to wank off swans in the park."
0:52:24 > 0:52:28So, I said the obvious question - "Why aren't you called Swansy?"
0:52:28 > 0:52:30He says, "Because it's a town."
0:52:30 > 0:52:33Ladies and gentlemen, give it up, all the way from Wales,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35it's Pieces Of Mind!
0:52:35 > 0:52:36APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Ducksy...
0:52:50 > 0:52:54# A gypsy woman told my momma Before I was born
0:52:54 > 0:52:57# Got a boy child comin'
0:52:57 > 0:53:00# Gon' be a son of a gun
0:53:00 > 0:53:06# Make pretty women jump and shout
0:53:06 > 0:53:09# Then the world gon' know
0:53:09 > 0:53:11# What it's all about
0:53:11 > 0:53:13# You know I'm him
0:53:15 > 0:53:17# Everybody knows I'm him
0:53:20 > 0:53:22# Woo!
0:53:22 > 0:53:25# I'm the hoochie coochie man
0:53:25 > 0:53:28# Everybody knows I'm him
0:53:50 > 0:53:52# I'm a hoochie coochie man
0:53:54 > 0:53:59# Everybody knows I'm him, yeah. #
0:53:59 > 0:54:01APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:54:01 > 0:54:03They were really good, yeah, really good.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07And they don't care about anything. They're just partying on,
0:54:07 > 0:54:08just having a good time.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11- Yeah, a great lesson to us all, you know?- I know, yeah.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16Midge and I retire backstage to mull over his decision
0:54:16 > 0:54:21as to which two bands will progress to the grand final in Manchester.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23Where are my Welsh cakes when I need them?
0:54:23 > 0:54:25You're going to have to kill off some bands that I love.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27- Yes.- Because you've got to put two through.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30It's very difficult to try and choose
0:54:30 > 0:54:32between different types of music.
0:54:32 > 0:54:35The running order is always awkward for people,
0:54:35 > 0:54:36can somebody has got to go on first,
0:54:36 > 0:54:38you've got to follow a really powerful band
0:54:38 > 0:54:40with a really intimate little thing.
0:54:40 > 0:54:42There is a reason that all those bands were there today.
0:54:42 > 0:54:44They were fantastic, they were phenomenal.
0:54:44 > 0:54:45I really didn't expect that.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47The audience loved it.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50But you can only choose between
0:54:50 > 0:54:54who made the impact to you personally on the day.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57And I think two bands, who are incredibly consistent,
0:54:57 > 0:55:02every time we've seen them, and they just...excelled tonight.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04All right, mate, let's just go down and do it.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08- Yeah.- You do it.- Absolutely. - You do it.- All right...coward.
0:55:10 > 0:55:13Ladies and gentlemen...give it up!
0:55:13 > 0:55:16It's decision time.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18Which is probably why Midge is taking a while to get here.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20I know he's not looking forward to this.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to bring the bands back on.
0:55:23 > 0:55:24You saw Pieces Of Mind...
0:55:24 > 0:55:26CHEERING
0:55:28 > 0:55:30Wookalily...
0:55:30 > 0:55:31CHEERING
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Ladies and gentlemen, you saw Bombskare.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35CHEERING
0:55:35 > 0:55:39Give it up for Johnny Cage and the Voodoogroove.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41CHEERING
0:55:41 > 0:55:43GT's Boos Band!
0:55:43 > 0:55:45CHEERING
0:55:45 > 0:55:47One big cheer for all the bands you've seen,
0:55:47 > 0:55:50because three of them are going to go out tonight, unfortunately.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Midge, just before we come to the decision bit,
0:55:53 > 0:55:54overall, how has it been for you?
0:55:54 > 0:55:57I don't want to get too serious about it.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Our music industry has been hijacked.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02It's been taken over by...
0:56:02 > 0:56:05CHEERING
0:56:05 > 0:56:09It's been taken over by mediocrity. It's dreadful.
0:56:11 > 0:56:16It's a cardinal sin that artists and bands like this
0:56:16 > 0:56:19can't make a living from making music.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24There's no commercial break, there's no pregnant pause.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Midge, just tell us who you've chosen.
0:56:27 > 0:56:31I said there's no pause - just tell us.
0:56:31 > 0:56:32Tell them, or I will.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35The first band through...
0:56:35 > 0:56:37Bombskare.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39CHEERING
0:56:49 > 0:56:51Second band through...
0:56:51 > 0:56:53Johnny Cage.
0:56:53 > 0:56:55CHEERING
0:56:58 > 0:57:00Thank you very, very, very, very much.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08Bombskare have something.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10They just...
0:57:10 > 0:57:14It's like lighting a touchpaper on a firework and standing back
0:57:14 > 0:57:16and this thing just explodes.
0:57:16 > 0:57:21We might be the best zero-hours contract band in the UK!
0:57:22 > 0:57:25Johnny Cage - when they got out in front of a crowd,
0:57:25 > 0:57:28they completely outstripped everyone else.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31- Outstanding.- I feel lubricated...
0:57:31 > 0:57:33No, I feel salubricated.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35I feel supercilious, superseded...
0:57:35 > 0:57:37I feel wonderful.
0:57:37 > 0:57:39It was an experience and I will take that experience away.
0:57:39 > 0:57:43A really positive thing. Meeting all the other bands, too.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47The best two won, man. Fucking awesome.
0:57:47 > 0:57:49This lot were fucking outrageous.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52A little disappointed,
0:57:52 > 0:57:55but we just love the fact that a real band like ours,
0:57:55 > 0:57:57with real stories and real music
0:57:57 > 0:57:59is getting a chance to do what we do best.
0:58:01 > 0:58:02Next time...
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Starting early. We got the police behind us.
0:58:04 > 0:58:06You brought the heat on us.
0:58:06 > 0:58:09Never had so many men in my bedroom.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11Even though they are a part-time band...
0:58:13 > 0:58:15..all of them have got full-time passion.
0:58:15 > 0:58:17# Hey! You! What do you see? #
0:58:17 > 0:58:20How long did it take you to think of that?
0:58:20 > 0:58:21About an hour and a half.
0:58:21 > 0:58:23Let's do it.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26- Ooh...!- Maybe not. - I'm not in a band.