Britain’s Got Talent: Bournemouth rock band ready to win Simon Cowell over with original sound
SOS say the post‑show buzz has pushed them further towards their own material
After winning over the Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) audience and judges with a raucous rock spin on Backstreet Boys’ 'Everybody', Bournemouth-based band SOS say they’re more determined than ever to showcase their original music that got them there in the first place.
The band – brothers Marcus “Sparxx” Jenkins (guitar) and Ash Jenkins (bass), Josh Rose (drums) and Josh “JV” Vaughan (vocals) – earned four yes votes after their audition on the ITV talent show on 28th February, impressing both the judging panel and the studio audience.
Among the judges, one reaction left a lasting impression. JV said the standout moment came from new judge KSI: “For me, it was when KSI stood up mid performance and started really going for it.”
“We knew we’d won the crowd over – even Simon was smirking”
However, while the reaction was overwhelmingly positive, Simon Cowell suggested the band should consider sticking to cover songs – feedback they say has only encouraged them to focus even more on their own sound.
“We are an original band and we got into the show off the back of our original music,” Sparxx said.
It might seem unusual for a rock band to pick a 90s boyband anthem, but SOS say the choice was strategic – a way to showcase their style to new viewers. Sparxx explained: “Rocking up pop covers is something we've always liked to slide into our sets – sort of a crowd‑pleaser to win people over,”
“We figured that if we were going to be introduced to a whole new audience, we should pick a pop song everyone knows and make it our own.” He added.
SOS said they haven’t had a response from the Backstreet Boys so far, but they’re not giving up. “We’re starting our campaign to Bring Back Street Back,” JV joked. “With the public’s help, we’ll get them to notice it.”
The band say the response since their audition has only reinforced their focus on original material. Their clip posted on the BGT Facebook page has reached millions of views and drawn thousands of comments - including TV presenters Dick and Dom, boosting their confidence.
“The reaction from everyone has been overwhelmingly positive. It really fired us up,” said Josh. Ash added: “We thought it might be a mixed bag, but the feedback has been incredibly good.”
Well‑known on the local live music circuit – from Dorset festivals like Teddy Rocks to national shows and European gigs – the band say the Britain’s Got Talent stage was unlike anything they’ve faced.. “All day we were pent up, we were definitely nervous,'' Said Ash.
Although he said the nerves faded the moment they got on stage: ''As soon as we started playing – doing what we’ve done for years – you relax into it and rely on muscle memory to carry you through.”
For SOS, appearing on BGT has also given them a chance to spotlight the Bournemouth live music scene, which they say helped “mould” them. The band credit grassroots stages with shaping who they are today. Josh said: “It’s essential… If original music isn’t supported, it’s going to die. People just need to give up an evening, take a punt. There’s so much talent out there.”
“We really want to raise awareness for local bands and venues – without them, we wouldn’t be able to be here and do this.”
Since their BGT appearance, the band say they’re more motivated than ever to turn music into their full‑time path. “The main goal for all of us is to make this music thing our careers,” JV said. “We want to be doing what we did on that BGT stage all the time – taking our music around the country, around the world, touring with different bands.”
If they reach the next stage, the band hope to prove Simon Cowell wrong by performing an original track and moving away from the covers direction he suggested. Sparxx said: “We’ve just got to choose a song that we think’s big enough and strong enough to show Simon that he’s wrong.
“We just need to back ourselves as we know that our music’s really strong.”
“What he doesn’t understand is that the energy and passion we put into that performance, we put into every song we do,” JV added.
“If we get further in the competition and get to perform an original, by the time he hears it, he’ll almost think it’s a cover because it’ll be so catchy and energetic. He’ll have to eat his words.”