Get your mobileAct together!

mobileAct Unsigned has just started but if, like the bands on the show, you're looking for your first big break, you could do worse than read our advice from the mobileAct judges...

Alex James, what's your advice for unsigned acts?

"Good haircut definitely. Then it's, what's your song called? What are you going to put on your t-shirts? I think you've got to know - when you've heard your song - what it's called."

"If you've got a line that's memorable I think you're heading in the right direction. Three and a half minutes is a good length for a pop song. Keep it simple. And then simplify it further. Good pop songs are uncluttered, they have clarity. I think it's good to be ambitious but it's often what you leave out. It's much harder to not play something than to play something. Don't listen to anybody either!"

Simon Gavin, head of A&M Records, what's the most common mistake unsigned acts make and what's your advice to them?
"They don't have enough great songs. So my advice to bands is you've really got to get things going for yourself. Work on your team around you, get a good management team. Get known in a community, get some gigs before you get going."

"Initially, to get my attention, it has to be how they look because first impressions do count. Then it's how they sound and how great their songs are. But once all those boxes are ticked it's really about the songs. There's no point looking great and playing well if you don't have the hits."

What does a band have to do to grab your attention, Alex Zane?
"I don't really look for anything in particular. I don't turn up to a gig and go, 'If these lot aren't wearing Trilbys, I'm going home.' I always turn up with an open mind. I think it's a very natural thing, if you I find myself tapping my foot, shaking my shoulder then that's good."

Lastly, do bands have to move to London to make a success of themselves, Simon?
"No, I think if you're from Manchester or Birmingham or Glasgow that it's really, really important that you create a fan base in that town or city."

"Bands over the years have proved that you don't have to move out of your hometown to London to make it work, whether you're the Kaiser Chiefs or Joy Division. It's really important if you're happy in a place and you're creative there and you've got a fan base, to stay there."

Great stuff! Look out for our video interviews with the judges coming soon.


T4's mobileAct unsigned, in association with Sony Ericsson and Orange is aired every Sunday at 12.35pm on Channel 4. Full listings here.

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