We invited the winner of the Staggeringly Good Commitments auditions to say a little about the experience of taking part in the competition at Staggeringly Good Brewery here is what he had to say:

The night of March 20th is one I will not soon forget. I had never heard of an interactive film experience, let alone one held in a brewery, so when I discovered the Staggeringly Good Commitments night in Portsmouth, I was thrilled to see what it would be like.

As a fan of The Commitments film and its inspiring music, I was excited to book my tickets. I noticed there was an opportunity to enter live auditions, with a chance to sing with a live band and a chance to win an afternoon in a recording studio. Having sung karaoke on nights out before, I decided to throw my name in.

The evening began in the taphouse bar downstairs, where actors portraying characters from The Commitments wandered around, interacting with us by delivering lines from the film or quoting song lyrics. Several of us, including myself, participated in the karaoke competition. Afterward, we all moved upstairs to the event room for a full screening of The Commitments on the big screen, followed by an incredible performance by the Soul Suspects band.

Two finalists from the karaoke competition, including myself, were announced, and I had the unforgettable opportunity to sing “Mustang Sally” live with the band. That experience was amazing enough, but being announced as the overall winner was truly mind-blowing. We spent the rest of the evening singing and dancing along with the band!

Thank you to everyone involved in organizing this fantastic experience. I hope to see more events like this in the future. Blues Brothers, anyone? 😊

Jonathan Hamer

And a big thank you to Jon for stepping up to the mike and to the prize sponsors Casemates Studios, who offered Jon a recording opportunity. Plus not to forget the wonderful Soul Suspects who were our houseband for the night. We are all looking forward to hearing what Jon has recorded. You can watch the video of Jon performing Mustang Sally with the Soul Suspects below and you will understand why Jon wowed the judges and the audience.

 

 

Until next time!