Talent on show at Project X

Mar 20 2008 By Shirley Bartynek

BANDS throughout North Lanarkshire on Saturday showcased their musical talents at a fantastic gig held at Motherwell Concert Hall.

Eleven high schools from the area took part in the Project X event organised by Foundry Music Lab (FML).

FML, which is based at Unit 2 Flemington Industrial Park, Craigneuk Street, Mothewell, is a new recording, rehearsing and training facility established by Wet Wet Wet guitarist Graeme Duffin, producer Sandy Jones and sound engineer Ted Blakeway.

A team of enterprise students were put forward from schools which included Bellshill Academy, Taylor High, Cardinal Newman and Brannock.

These pupils decided business roles for themselves, either as ‘Management’ or ‘Record Company’. They then had the responsibility of identifying and choosing the band, musicians or solo artist with whom they felt they could work.

The teams were asked to work in conjunction with the music, art and graphics departments in the schools, with support from the enterprise officers.

Ted said: “After the success of our very first ‘Project X’ in 2007, we were delighted to have the opportunity to approach and involve another group of schools in North Lanarkshire.

“Each of the acts gained valuable recording experience in a fully professional environment and appeared with a finished product in the form of a CD, with DVD to follow.

“Once again we at the Foundry Music Lab have been astonished by the level of ability and commitment shown by all the students involved. We were slightly concerned that the level of talent in Project X 07 may have just been a fluke, however we were so happy to discover this was not the case.