Interview

Marconi is one of the lucky few to make it through to the London final of Live & Unsigned 2010. He will be competing with his Mannequins in the show at the end of March. If he impresses the judges in London he will then proceed to the national finals held at the o2 in London and ultimately receive a recording/management contract, and a lot of press/live exposure are up for grabs.

Where does the name for your act, Marconi and the Mannequins come from?

Well Marconi is my stage name, when I was small I lived near Cape Town in South Africa and there was an informal settlement there called Marconi Beam. Every year it would be burned down and thousands of people would be without homes. They usually rebuilt there homes and I used to go and help and take food and clothes. The Mannequins are the name for my dancers! On the first day of rehearsals for the show we were sort of trying to come up with a dance routine and the idea of mannequins came up. We were like, let's dance like mannequins! Don't even know what mannequins dance like but hey, so it’s Marconi and the Mannequins!!

What made you enter Live & Unsigned 2010?

I entered this competition as the first thing I heard was that they encourage you to audition with original material. I have been writing and working on songs over the last year and saw this as my first opportunity to perform them in front of people and to see what they think. I felt a bit awkward at the audition as when I arrived there were quite a few bands around. I was just there with my backing track! It was so early on a Sunday morning and I really thought that I didn’t have a chance! So it was my turn in front of the panel and I just went for it, I thought I have nothing to lose! So hear I am in the London Final!

How does competing live in a competition compare to performing at any other gig?

I guess when performing at a gig there’s not as much pressure as your not really competing against other artists. I’ll have three and a half minutes to impress the judges and the audience here where as at a gig you know, you have a few songs to sing in your set so you have more of chance. I’ve had to pick which songs I’m going to perform carefully hoping that they’ll be enough to show everyone what I’ve got.

One of the tasks in the next round of the comp is to choose a cover and make it your own. Have you found it hard deciding on a song, and how do you go about making it your own?

Yes this has been very difficult got me. I had so many ideas but I just had to choose one and I really hope it’s the right one. I’ve been singing at various open mic nights and performing both songs and they’ve been going down well so hopefully it will all go well on the night. I’ve chosen a song that was originally sang by a female artist so I’m lucky in the sense that this already makes it different. It also fits in quite well with my song that I’m going to be performing.

As a music writer I’ve heard many acts describe themselves as unique/original, what would you say to convince people that you really are?

At the moment there is a gap in the market for male solo artists. There are so many of them around, like unsigned male artists, but in the main stream there really aren’t that many. I hope that this is my opportunity to try and change that. All the songs I write are from the heart and are based on things that I’ve really been through. I love upbeat songs and I love to dance when I perform and I love to have attitude and I just hope that it comes across well and not crazy!!

If you could write your own newspaper headline about yourself, what would it be?
Well one that was written about me the other day was, Full Beam Ahead…. Which I found quite amusing ha!

What are your hopes for the future?

To finish recording my album and to gig and perform as much as possible! Also to build up a fanbase, I’m not sure how I’m going to do this but I will try my best!!

Do you think your music has taught you anything about yourself?

Yes so much. For me writing music is my way of dealing with the different issues and challenges I have faced in my life. Everyone has their own special way of dealing with things and this is mine. It has been with me since I was small. I carry around a voice recorder at all times because you never know when a tune will pop into your head!

You were bullied in school for being gay, what would you say to someone who approached you and has been experiencing the same sort of problems?

At the time I didn’t know what I was and it was horrible having my peers at school throwing comments at me about it all day long. I was bullied so badly in one school that I had to leave and go to another school. I went to talk to my teachers about it but they didn't do anything about it! I wish that I could’ve just confronted those people but at the time I didn’t have the courage or confidence. No one should have to go through anything like that. I’d say talk to someone about it, it's different now. I work in schools everyday and the teachers and staff really do not tolerate any sort of innapropriate behaviour. I can't believe that in this day and age there is still problems like homophobia and racism in schools. Talk to your teachers, know who your friends are and know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. When you leave school you won’t see those people again, and those are the people that have nothing going for them. There not going to get anywhere in life with that attitude. As far as I’m concerned my experiences when I was younger as made me who I am today.

How to you juggle being a youth worker by day and a singer by night? Do the people you work with know that you sing?

I work with young people in schools who are experiencing difficulties around drugs and alcohol. This could be young people whose parents are substance misusers are they are taking drugs themselves. My work colleagues know of course! They are coming to the show on the 28th!
It’s hard sometimes to be doing both as my job can be quite challenging sometimes and very draining. Sometimes after work I just want to go home and relax, but at the end of the day singing and performing is my passion and it’s the motivation that keeps me going. I also love helping other people so I guess that’s what keeps me going in the day job!

To find out more about the competition visit http://www.liveandunsigned.uk.com and you can listen to Marconi on myspace @ www.myspace.com/marconibeam