Peterborough singer/songrwriter John Quinn – well known as frontman of local band The Fleeting Minds – will be appearing on The Voice on Saturday February 1 on BBC One!
ESP’s Mikey Clarke grabbed a word ahead of the show being screened…
Peterborough is home to a large number of celebrities, including Warwick Davis, Luke Pasqualino, Aston Merrygold, and Louis Smith. And of course, you’ll recognise me as a contestant on the popular TV Show, Pointless. No? Fair enough.
John Quinn might just be the next big thing to come out of our city. The lead singer of local band The Fleeting Minds will be appearing on BBC1’s The Voice this Saturday.
The Voice is a reality television series that features four coaches (Tom Jones, Will.i.am, Kylie Minogue and Ricky Wilson) looking for a talented new artist, who could become a global superstar. The show’s concept is indicated by its title: the coaches do not judge the artists by their looks, personalities, stage presence or dance routines – only their vocal ability.
I grabbed a few words with John Quinn, firstly asking what The Fleeting Minds thought to him appearing on the popular television show. “They are 100% behind me,” he said. “In fact, for the last two years they’ve been pushing for me to go on it. I do a lot of solo gigs too so they’re used to me performing alone. I’m hoping that being on the show will not only raise my profile, but the band’s profile too. We have our single out called Dynamite and a music video out on I-Tunes, so things are going well.”
With so many television shows out there that John could have applied for, why The Voice? He explained, “When I first saw The Voice I was impressed by the blind audition concept – I was hooked. I liked the fact that people were auditioning with their guitars and doing their own thing. Also there seems to be a lot more variety on The Voice compared to other shows.”
For those that don’t know what John sounds like, he told me – “I’ll be singing Jake Bugg’s, Lightning Bolt. I have his album and love it. His songs have been stuck in my head for a long time so when it came to choosing a song, it had to be him. I’ve put my own slant on it though, so don’t expect it to be quite like the version you know.”
John is used to performing to a large number of people at his gigs, but not millions – like he will be doing on Saturday night. A scary thought? “I wasn’t that nervous knowing lots of people would be watching. I more embraced the fact that the show had a lot of viewers. If anything, I’m more nervous about going back to work on Monday after my workmates have seen the show!”
We’ve seen local stars such as Aston Merrygold, Luke Pasqualino and Louis Smith go onto bigger and better things. After appearing on The Voice, John says the dream is to – “Simply get myself out there and have my music heard. If I can earn a comfortable living then that would be great. If fame and fortune came from it then that would be an added bonus, but for me, the important thing is the music.”
Support local talent by watching John Quinn on BBC1’s The Voice, Saturday February 1 at 7.10pm. Also, look out for our updated article on how John progresses on Monday February 3.
“Good luck John!” – The ESP Team.
The Fleeting Minds great new new single Dynamite is due for release on February 2, you can find out more about the band on www.thefleetingminds.com
Photos: The Fleeting Minds courtesy of IAMJ Records, The Voice courtesy of BBC/Wall to Wall
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