Musicians Battle it Out at Greene King Untapped Music Competition Heat

Published on: 23 Aug, 2026
Updated on: 24 Aug, 2026

By Jonno Dukes

The 2025 Greene King Untapped national music competition that took place at venues across the UK attracted 800 entrants.

For 2026, the local opening heat took place at The Stoke pub in Guildford on Friday, August 14.

Fools Gamble – the winners

Five acts had 20 minutes each to impress three judges – musicians Eloise Carter, Mark Wilson-Pepper and Kane FM DJ legend, Squeaky.

Acts were scored on audience connection, originality, stage presence and technical skill, with one winner progressing to the regional heats and maybe the London final with a £10,000 prize.

First up was Nick Drake-influenced folk musician Captain Daveman, on acoustic guitar.

The first on stage is always the hardest, but he was unfazed and 40 years of experience showed when he turned a technical hitch to his advantage and brought the crowd further onside.

His was a bright, accomplished opening set.

Sleeptalk.

Next were indie band Sleeptalk, raising the roof with relish.

The drums and bass shook hips with tight grooves. The guitarist was a virtuoso and the singer had the power of Lulu with the delicacy of Kate Bush.

Energy infected the venue through five catchy songs influenced by Radiohead, the Beatles and Pixies. Crowd work and stage presence blazed alongside riffs and hooks. Awesome!

Following were Fools Gamble, complete with merchandise stall.

Fusing heavy metal and prog rock, their more intricate set literally told a story with clever work between the super-skilled guitarists and lyrics.

A commanding performance from the singer gave crowd-pleasing Bruce Dickinson panache to perfectly crafted thunder. Superb!

After that were Badmouth: punk energy brought a riot to both stage and dance floor.

Slight clipping of the vocals didn’t dim a set brimming with swagger and confidence. Full tilt heavy rock glory. Go see this band.

Last went CJ Thomas, who made it through to the 2025 regionals and returned an even more refined guitarist and singer.

Citing Ed Sheeran, Beethoven and Eminem as influences, there is soul and finesse in his songwriting and performance.

The judges gave Fools Gamble the win and praised the skill of their performance and the crowd loudly agreed.

The band will do the region proud in the next round and I’d tip them for a grand final win too.

A big thank you to Angie, aka highly regarded DJ Sonic Angel, with her excellent sound system from events firm Revology, as well as the wonderful event hosts at The Stoke.

Huge praise to all the performers, not just worthy winners Fools Gamble.

All acts fervently supported each others’ performances, despite it helping out a rival’s score.

That camaraderie and respect underpins any successful music scene and was beautiful to see.