Out of the Blue (British band)

Last updated

Out of the Blue
OutoftheBlueSquareLogo.png
Background information
OriginOxford
Genres A cappella
Years active2000–present
MembersAli Blair (Worcester)
Solomon Chann (Regent's Park)
Liam Elkind (Christ Church)
Dec Foster (Regent's Park)
Josh Babu (Jesus)
Ben Igielman (St Cross)
Angus Millard (St Catherine's)
Cameron Tweed (Balliol)
Marcus Wells (St Peter's)
Saul Briscoe (Queen's)
Ejayy DeVaughn Jr. (Corpus Christi)
Jonny Yang (St John's)
Website ootboxford.com

Out of the Blue (OOTB) is an all-male a cappella group from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University [1] in Oxford, England. The student-run group sings an eclectic mix of songs, focusing on covers of modern rock and pop hits.

Contents

Since its foundation in 2000, Out of the Blue has had success both nationally and internationally. The group frequently performs at both private and public functions in Oxford and the surrounding area, [2] has toured the UK, Ireland, the United States, and Scandinavia, and has received critical acclaim for their performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The group has won numerous competitions of their category of music and, to date, has produced 13 studio albums, three live albums and one compilation album. They came to international attention among pop music fans when they were the subject of a tweet by the noted musician Shakira, who complimented them for the cover they did of one of her songs in support of a charity which they support. [3]

History

Out of the Blue was founded by a postgraduate student at the University of Oxford, Derek Smith, in 2000. [4] Derek had previously been a member of The Harvard Callbacks whilst studying as an undergraduate at Harvard University. After distributing posters to many of Oxford University's colleges advertising auditions, Out of the Blue was formed and became Oxford's first all-male a cappella group.

The original eight-strong group (two members were added in the spring) debuted at G&D′s ice cream cafe on Oxford’s Little Clarendon Street; this has become the traditional venue for the group's maiden concert each academic year. In their first year they performed a series of local gigs, collaborating with fellow Oxford-based group The Oxford Belles, which climaxed with an end-of-year garden concert in New College cloisters to an audience of over two hundred: a highlight of the year for the nascent group.[ citation needed ]

In the group's second year they gave a private performance for Bill Clinton [ citation needed ] and released their first album, Out of the Blue. In March 2001 Out of the Blue embarked on its first overseas tour in Canada and the US.[ citation needed ]

Members

Out of the Blue is an official Oxford University society and its membership consists mainly of Oxford University undergraduates and postgraduates, although it does accept members from outside the university (mainly from Oxford Brookes). The group places no restriction on the subject or college: members study a range of subjects and belong to a range of Oxford colleges.

As some members graduate from their studies each year, they retire from the group and an open audition is called for replacements, so there are no permanent members.

Concerts and performances

Out of the Blue achieved two long-held initial goals by 2004. Firstly, in 2003, a performance at one of Oxford's largest venues, The Oxford Playhouse, [5] and secondly, in 2004 its first visit to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The group gave a total of eleven performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at C Venues's C-1 auditorium on Chambers Street, the first to only nine audience members.

In the following years, following their success at The Oxford Playhouse, the group upgraded to the 1800-seat New Theatre in Oxford for their end-of-year performance. [6] This concert has become an annual event for the group, usually in May/June of each year.

Selected performances

Out of the Blue has performed at many events, some notable ones are given here: [7]

Out of the Blue at Childish Things 5 Laurie 2.jpg
Out of the Blue at Childish Things 5


Television appearances

Out of the Blue has appeared on television on a number of occasions, including:

Radio appearances

Out of the Blue often appear on local radio stations in the Oxford area. Most recently:

The group has also made radio appearances overseas:

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Out of the Blue has performed a 50-minute show annually at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2004. Until 2009 the group performed in the then-largest theatre available at C Venues's main building on Chambers Street (C -1) and was given four consecutive Fringe Sell-Out Awards from 2006 to 2009. In 2010 the group relocated to the George Square Theatre (C Plaza) [14] and performed to over 8000 audience members over the course of the festival. In 2011 the group worked with Pleasance Theatre, thereby achieving their fifth sell-out run. [15] In 2012 [16] the group moved to Assembly George Square Theatre and performed there again in 2013. In 2014 the group completed another sell-out run at the Fringe, where they performed twenty-five shows at Assembly George Square Theatre. [17] As of 2022, they had done 18 Fringe show runs. [18]

The group’s performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have been recommended by the Daily Telegraph and The Scotsman [19] and received maximum five-star reviews from ThreeWeeks , [20] Fringe Review, [21] Broadway Baby, [22] The New Current, [23] one4review, [24] and Edinburgh Festival Magazine. [25]

