Barford’s Olivia impresses judges with her talents

Nineteen-year-old singer-songwriter Olivia Bonner-Evans, who has been playing at pubs and small festivals for the past two years, was selected to take part in the Live & Unsigned regional heat at the NEC in Birmingham.

Despite full-time studies in vetinerary medicine at Nottingham University, Olivia, whose performing career began when she won a Barford’s Got Talent contest at the Granville at Barford pub, writes and plays her own guitar music, while she also enjoys giving audiences renditions of classic numbers.

But it is the writing from which she gets the most pleasure. She said: “Singing and playing is just a hobby. Writing music is the perfect outlet for my thoughts.”

Although Olivia did not make it through to the next stage, she received high praises from the judges, with one of them telling organisers: “Olivia Bonner-Evans – great cover choice. Gorgeous young girl who has thought her image through, but she had a few nerves, which is understandable.

“One for the future.”

The national final of this year’s Live & Unsigned will take place at the O2 Arena in London and it will be filmed for Sky TV in a fly-on-the-wall documentary.

Acts will be competing for the main prizes, which include £10,000 to be spent on development, a £10,000 publicity investment, gigs at festivals in Canada, Italy and Latvia, a UK tour of up to 100 shows and a UK festival tour - including guaranteed slots at Norfolk Spectacular, Boardmasters, Strawberry Fields Festival, Brownstock, London Summer Jam, Lancaster Music Festival and Butserfest.

To find out more about the competition, visit www.liveandunsigned.uk.com and to see more on Olivia, visit her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/obonnerevans