Yesterday we were invited to the Elite Showcase event that was hosted at the Access To Birmingham venue. We saw 10 acts perform on the stage bringing original songs and much-loved covers.
Upon arrival, there was quite the queue. It’s heart warming to see so many fans supporting these rising stars, helping them achieve the success they clearly deserve. These fans also got to attend a meet and greet at the end of the gig.
All ten acts gave it their all on stage. Harvey Rafferty opened the show and Jason Allan concluded it. We were even lucky enough to watch a duet – but more on that later.
We also had a host for the event who introduced every act and saved the day when technical difficulties occurred by keeping the crowd entertained. Giles Potter did an amazing job being the host of the show.
We're off to @ATMBirmingham venue to see @EliteTalentUK's Showcase! Make sure you add us Snapchat to watch exclusive clips! Follow CelebMix pic.twitter.com/EDXbypMTST
— CelebMix (@CelebMix) August 12, 2017
For those of you who have us on Snapchat, you managed to see some very exclusive clips of the show. For those of you who don’t have us on the app, feel free to add us now, our username is CelebMix – you only have a few hours left to watch. As for the people reading this at a much later time, you can find our Snapchat story of this event on our YouTube Channel; the video, of which, can be found at the bottom of this page.
Without further ado, here are our thoughts on the ten acts that performed at the Elite Showcase event:
Harvey Rafferty
Kickstarting the whole event was Harvey Rafferty. With his guitar, he’s first song was “Stitches” originally by Shawn Mendes; this was a killer cover of the song from start to finish and what a way to start the show. Any nerves he may have had were not shown at all as he led into his other songs.
Ending his set with Justin Bieber’s “Sorry”, Harvey Rafferty proved to everyone that he’s future career as a singer is going to be a strong one.
Robbie White
He may look timid but Robbie White has quite the voice on him. He knocked it out the venue with his killer mash-up of Walk The Moon’s “Shut Up And Dance” and G.R.L.’s “Ugly Heart”; that is one track we’d love to hear again and again.
This brilliant singer/songwriter also claimed that he will be dropping a free single on his website very soon – so watch out for that.
David Bulley
Starting off his set with Ed Sheeran’s “Castle On The Hill”, David Bulley impressed entirely. His stunning vocals suited every single song that he sang. We also got to hear some original songs from him, our favourite was totally “Lions”; if you’ve heard the song you’ll know how catchy it is.
However, David Bulley had a perfect moment up on that stage. He sang Sia’s “Chandelier”, one of those songs that you just don’t cover unless you’re an amazing vocalist; and, he totally nailed the song in every way, reminding us of when Kevin Simms sang the song for his audition on The Voice.
Daniel Martell
With his handsome good looks, Daniel Martell worked the crowd as he sang songs we loved. He gave great performances of One Direction’s “Little Things”; managing to flood the song with that much-needed emotion. He had clearly connected with the song on an emotional level.
Yet, this wasn’t the only song where he managed to prove his raw talent. He also sang Naugty Boy’s “Runnin’ (Lose It All)” which originally features Beyoncé and Arrow Benjamin.
Sion Jones
If there was one guy on stage who’s vocals were completely stunning, it was Sion Jones. Blowing us away with his vocal range, he brought fire to that stage. His set started with Ed Sheeran’s “Bloodstream” which was pure fire before he went into a medley with his guitar that excited us as each new song was sung.
It was during this medley that Sion Jones channelled his nerves; and by the time he hit Ariana Grande’s “Into You”, he had fully come into himself on stage.
Fraser Morgan
Taking a whole different approach, on stage, was Fraser Morgan. His fashionable indie look totally made for a memorable performance; although, he did admit that the last time he was in Birmingham he got lost, and it became much worse as he listened to people’s accents, as he found them scary. However, standing on stage, giving it his all, definitely transcended a buzz to the crowd.
His final cover of Ed Sheeran’s “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You”, had us all in shock surprise, as he fully embraced the song. He sent fire down that mic, out of the speakers, into our ears, and straight to our hearts.
Danny Boyle
Next on stage was Danny Boyle. He’s a controlled male artist, one we could stand around and listen to all day; we totally want to be at his headline gig, one day. His style and performance vibes totally made him stand out, especially after Fraser Morgan.
He brought perfection to Nick Jonas’ song “Jealous”, adding emotion to his impressive vocals. He chose all the right songs to make the crowd fall in love with him and his voice.
The Verse
One of the biggest highlights of the Elite Showcase was The Verse. This four-piece band, consisting of Jack Harrison, Dean Pinnegar, Alex Cottom, and JT, unleashed incredible energy out to the crowd. They stood out completely since they were the only band at the showcase; bringing chemistry, harmonies, and unforgettable unique twists to songs we all know and love.
They had two standout moments on stage, the first being when they sang Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”; which is usually a song you do not sing unless your vocals are on point; yet, Jack Harrison proved that he was more than capable of tackling this song, and the band twisted it up so much that we fell in love with the song again. The same went for their cover of George Michael’s “Faith”. We hope one day these covers are released so that we can listen to them on repeat for days.
Cal Turner
If there was one act we were excited to see perform, it was Cal Turner; this was because we interviewed him back in March. Up on stage, he clearly had some nerves, but they all went away as he started to sing. He brought stage presence and one of the most memorable vocals of the event.
He completed his set iconically with his original song “Picture” which is soon to be released. The song instantly captured us as he performed on stage, and it’s definitely one that deserves to be on repeat as soon as it’s released.
Jason Allan
Finishing up the lineup was Jason Allan. His relaxed vibes were the perfect way to finish off the event. Singing mostly original songs, this singer/songwriter knows exactly what songs suit his voice and how to perform them live.
We were treated to a few never-before-heard tracks; our favourite being “If I Could” – which we need in our lives right now; the song connected with us on an emotional level whilst being completely catchy; we were all singing the song by the end of it, and Jason Allan was surprised that we had picked up the lyrics so easily. He’s standout cover song, was definitely DJ Snake’s “Let Me Love You” that originally featured Justin Bieber; that was definitely a star quality performance of the song.
Jason Allan ended his set with a collaboration with Daniel Martell. They sang Whitney Houston’s song “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” bringing back all the acts to sing along with them on stage.
Watch Our Snapchat Story Of Elite Showcase Below:
We would like to thank Elite Talent for inviting us to the gig and pulling it off fantastically. We also want to say that Giles Potter did an amazing job as our event host. All ten acts brought something unique and special to the stage, and we can’t wait to continue to follow their careers.
Were you at the Elite Showcase? If so, who was your favourite performer? Let us know on Twitter @CelebMix.
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