On the rocky road to fame

3:42pm Thursday 12th June 2003

They are the superstars of tomorrow. Or at least they might be, if they only get the chance to play.

Last Thursday some of Barnet's new musical youth were given that opportunity at a monthly gig at the Torrington Arms in North Finchley.

Uncovered is a night dedicated to original music at a venue renowned for its classy cover bands. Five bands - Georgy, Silver Lake, Silver Scene, Virtual Biscuit and Rangoon - played original music. And the first three are made up of musicians in their twenties who hope to make it big.

Gavin Malloy, 22, of Friern Barnet Lane, writes and plays guitar for Silver Lake, a trio formed in March.

"My girlfriend Kelly, the singer, is a dental nurse and she came across Geographic Tongue - a disease of the tongue - which was our first name," he says.

"Rather than doing industry places like Camden and Kentish Town, we wanted to do a lower rung to get some experience."

Two-piece indie-rock band Silver Scene are a little further down the road. After a string of gigs they are on the verge of recording a fully-produced demo CD - a must for any band wanting to land a recording contract.

Alex Palmer, 25, of Prospect Road, New Barnet, is a care worker at Homeless Action in Barnet Day Centre, in Woodhouse Road, and sings in the band.

"We met at an open mic' night and went busking the next day until 5am. We are now putting together a fully-produced demo. We have a CD recorded in my bedroom to get us gigs, but getting a proper demo is difficult," he said.

It is bands such as these who are the force behind Britain's reputation as the home of pop music, from The Beatles to Coldplay. But the industry is turning its back on this talent, according to Madge Conacher, of Highwood Avenue, who plays keyboards in Virtual Biscuit and spent several years running a music club.

"I don't think grassroots music gets the support it deserves. Did you hear our Eurovision entry? I know for a fact there's talented performers out there like the ones we are seeing tonight, but the industry has missed them," she says.

Adam Day, of Station Road, Barnet, went to see the local talent. He says Barnet is brimming with creativity that needs nights such as Uncovered. "Lots of musicians live around here, particularly in Barnet - being near the Green Belt, it's quite good for being creative. You are near nature," he says.

But Phil Peacock of Virtual Biscuit says live music in many venues is under threat from the planned Government 24-hour licensing Bill.

Under the Bill, pubs and bars without an entertainment licence will no longer be able to host gigs by solo performers and duets, as they can now. The next Uncovered will take place on Wednesday, July 3, at the Torrington. For more information, call Pete Feenstra on 020 8460 4907.

Uncovered reviewed Andre Arnaud, 49, is a French guitarist living in Horland Road, North Finchley. He rates all five acts at Uncovered: "Georgy was great - he has a sense of poesy and had experience of playing the guitar. You could see that he knows music and is creative." Score: 8/10.

"Silver Lake - the girl has a voice. They were beginners and it was nice. They came here because they had a need to play. You could feel they were not used to playing on stage. They had something together." Score: 7/10.

"Silver Scene - they have a talent. But we can't hear the lyrics too well because of the sound system. They should sing in a place where you can hear the lyrics because we need to hear and understand what they are talking about." Score: 6/10.

"Virtual Biscuit - they are a mature band with a lot of harmony - very nice." Score: 9/10.

"Rangoon - 10/10 for the idea of putting the night together. It's great. But their music is a bit loud." Score: 5/10.

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