Mark Talley debuts Silver Linings on Star Factory - Live

Mark Talley is sat backstage in the green room at StarFactory looking nervous. He is wearing a leather jacket, a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. The singer and guitarist has gelled his hair into an all-new quiff. New career, new hairstyle; that had been his attitude. Mark bites his nail nervously as he taps his foot nervously on the floor of the green room, his hand gripping onto the arm of the chair that he is sat in in the green room. Elsewhere in the room, roadies are in the corner tuning up guitars and attaching wireless packs to them for the live performance; in another corner, Matt Constantine, Mark's session guitarist is sat rolling a joint. He gets up after he finishes and walks out of the green room to smoke his weed and Mark laughs a little; drugs had never been his thing.

He didn't know why he was nervous really. Mark had been in a band since he was 14-years old, and he must have played hundreds of shows around the globe in some of the biggest venues in existence. He sighs and rubs his face. That was all true, but this was to be the first time that he had ever stepped onto a stage alone, or as the front man. He had always loved playing live, but it was easy to let himself go and just connect to his music in Blood of Wecz; Scott RH was the focal point, that was without doubt. All eyes were always on Scott. That would have annoyed most people, but not Mark; he loved the fact that he was able to do what he did and loved without the massive attention and hype that surrounded his best friend.

Mark smiles a little and then sighs once more. He leans forward in the chair and reaches out for a packet of cigarettes balanced on the edge of the table in front of him. He opens the top and takes one from the pack with his lips, before pulling a box of matches from his jacket pocket. He strikes one and holds it to the cigarette before shaking it to put it out. He takes a long drag and exhales just as his fiancee, TricJam Records owner Layla Raine, walks into the room. Mark tries to smile but feels the corners of his lips contort into a little bit of a weird shape. He sighs at himself and pats the chair beside him when Layla comes over and sits in his lap. She takes the cigarette from his mouth and puts it in the ashtray on the table before she puts her arms around his neck.

"You okay, Marky?" She asks with a wide smile, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek. He smiles again and nods a little at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ms Layla, just a little nervous. I mean...a lot nervous. A real whole lot. This is on TV and everyone's gonna be watching me." He fidgets around a little in his seat. "You know what I mean? It's just a terrifying thing. I hope that they don't boo, and I don't know, there are a lot of people."

Layla silences him by pushing her index finger against his lips and Mark stops talking immediately, looking up at her. She smiles and then shakes her head slowly. "Marky, you've done this a lot of times before. You've been brilliant live on the stage and everyone is gonna love you. Just be yourself, and everyone will get the chance to know the wonderful guy that I know and love. You are a talented musician and a great singer. Plus your song is amazing. Just do your best, and everyone will love it. If you get too nervous, just look at me, I'll be up there in the audience. Just keep your eyes on me if you need to."

Mark nods and smiles at her, feeling a little less nervous. "Thanks, Layla. I love you." He smiles again, just as a guy with a clipboard and a headset appears at the door. He knocks his hand against the doorframe and looks around. "Mark Talley on stage in TWO MINUTES!" He yells in a really effeminate and over the top voice before he walks away. Mark takes a deep breath and looks up at Layla. She kisses him. "I'll see you out there, Marky, you're gonna knock them dead." She stands up and walks out of the door to find her seat.

Mark takes a long deep breath and stands up. He wipes the front of his jacket down and sorts the collar. Walking to the ashtray, he takes the cigarette and takes a long drag. He closes his eyes as he exhales slowly, before walking over to the mirror. He checks his hair and his jacket. He unzips the jacket and stands up straight before a roadie hands him his brown Fender Jaguar. He strums it once before fiddling nervously with the volume button and nodding. He walks out of the door.

