A new series of unsingedAct (their pretentious capitalization…) started today. For those not in the know this is a talent contest very much in the X-Factor vein – however much they’d deny it – with the proviso that every act must have written the tracks that they perform. This restriction it seems, is held up as a virtue on a par with faith, hope and animal charities. Why? God knows. But it seems he’s too busy to let anyone in on the secret.

I’ve long been confused by the assertion that only bands who play their own material are worthy of a pair of golden skinny jeans (or whatever the cool kids wear these days…) This is all The Beatles fault really, everyone wants to match their level of success, their legendary status and think that being a creative unit is the way to go. Sure it is, when you have two of the greatest song writers popular music has ever seen at your disposal. If all you’ve got is David Sneddon, then think outside the box.

Why not spread the talent? If you have a great front man and an outstanding guitarist but no song writing electricity buy in the tracks from the gaunt whispy kid who would shy away from ordering a hamburger but writes melodies as if he were no less than Burt Bacharach’s soul.

Do people lambaste actors who don’t write their own lines? No. Do people crush writers who don’t deal with their own typography? Not often. To put it another way, would you rather get one man to design, engineer and build your car before also sewing the upholstery and drilling for oil to make it run, or just leave each area up to the experts?

Ach, just a thought…