Farther afield

Having toured the East Coast of America in 2003, the group visited the West Coast in 2004 and have continued to alternate their annual American tours between the two seaboards.[ citation needed ] During their 2005 tour of the East Coast of America, the group gave a guest performance at the finals of the ICCA South Regional Finals, held at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. The following year they competed themselves at the ICCA Finals at the Lincoln Center in New York, finishing second. [26]

Out of the Blue have since returned twice more to the ICCA Finals, once in 2008 and again in 2009. On the latter occasion the group was once more awarded second place and also the award for Outstanding Arrangement for Edmund Thomson Jones's Cold Water by Damien Rice. [26]

Competitions

International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs)

Out of the Blue was instrumental in starting the first regional round of the ICCAs to be held in Europe. The group won the inaugural Western European regional competition in 2006, with Cambridge University's Fitz Barbershop in second and Oxford University's in the Pink in third. Out of the Blue also picked up the award for Outstanding Soloist for Marc Vastenavondt's performance of Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls and the award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion for Johannes Terwitte's performance in Franz Ferdinand's Matinée .

Having won the Western European round, Out of the Blue was invited to compete in the ICCAs Finals in the Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center, New York, on 29 April 2006. The group was awarded second place behind Brigham Young University’s Vocal Point. This was the first time that a group from outside the USA had achieved a place in the top three of the ICCA Finals. [26]

Out of the Blue was awarded second place in the Western European semifinal of the ICCAs in 2007 behind The Oxford Gargoyles, and was given the award for Outstanding Choreography. [26]

In 2008, the Western European region of the ICCAs expanded to include two quarterfinals, one held at the University of Oxford and the other at the University of St Andrews. Out of the Blue won both the Oxford quarterfinals and the semifinal, held at St Paul’s School, London, progressing to ICCAs Finals at New York’s Lincoln Center for the second time in three years. Out of the Blue’s then-President, Calum Melville, also won the award for Outstanding Choreography. [26]

Out of the Blue perform Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" at VFUK 2010 Poker Face.jpg
Out of the Blue perform Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" at VFUK 2010

The Voice Festival UK (VF-UK)

Out of the Blue have competed in the University competition of The Voice Festival UK, five times, making the final on each occasion, and being crowned winners twice, in 2009 and 2014, being the only group thus far to do so.

In 2009 the UK's first nationwide A Cappella festival, The Voice Festival UK, was established. In the first year of the VF-UK competition, Out of the Blue progressed from the Oxford round to defeat a cappella groups from St Andrews and Cambridge at the final in London. [27] The group was, once again, invited to compete in the ICCA Finals in New York, coming second and winning the award for Outstanding Arrangement for Edmund Thomson Jones's Cold Water by Damien Rice. [28]

In 2010 Out of the Blue won the award for Outstanding Musicality at the Oxford round of VF-UK and progressed to the final, where they picked up the Outstanding Song Award for Lady Gaga's "Poker Face". [27]

In 2011 the group progressed to their third successive VF-UK final and picked up an award for Outstanding Musicality.[ citation needed ]

In 2012 the group made it through to the final once again and picked up a highly commended award along the way for Laurie Cottam's solo in Got to Get you into My Life/Isn’t She Lovely. In the Final they won the award for Outstanding Performance.[ citation needed ]

The group returned to the competition in 2014, which, for the first time, included a video entry first round. The group progressed to the semi-finals in London, where they picked up an award for Outstanding Musicality for their performance of "The Sound of Silence" and were one of five university groups who progressed to the Final. In the Final they won the award for Outstanding Performance and Bobby Goulder (MD) picked up the award for Outstanding Arrangement for the entire set. The group were crowned winners of the competition and became the first university group to win the award for a second time.[ citation needed ]

Britain's Got Talent

The group participated in series five of Britain's Got Talent . They performed a mash-up version of "Poker Face" and "SexyBack" for their first round audition, first broadcast on ITV on 30 April 2011. They made it through to the live semi-finals where they performed a mash-up of "Jump (For My Love)" by The Pointer Sisters and "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara. When the results of the semi-final were announced, and it was revealed that Steven Hall had beaten Out of the Blue to the last place in the top 3, the live audience booed the announcement and judges alike expressed outrage and confusion at the result. Jessie J also expressed her support for the group, and her disappointment that they didn't progress in the competition. [29] Hundreds of Twitter users also voiced their disapproval. [30]

Pitch Battle

The group took part in BBC's Pitch Battle , appearing in the second episode. They were knocked out by ScotSoul in their first battle, after judges Chaka Khan and Kelis both favoured their opponents, with only Gareth Malone voting in their favour. Fellow Oxford group The Oxford Alternotives were also eliminated after the first round, and Out of the Blue's opponent ScotSoul ultimately advanced to the final, finishing in third place.[ citation needed ]

Charity

Out of the Blue has performed in aid of various charities since its inception in 2000, such as Oxfam's Afghanaid Program (performance at Oxford Town Hall on 19 November 2001), Terrence Higgins Trust (performance at Christie's auction house on 18 February 2002).