Before Mark knows it, he's stood at the side of the stage, and he can hear the crowd applauding and cheering. Suddenly he comes to a realisation. This is his big moment, his chance to shine. The song he had recorded made him prouder than anything he had done in his career prior, and now he had a chance at last to show it off to the world. He nods to himself knowingly and jumps a couple of times to get the adrenaline flowing. As he hears his cue, he takes the stairs onto the stage just as Ortega speaks. "Ladies and gentlemen, you knew him best as the sweet and kind guitarist from Blood of Wecz, but now he's back with an all new solo career. Give it up for his new single Silver Linings, this is MARK TALLEY!"

As the cheer goes up, Mark turns the volume knob on his guitar and steps onto the stage, strumming the guitar two or three times. Through the brightness of the stage lights, he can just about see the crowd in front of him, on their feet. He strums the guitar once again, its clean and indie-rock tones drowning out the crowd momentarily, before Mark steps forward to his mic. When he comes into view properly, the women in the crowd catch a glimpse of the gorgeous 24-year old, and a high pitched cheer fills the arena. Mark looks up, confused, at the cheering, before he turns to the back of the stage and his drummer, Frankie Wise. He nods and Frankie counts in four beats.



The Grey Ghost Arena is then filled with the indie guitar led energetic sounds of the debut solo single from Mark Talley. It is slightly jumpy and punchy, as each chord rings out clearly, filling the arena and enticing the swaying audience to clap along in time. Talley suddenly appears to have managed to forget his nerves, a swagger almost emerging as he suddenly gets into his groove, the chance to show his music overpowering his nerves. He strums his guitar, feeling at one with his instrument as he alternates between looking down at his instrument, playing out the powerful and bouncy chords of his indie anthem and looking up, smiling calmly at the way the audience appear to be feeling hos track. He steps back behind the mic just as he gets set to sing the first verse, nervous in case he case he screws up his track. His eyes scan the audience and he sees Layla, just where she said she would be. Mark smiles as she blows him a kiss and he begins to sing. His voice is warm and beautiful, and it resonates around the room as he sings the lyrically clever opening of the track, meandering quickly through the verse, which adopts the same sort of quick and bouncy beat as the song.

You've come so close, that I can even see the white of your eyes,
We're here to toast, another victory, but I'm not surprised,
You took a risk, on another fairytale that might come true,
A tale so brisk, another fable where the hero pulls through

I won't ever let you fall, into the pits of another bad nightmare,
Out from the darkness you call, I often wonder just how you might fare,
Dreams of loneliness, another vision of a time when we had no one,
Snatched from the naughtiness, another chance to steal away from our fun

When the verse finishes, the lights which have been bright and white, dim slightly and turn down. The bridge of the track is faster than the verse, with Mark's vocals quick, somewhere between singing and some sort of tongue twister rhyme as he almost speaks his way through it. However, while this part is faster, the music is quieter, with the drums and the guitar just hitting one single note at the start of each line. This had been the part of the song that Mark had been most worried about, where his voice would be most exposed.

For the first time in his decade-long career, Mark finds himself unable to hide behind his guitar, as he signs through the pre-chorus, but he doesn't feel the nerves that he thought he would. As he senses the stage lights descend on him, the rest of the stage being plunged into darkness, he looks up, seeing Layla again, and a wry smile spreads across his face, which he fights to subdue.

But I've seen that pain in your eyes,
Don't let them provoke you,
Another batch of bullshit and lies,
As they prod and poke you,
Are you backed into another dark corner,
Pushed onto the ropes,
Dressed all in black another mourner,
Drained of desires and hopes

As the chorus approaches, Mark takes a deep breath, allowing himself to think clearly. This has been the part of the song that he knows is going to make or break the track, with its bright and energetic sound and its unique imagery. He looks around the audience once more before he hears the gentle tap on the cymbal behind him that signals the start of the chorus. He stamps suddenly on the pedal board next to his mic stand, and the sound of his guitar becomes slightly less echo-y and cleaner, brighter and upbeat, as he once again gets backed by his whole band, and the sound fills the arena once more, as the lights burst into life, illuminating the stage, and creating a sort of outline around the former Blood of Wecz guitarist. His smile beams out from within the surrounding light as the audience cheer the change in pace and the visual treat.

