Grangemouth music man Mark '˜lets it shine'

He’s in with a shout of going all the way to the top in Let it Shine, a prime-time TV talent show where contestants have to prove they are individually brilliant as well as great team players.

Anyone who tuned in to the gladiatorial-style play-off between the rival bands on last night’s Let it Shine will agree it was a nerve-wracking experience for the man best known locally for his close association with Grangemouth music specialist VoiceJam.

Mark, originally from East Kilbride, but currently based in London, is reckoned one of the most proficient and best-liked teachers at VoiceJam, whose owner Chris Judge says he’s a credit to his profession.

One mum, who asked not to be named, told the Falkirk Herald that lots of the children he teaches at the Grangemouth music academy are thrilled their guide and mentor is now strutting his stuff in front of judges including Danni Minogue (who called him “gorgeous”) and Gary Barlow.

Along with other parents she thinks Mark’s example will be inspirational to the children back home, and is hoping he may bring back a real live TV triumph for them to celebrate.

The band he’s singing with, Drive, saw off the competition last night, but in a show some reckon can be even more brutally decisive than X-Factor the battle for the semi-finals is going to be a nerve-wracking experience.

VoiceJam owner Chris Judge thinks, however, that Mark is up to the challenge.

“He is so natural and accomplished - and, I think, well-suited to this kind of shoe”, he said.

“It’s more interactive than the sort of straight performance routine of other shows, and that’s where I think the talents he shows when he’s teaching in Grangemouth will come into their own”.

Chris is in regular touch with Mark during his nail-biting progress to the nxt round, and says it will make a big difference for him to know he has Falkirk Herald readers supporting him - and not just for the voting.

“He knows all the kids he works with in Grangemouth are cheering him on, and really want him to do well, and nothing would give him more pleasure than to make it to the top for them,” he said.

At the same time he’s aware of the stress that is involved, as individual performers are judged as much as band acts.

Mark, full name Mark Angelico Thomson, is already in training for next weekend’s contest.