Oxford’s Laima Bite, previously known as the singer in much-loved bands including The Factory and Mary’s Garden, has been performing as a solo artiste for some time now. She, along with a long-time friend Sarah Wilson-Blackwell, both entered Open Mic UK, the self-proclaimed ‘biggest music competition in the UK for singers and solo artists’.

After performing at the Southampton auditions for the competition (two minutes each, Laima with ‘He’ll Take A Picture’, Sarah with ‘Overdue’), the pair leapt ahead of several thousand other entrants to find themselves both reaching the regional finals. This means that they’re now battling to reach the national finals, and if one of them wins that they’d end up performing at London’s O2 venue (ie, the big one)!

Why, it’s like X-Factor for talented people. Fingers crossed that Laima and Sarah go far in the competition – as they should. After not hearing much from Laima for a little while, it’s great to announce her return to performing with such an impressive story.

More info: Open Mic UK; Laima Bite; Sarah Wilson-Blackwell.