The Freemantle

A young band from Oxford hope to break into the music business by winning one of the UK's most high profile competitions for unsigned acts.

The Freemantle sailed through the audition of Live and Unsigned 2011, and now face a live showcase where they will battle it out onstage against the cream of the country's amateur acts in a bid to secure the overall prize. On the line is a record deal with Future Music worth £50,000, a tour across Australasia, Asia, America and Europe, festival slots and all-expenses paid trips to India and Italy.

Celebrity judges of the competition include former Slade frontman Noddy Holder, r'n'b star Shola Ama and Radio 1 DJs Annie Nightingale, Ras Kwame and Tom Deacon. The group formed in the summer of last year and plays a brand of indie rock they liken to The Smiths and Kings of Leon.

Front man and songwriter Anthony Whitehead, 24, a music teacher, said: “We are unbelievably excited about getting through to the regional finals, we are so glad that all our hard work over the last year is finally paying off and we are extremely proud to be representing Oxfordshire in this nationwide competition."

The band is completed by guitarist Matt Stevens, 23, bassist Johnny Pav, 23, and 29-year-old drummer Olivia Flint. The group met at school in Oxford and Anthony told the Journal: " I have been writing songs for many years now but it is the band who really make them come to life, we really have something special going on here. I am always amazed with how my songs progress and grow in such a fundamentally beautiful, inspiring and exciting way under the influence of Matt and Olivia. They are no longer my songs, they are our songs.”

The Freemantle are hoping to wow the judges in the Live and Unsigned regional finals on April 17 at the Beck Theatre in Hayes. The grand final of the competition takes place at the O2 Arena in London later these years.

Chris Grayston, Events Director of Live & Unsigned. said: “Live and Unsigned is all about originality, live ability and credibility. We don't accept demos or submissions and everyone auditions live. We've got some fantastic prizes up for grabs this year in a £100, 000 prize pool, so there are lots of opportunities for everyone entering. Plus the Live and Unsigned Festival means 2011 will be the biggest competition yet.” - Oxford Journal

As soon as The Freemantle played the opening few chords of their
first song ‘Old Friends’, the crowd, which had remained towards the
back of the massive Regal hall, quickly re-positioned themselves
within a couple of metres of the stage. This was The Freemantle’s
first gig but you wouldn’t know it; a new band could feel completely
lost in a venue of this size. Anthony Whitehead, frontman and
songwriter carries the band with his strong Kings of Leon-esque
vocals, which are accompanied by some incredibly intricate guitar
riffs. The set list includes the loud with ‘Old Friends’, the reflective
with ‘Calshott Beach’, and bouncy pop with ‘Time Machine’. - Oxford Music Scene