Tommy Reilly at Proud

I'm a bit of a reality TV fan, at least I would be if I had the time to watch it nowadays. One show that I've been dipping in and out of is Orange unsignedAct. I like that the acts actually write their own stuff and seem to show some passion for music rather than fame, which is rare in reality TV. Don't get me wrong, talented people with some musical integrity do enter shows like The X Factor but we never get to see these artists truly shine on a show like that because they're singing songs chosen for them. Will Young has gone from strength to strength mainly because he showed a true talent on the show and then backed it up by writing his own material afterwards.

UnsignedAct showcases an artists full potential from the very start and I like that. One young man who has really done well this year is Tommy Reilly. He's a 19 year old Glaswegian with a very unique voice and singing style and an incredibly sweet character. This week I was lucky enough to meet Tommy at his gig at Proud in Camden and see him perform. Whether Tommy wins or not it doesn't matter, he a real star and is destined to succeed. He was extremely chatty, looked genuinely pleased to meet me and was hilarious in the most natural, interesting way. Telling me stories of his time working in Tesco (if you ever meet him ask him about Jaffa Cakes) and the manic pace of London that has him a little panicked. He was completely unfazed about performing and when it was time for him to take to the stage (at 11pm!) he was on great form both singing and chatting with the audience.

If you've not checked out unsignedAct this year then give it a watch this Sunday (there are three shows left) and take a looked here, there's definitely a nice mix of finalists this year. Here are a few photo's I took at the gig.