Helen & Douglas House

In recent years, the group has visited Oxford-based charity, Helen & Douglas House, as well as donating some of its end-of-year profits. Helen & Douglas House is a hospice that provides respite care for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions, and support for their families.

From 2005 to 2014, Helen & Douglas House hosted an annual fundraiser, Childish Things, held in the New Theatre, Oxford. The ten iterations of Childish Things raised a total of nearly £600,000. Out of the Blue performed regularly at the event from 2007, alongside comedians such as Bill Bailey, Jimmy Carr, Rowan Atkinson, and Rob Brydon. [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36]

"Hips Don't Lie" (charity single)

On 22 July 2014, to raise money for Helen & Douglas House, Out of the Blue uploaded a video of the current members covering a medley of Shakira monster hits — “Hips Don't Lie” (2006), “Whenever, Wherever” (2001), and “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” (2010) — in which they mimicked Shakira′s dancing, twirling, and gyrating while clad in matching Prussian blue suits and school ties. [37] [38] Shakira spotted the video and tweeted it to her 26.2 million Twitter followers on 23 July 2014; as of 28 July, the song had been retweeted 1,200 times and made a favorite 1,800 times. [37] [39] Shakira's tweet included the message: "Hey @ootboxford, we LOVE your a capella Shak medley! ¡Nos encanta este medley que han hecho @ootboxford" [38] [39] On the same day, Shakira posted the video on her Facebook page in English and Spanish, which attracted 87,928 likes and was shared nearly 10,000 times. [37] On Facebook, the world-famous singer wrote: "The Oxford choir - Out of the Blue is awesome! And the fact that they are doing this for charity makes it all the more special...so well done!! Shak". [38] As of 30 August, the video had received more than 4 million views and downloads of the charity single had raised over £10,000 for Helen & Douglas House.

The media were quick to pick up on the story and the group found themselves featured in newspapers and magazines and on television and radio stations around the world.

"We love [Shakira’s] songs, and we thought they would appeal to everyone", Out of the Blue’s president Joshua Barr told The Guardian. "As is probably evident from the video, we are not afraid to make ourselves look silly. A group of guys shaking their hips and wiggling their bums to Shakira is not what most people expect to see, which I think is why it's so popular….

"We couldn’t believe we were tweeted by Shakira. On the Facebook post she signed it off personally so we knew she had actually watched the video, which is amazing. We’ve recorded the song for charity and all the proceeds go to the hospice Helen and Douglas House, so the most exposure it gets, the better". [37]

"Rather Be" (charity single)

On 22 August 2014, Out of the Blue released another charity single - "Rather Be" by Clean Bandit to raise money for Global Dream, a non-profit initiative that supported literacy programmes in India. [40]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilations

Appearances on compilation albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shlomo (beatboxer)</span> Musical artist

Simon Shlomo Kahn, known professionally as SK Shlomo and previously as Shlomo, is a British singer-songwriter, beatboxer, music producer and live looping technologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robin Ince</span> English comedian and writer

Robin Ince is an English comedian, actor and writer, known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, creating Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, co-creating The Cosmic Shambles Network, and his stand-up comedy career.

The Cambridge University Light Entertainment Society (CULES) is a student drama society at Cambridge University. Notable alumni include Douglas Adams, John Cleese, Prince Edward, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Andy Hamilton and Graeme Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BYU Vocal Point</span> Male collegiate a cappella group

BYU Vocal Point, or simply Vocal Point, is a seven to nine-member, male a cappella group at Brigham Young University (BYU). Founded by two students, Bob Ahlander & Dave Boyce, in 1991, Vocal Point is under the direction of former member Carson Trautman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Voices in Your Head</span> Musical artist

Voices in Your Head is a student-run a cappella group from the University of Chicago who aim to "push the bounds of contemporary a cappella." Founded in 1998, the group has consisted of both undergraduate and graduate students whose studies range from Economics to Music to MD/PhD programs. Its unique repertoire includes original pieces, as well as an eclectic mix of pop, R&B, rock, and alternative music. Voices competes regularly in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and releases studio recordings of their arrangements.

