Rock opera wins the day at major talent contest

Luke Sargeant, 25, and Michaela Ryall, 24, are Ribbon, who won the grand final of the Showcase 09 event at the Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth.

Their prize is two further concerts at the Wedgewood Rooms '“ one as headliners and the other as support for a major group '“ a professional photoshoot and three days in a studio to record a two or three-track demo.

Showcase 09 was the Wedgewood Rooms' own competition and a total of 50 bands took the stage there to battle through heats and semi-finals, with the top five making it to the final.

Both Luke and Michaela now live in Chichester, but Luke moved just nine months ago from Felpham. Michaela is originally from Chichester but had a spell living in Bognor Regis.

Luke said: "We played six songs in the final and introduced the set with a pseudo-classical piece with the piano, and then went into a heavy piano and drum section.

"We start with heavy big sections, a bit like Muse, and then we go into theatric, quiet, small sections.

"The highlight was the last song. I got the acoustic guitar out for the first section and brought it down quiet, and then for the second half I got back on the drumkit for a big crescendo.

"The venue was sold out for the final so it was a good night all round."

Luke's proud father Tony Sargeant, of Felpham, was among the hundreds in the audience to be wowed by Ribbon.

He said: "They write all their own stuff and it's kind of rock-opera type music.

"Luke plays drums and guitar and sings, Michaela plays piano and sings. Her voice sounds like Kate Bush. It's quite gobsmacking '“ they're very watchable.

"There was a chap there who didn't know who I was who was talking to some friends about them.

"He said 'I've been coming to this for five or six years and it's been a privilege to be here tonight'."

Tony said bands from the Bognor Regis area dominated the final: "Although no runner-up was actually announced, there was another great group there from Walberton and I think they had half of Walberton there with them."

With the sophistication of musical and computer equipment going up as their cost is coming down, Ribbon are one of a growing number of bands who are going it alone to get their music to a wider audience.

Luke said: "We both have pretty good jobs. We are happy with our careers and I think we are going to do it as art for art's sake.

"We want to create something because we are enjoying creating it and hopefully it will be interesting to watch. We don't just want to make something to sell.

"Bands are getting publishing deals where they can sell the music they create without being owned by a record label, so we can have our lives and if it sells it's money on top."

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