The chorus is, without doubt, the crowning glory of the song. It has an instantly memorable aura, and an energetic sound that instantly endears itself to the listener. The song is anthemic and has everything that an indie rock song needs in its ability to induce a bounciness in the audience in the arena. As Mark works through the huge sound of the chorus, the audience cheering and clapping along in time to its anthemic sound, Mark smiles at them, a sense of swagger sneaking into his performance as he gains ever more confidence, nodding his head along in time with the track.



You can't draw a cloud without a silver lining,
Another light at the end of a darkened maze,
Stare through the rain, cos the sun's still shining,
A rainbow on my horizon reaching out from the haze,
Don't let them tell another tale of despair,
You'll never be the one that they'll force to care,
Cos you'll never live your life with a knack for whining,
And you can't draw a cloud without a silver lining

After the chorus, Mark careers through the next verse with a renewed vigour. He can sense the song is going down a treat, and he can feel a sort of excitement and buzz rising within him that he has never before felt in his life. The smile on his face speaks volumes about how he feels, and he raises his hand in the air mid way through the verse to salute the audience, suddenly embracing a showmanship that he never would have imagined would have been part of who he was. He strums the guitar again and even manages to cast his eyes over the judges sat in front of him at the front of the stage.

When the second verse finishes, he sings the way through the second pre-chorus again, with the lights dipping once more. When it finishes, he moves to the front of the stage where the monitors and stage lights are. Once there, Mark bends his knees a little, leaning towards the audience as he starts the slow yet impressive guitar solo that accompanies the instrumental bridge of the song. As he comes closer, the women near the front cheer loudly for the heart throb, confusing him as it did earlier, but he concentrates on his guitar once again. When the solo finishes, Mark walks back to the microphone again, stepping on his pedal board and spinning just in time for the second chorus. The lights burst into life again and wash over Mark and his band as they bring back the part of the song that epitomises everything indie music should be.



You were always on the rise, never less than the cream of the crop,
With that glint in your eye, your floating up to reach the top,
Please take me with you, I'm riding along on your coat tails,
I'm not bleeding it's just paint, far less memories of fails.

I watch them gather, the ominous rain clouds looming dark overhead,
But I'm bold like my father, scary, but it's a path we must tread,
Let's hold hands, take our chance and stroll together into the darkness
I'll be your muse if you promise you're my artist!

They lost the chance, we'll stick together,
Won't ever come unstuck,
Hand in hand, we're birds of a feather
Just don't give a fuck!
We're organised let's fly in formation,
Never lost that warm sensation,
I'm telling truths without citation,
Torn from you, like laceration

You can't draw a cloud without a silver lining,
Another light at the end of a darkened maze,
Stare through the rain, cos the sun's still shining,
A rainbow on my horizon reaching out from the haze,
Don't let them tell another tale of despair,
You'll never be the one that they'll force to care,
Cos you'll never live your life with a knack for whining,
And you can't draw a cloud without a silver lining

The end of the chorus sees the lights dim once more as the band play through the final verse of the song. When it ends, the lights go further down so that most of the band are now obscured from view, only Mark able to be seen against the darkness of the stage. He smiles out at the audience as he works his way through the final bridge of the song. This time, there is no musical backing as he puts his own arms behind his back, clasping them behind him and almost exposing himself to the crowd for any criticism or booing, which obviously doesn't come. The bridge is quickest part of the song, Mark's voice intentionally choppy and jumpy as he sings through it quickly, bringing an instantly recognisable and very unique sound the the Star Factory stage.