The Accidentals are an all-male collegiate a cappella group. Formed in 1974, the Accidentals are the oldest a cappella group at the University of Georgia. The Accidentals are typically anywhere from 12 to 17 members and hold auditions every fall and occasionally at the end of the spring

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Academical Village People</span> A cappella group at the University of Virginia

The Academical Village People (AVP) is an a cappella group at the University of Virginia founded in 1993 by a group of people who vowed to "never take themselves too seriously." They set themselves apart from other groups by being able to keep professional while maintaining their lax attitude, wild antics while performing, and their less traditional uniform of a garage mechanic style shirt. The name "Academical Village People" comes from Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at the university in Charlottesville, Virginia. As of 2017, AVP, as it is often called for short, has released thirteen studio albums, including a greatest hits album, DECADEmical: Best of 1993-2003, of its first ten years in existence. The group has recorded many notable performances such as opening for Dana Carvey and Girl Talk, performing for Reba McEntire at the White House, concerts at the Kennedy Center, and performances in such countries as England, Spain, and Scotland.

The Oxford Belles are an all-female a cappella group from The University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. The group performs on a regular basis in and around Oxford and London, primarily at balls and charity events, occasionally with other Oxford University a cappella groups such as The Oxford Gargoyles and Out of the Blue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compulsive Lyres</span> American a cappella group

The Compulsive Lyres is an a cappella group at the University of Michigan. The group includes both music and non-music majors and sings various arrangements of pop, rock, and R&B songs.

The Alleycats are a Scottish collegiate a cappella group, hailing from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. The group was established in 2001. Since then, they have released nine albums, performing across the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noteworthy (vocal group)</span> American all-female a cappella group

BYU Noteworthy is a seven-member, female Brigham Young University (BYU) a cappella group, based in Provo, Utah, United States. They won 1st place at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) in 2007 and appeared on the first season of NBC's a cappella competition reality show The Sing-Off in 2009. Esther Yoder formed the group in 2003, aided by members of BYU's Vocal Point. Noteworthy began operating under the direction of the Performing Arts Management (PAM) at BYU in 2014. One of their most popular music videos is a cover of Amazing Grace, which won the Contemporary A Cappella Society (CARA) award for Best Religious Video and has garnered millions of views on YouTube since its release. Noteworthy has released six albums since its formation in 2003. In 2018, Noteworthy performed "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" for a Mormon Message for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Other Guys (TOG) are an all-male a cappella ensemble from the University of St Andrews, Scotland and reigning Scottish champions after winning the Scottish A Cappella Championships (SACC) for two consecutive years in 2022 and 2023. The group was founded in 2004 and has been one of the groups responsible for the rise of collegiate a cappella in Scotland.

The Voice Festival UK (VF-UK) is a UK arts education charity dedicated to contemporary a cappella, unaccompanied singing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosaic Whispers</span> Musical artist

Mosaic Whispers is a Washington University all-gender a cappella group that performs music from a variety of genres. The group has performed on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews as well as on local radio stations such as 93.7 The Bull. The group competed in the international finals of the 2016 ICCA competition. They have progressed to the regional level of multiple ICCA competitions and the final four of a national competition to sing with Andy Grammer. They have toured nationally, opened for Ben Folds and Straight No Chaser, received a number of CARA nominations, and have been included on a number of national a cappella compilation albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhamakapella</span> Asian a cappella group

Dhamakapella is a coed South Asian fusion a cappella group based in Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in the spring of 2005 by students Mayank Prasad, Raksha Soora, and Manoj Nair, Dhamakapella's music has been influenced from both Eastern and Western elements, and mixes contemporary Western songs with popular Eastern music. Since Dhamaka's inception in 2005, the group has recorded and produced albums, EPs, and singles composed entirely of original arrangements written by current members of the group or alumni. As CWRU's largest competitive a cappella group, the group competes nationally and has won twenty-one national titles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Out of the Blue (Yale University)</span>

Out of the Blue is a co-ed a cappella group from Yale University. Out of the Blue's repertoire includes music that spans 50 years and several genres, including pop, folk, and R&B. The group has won multiple a cappella competitions, awards, and accolades, shared the stage with Ben Folds and Sister Hazel, and performed for audiences all over the world. Out of the Blue records a full-length studio album every two years. The group's sixteenth studio album, Late Nights, was released in February 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semi-Toned</span> British all-male a cappella group

Semi-Toned is a British all-male A cappella group from the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom who sing a variety of modern and classic songs. They were formed in October 2010 originally as a barbershop quintet, before establishing themselves as a twelve-man contemporary group with a wide range of repertoire dedicated to developing their musical abilities whilst sharing a passion for singing and performing. They became more well known after multiple TV and radio appearances on shows such as 'The Choir: Gareth's Best in Britain' (BBC2) and 'Sing: Ultimate A Cappella', as well as singing on BBC Radio 2 with Rylan Clarke-Neal during his 'Great Ka-Ry-oke Challenge' in support of BBC Children in Need 2019. They now regularly tour both the UK and US, as well as performing annually at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and frequently releasing albums and music videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanford Fleet Street Singers</span> Collegiate comedy a cappella group from Stanford, California, U.S.

