SMALL PRINT:IT'S THE MOMENT Irish singers who didn't get through to the audition rounds of The X Factorhave been waiting for. The Voice,RTÉ's new all-singing talent show, started filming this week at the Helix on the Dublin City University campus.
The Voice, a format show already broadcast in the US and Holland, features Kathryn Thomas and relative newbie Eoghan McDermott as presenters. The duo will be backed up by four celebrity "coaches" who will mentor their own acts: Kian Egan (Westlife), Sharon Corr, Brian Kennedy and Bressie (formerly of The Blizzards).
So what can we expect?
Image doesn’t necessarily come into it. The first round of auditions, being filmed until next Monday, are in fact “blind”, meaning the coaches judge on voice alone. So floppy-haired boys trading on Bieber-esque qualities need not apply.
No child stars. The All Ireland Talent Show, RTÉ's previous foray into the world of reality talent contests, saw underage acts triumph, but The Voicehas capped the minimum entry age at 18 years old. Cue hissy fits from the bosses of stage schools.
Lots of Adele covers. Over the water, producers have managed to keep the XL Recordings artist's songs to a minimum, due to the risk of fatigue with unavoidable hits such as Someone Like You. Don't expect those at the Irish auditions to shy away from the obvious.
A never-ending stream of Mary Byrne-alikes. The success of Tesco’s biggest star since white-label vodka will no doubt be on the minds of those who think they can emulate her bombastic vocal style. Shirley Bassey songbooks at the ready.
Controversy? Perhaps. If it’ll come from anywhere, it’ll be from co-presenter Eoghan McDermott, the former Spin FM and TG4 presenter turned prime-time XFM DJ. McDermott courts a type of benign edginess often missing from RTÉ’s stable.