There's a slight pause at the end of the bridge, with only Mark still basking in the light of the spotlight that sits above him, illuminating only him. He stands with his head down, almost staring at the stage as the cheering fills the arena among the silence. Mark then hears in his earpiece that one tap on the cymbal again, and he smiles, strumming his guitar as the stage lights burst on once more and light up the entire band. By this point, Mark is so into the iconic chorus that he almost jumps in time with his strumming of the guitar, allowing himself to bounce on the balls of his feet as he sings, lapping up the cheering from an audience he is shocked to admit, he now has in the palm of his hand.

The last bastion of freedom, let it ring with a shotgun blast,
Placards, bottles, bricks, let speech reign to the future from the past,
The cloud might be dark, but it's surrounded with silver so fine,
A look at hope, a driving force, a reason to put it all on the line

Because you can't draw a cloud
You can't draw a cloud,
There's no such thing as a cloud
I've never seen a cloud
No you can't draw a cloud
Without a silver lining

You can't draw a cloud without a silver lining,
Another light at the end of a darkened maze,
Stare through the rain, cos the sun's still shining,
A rainbow on my horizon reaching out from the haze,
Don't let them tell another tale of despair,
You'll never be the one that they'll force to care,
Cos you'll never live your life with a knack for whining,
And you can't draw a cloud without a silver lining



When the chorus finishes, Mark plays a little flourish on his guitar and faces the back of the stage. The band play a big crescendo all at once and the audience cheer loudly. Mark breathes a sigh of relief, amazed at the reaction and amazingly proud of his performance. He smiles up at the crowd and waves at them before his bassist Jake Simms walks towards him. They smile and high five each other before embracing.

As the cheering eventually dies, Christina Ortega walks back onto the stage, and Mark smiles at her. He kisses her on the cheek and says something that can't be picked up by the microphones. Pushing his guitar behind his back, Mark suddenly feels a little more himself once again, nervous and shy as he is in every day life.

Pre-show video





Donna Marks - Take Me Down Live Show #1


Today was the day of the first live shows of the season and Donna had been waiting for this for awhile now since the first bidding week her and Michelle had thought about it long and hard and decided to pick "Take Me Down" as her song for tonight she had rehearsed as much as she possibly could as she was always a hard worker and perfectionist when it came to certain things she heard her name being announced and smiled as she walked out to the stage now was her time to sing after all the practicing she had been putting in she was ready to show everyone what she could do she stood in the center of the stage where there was a mic stand and a microphone the band behind her began playing the beat to "Take Me Down" and she smiled nodding her head along to the music a little while looking out at the audience it gave her a sort of rush to be performing in front of all these people she was a bit nervous but far more excited to show them she was good Donna knew she was a good singer she wasn't conceited about it but she was very confident in her vocals she continued looking around at all the people in the audience as the instrumental continued playing after a little while she moved closer to the microphone and placed one hand on the microphone and the other on the stand and looked to her side as she began singing the first few verses of the song in a soft and sweet voice

Baby you complete me then smash me into pieces
Just stand there watching as I pick them all up
Then all you have to do is smile
And my heart will heal itself for a little while

I know you’re gonna walk out on me again
And I’ll go back to square one
Then you’ll give me that ‘I'm so sorry’ call
And like a fool, I’ll take you back


She stepped away from the microphone stand and pulled the microphone off of it and began to walk to the left side of the stage and smiling at some of the people in audience and even waved at a few of them she then went over to the edge of the stage a little and reached her hand out to touch a few of the audience members hands causing them to cheer even louder she smiled she as they began cheering when she done that she had been to a few concerts before and noticed that the performer would sometimes do things like that to get the crowd a bit more excited and hyped up and even though this was a ballad she still wanted the crowed to be excited she began to sing the pre-chorus with the same soft vocals as before but got a little lighter as she approached the end of the pre-chorus

You’re a wrong one but I’ve found you at the right time
I don’t care what you do, you’ll always be mine