The Stanford Fleet Street Singers is a comedy a cappella group from Stanford University. The group performs original songs and sketch comedy, and wears a uniform of black vests and red bow ties. Fleet Street is perhaps best known for having published the first collegiate a cappella album composed entirely of original music. In total, Fleet Street has released 13 studio albums and has received a dozen national awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Techtonics</span>

The Techtonics are an all-male a cappella group from Imperial College London. The group was formed in 2008, and has since risen to prominence in the world a cappella scene.

References

  1. "OUSU website: Clubs and Societies".
  2. "Out of the Blue - Workshops". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011.
  3. "Hips Don't Lie - Charity Single, by Oxford Out of the Blue". Oxford Out of the Blue.
  4. "He Doesn't Come From 'Out of the Blue'". Connectionnewspapers.com. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  5. "Out of the Blue". Dailyinfo.co.uk.
  6. Harding, James T. "BWW Interviews: A Cappella Group OUT OF THE BLUE - As Seen on BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT". BroadwayWorld.com.
  7. "Out of the Blue website: Book us". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011.
  8. "Out of the Blue: Oxford's All-Male a Cappella Sensation".
  9. "London A Cappella Festival 2015 announced | Ikon Arts-Edition Peters". ikonarts-editionpeters.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011.
  10. OOTB at the Nassau Coliseum at Facebook
  11. "OOTB on 'The One Show'". YouTube . Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  12. "OOTB on 'Good Morning Sri Lanka". YouTube . Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
  13. OOTB on 'The Slammer' on YouTube
  14. "CtheFestival.com - C venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Home". Cthefestival.com.
  15. Pleasance Archived 28 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  16. UACUK Fringe Review - OotB (2012) Archived 3 September 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  17. Festival, Assembly. "Assembly Festival · Edinburgh Festival Fringe". Assemblyfestival.com.
  18. "Pat Silver's a Cappella shows to see in the last week at Edfringe 2022". FringeReview. 22 August 2022.
  19. "Out Of The Blue". Scotsman.com. 14 August 2006.
  20. [ permanent dead link ]
  21. "Fringe Review review (2010)". Archived from the original on 5 October 2011.
  22. Broadway Baby review (2014) Out of the Blue: 5 star review by Pete Shaw Broadway Baby' review (2007)]
  23. "The New Current review (2010)". Archived from the original on 11 March 2012.
  24. "Redirect". ofgogoatan.com.
  25. Edinburgh Festival Magazine review (2009), Edinburgh Festival Magazine review (2010)
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 Account, Orbiteer. "2011 ICCA Finals". Varsity Vocals.
  27. 1 2 "University Results".
  28. "ICCA results (2009)". Archived from the original on 14 November 2012.
  29. "Britain's Got Talent 2011: Jessie J is a Fan of Oxford Students Out Of The Blue | Reality TV".
  30. "Jai McDowall and Steven Hall through to BGT final". The List. 3 June 2011.
  31. Childish Things Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Helen & Douglas House
  32. Childish Things 4 Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine at Helen & Douglas House, Childish Things 4 at Oxford Mail
  33. Childish Things 5 Archived 11 April 2013 at the Wayback Machine at Helen & Douglas House, [ dead link ] at Oxford Mail (May 2009), Childish Things 5 at Oxford Mail (June 2009)
  34. Childish Things 6 at Oxford Mail
  35. "Childish Things 6". Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.
  36. "Hospice has last laughs at 10th Childish Things show". Oxford Mail. 28 March 2014.
  37. 1 2 3 4 Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (28 July 2014). "Clips don't lie: video of Oxford students' a cappella cover draws Shakira's praise". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  38. 1 2 3 Boardman, Madeline (29 July 2014). "Out of the Blue, Oxford's All-Male A Cappella Group, Does Amazing Shakira Medley". Us Weekly. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  39. 1 2 EFE (29 July 2014). "Ingleses mueven las caderas como Shakira". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  40. "Out of the Blue release 'Rather Be': the follow-up to their massive Shakira medley | News | Clickmusic | Online Music News, Downloads, Videos & More". 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014.