The chorus came in right after Donna finished the pre-chorus the band started playing a bit harder and a little faster than before still keeping a kind of slow sound to the song though Donna stood near the left side of the stage as she sang the chorus with more power in her voice this time even though she didn't have the strongest voice there was still something there she also began to nod her head once again to the music as she sang causing some of her hair to go over her face she didn't move it though instead continued singing and nodded her head along with the music which sounded good Donna heard the audience cheer loud once again which made her feel happy she had been to many concerts before and this felt like she was putting one on for them which was a bit strange but she felt happy as if she could do this for the rest of her life as if this is what she was born to do

I’m only gonna get my heart broken in the end
But until that time comes, I’ll just smile and pretend
That everything will turn out perfectly as planned
But I know I’ll only build myself u-u-up
....for you to take me down
(Oh, oh) for you to take me down (down, down)
For you to take me...


Donna then moves the hair from her face as she reaches the second verse of the song it had went back to the way it was before the beat got a little slower and Donna began to sing in her sweeter and softer voice again as she did she began to make her way back to the center of the stage still not putting the microphone on the stand yet she looked over at the judges and smiled a little as she continued singing she then looked up at the people in the audience and raised one of her hands up and began waving it back and forth trying to get the people to do it as well and they soon started doing it with her she smiled at them it was odd seeing what it was like being on the stage rather than being in the audience she loved it to she loved singing to all of these people and just doing what she enjoyed she sang the pre=chorus the exact same way she did the first time still looking out at the crowd

So go on take a piece of my heart
Cos’ I know how much you like to play with it
Leave me broken and scarred
You might as well cos’ I always let you away with it

You’re a wrong one but I’ve found you at the right time
I don’t care what you do, you’ll always be mine

Donna places the microphone back on the stand again as the beat starts to pick up once again she goes back to singing the way she did earlier in the chorus with more power moved around a little with the microphone stand and smiled as she sang looking directly at the judges table this was all so exciting for her she was actually performing on live television in front of so many people watching that were here and at home not to mention the judges but for some odd reason it didn't make her very nervous instead it made her more excited in a way it made her want to sound better and give it her all which is what she was doing right now

I’m only gonna get my heart broken in the end
But until that time comes, I’ll just smile and pretend
That everything will turn out perfectly as planned
But I know I’ll only build myself u-u-up
....for you to take me down
(Oh, oh) for you to take me down (down, down)
For you to take me...


Donna then got to the bridge she had planned to show just how good she could be here she had been rehearsing this a lot over the week with Michelle and this was about to be her biggest part in the song she sang bridge with more power and emotion than before she trying to show that she wasn't only an entertainer which she probably could be better but also a very good vocalist she was definitely no Beyoncé or Whitney but she was pretty good she held on tightly to the microphone stand as she sang the bridge and moved around with it she was also nodding her head with the music again as she continued singing

They all tell you to go
To leave me all alone
But what do they know?
So what if they say you're bad news?
You’re with me, there's nothing they can do.
You go out on the town tonight
Meet a new girl, show her a good time
But at the end of the day I’ll be here waiting
For you....for you....for you....to take me down

After finishing the bridge which was her strongest point in the song so far she felt a little out of breath but continued singing with as much power and emotion as she was earlier she continued nodding her head along to the music and kept her tight grip on the microphone stand as she sang the final chorus she then took the microphone off the stand and walked a little closer to the edge of the stage where the judges table was as she continued singing the same way she was earlier in the bridge she looked around at the crowd as she sang noticing most of them were enjoying the performance then looked at the judges hoping they were also enjoying the performance after she finished the song she put the microphone to her side and waited to hear what the judges had to say she felt happy with the performance and noticed the crowd did as well as they seemed to be cheering she had just hoped the judges liked it too she smiled at them as she awaited their comments

I’m only gonna get my heart broken in the end
But until that time comes, I’ll just smile and pretend
That everything will turn out perfectly as planned
But I know I’ll only build myself u-u-up
....for you to take me down
(Oh, oh) for you to take me down (down, down)
For you to take me...