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The Other Guys (University of St Andrews)

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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 three consecutive years from 2022-24. The group was founded in 2004 and has been one of the groups responsible for the rise of collegiate a cappella in Scotland.

The Other Guys
OriginSt Andrews, Scotland
GenresA cappella
Years active2004–present
MembersLeon Tasch
Seb Roberts
Jobim Ffrench
Guy Minch
Miles Silverstein
Ben Hayes
Joseph Hall
Charlie Tavolato
Seb Filho
Arthur Fink

The group uploads their musical parody videos, to YouTube, including "Royal Romance", a tribute to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton based upon Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance", and their follow-up video "St Andrews Girls", a cover of Katy Perry's "California Gurls", which was released in conjunction with a charity single raising money for Breast Cancer Care.[1] Other music videos include charity single "It's Raining Men (2014)" and "Holding Out for a Hero (2024)". The group competes nationally and has travelled internationally on several tours.

History

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2004-08: Formation and early years

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The group was founded in 2004 by a group of friends who wanted to bring the American tradition of collegiate a cappella to the university. In the spring of 2005, the newly founded group went on its first international tour to the United States singing in New York City for the University Glee Club of New York City and in Westport, Connecticut at the Java Jam - a concert of American Collegiate A Cappella Groups at Greens Farms Academy.[citation needed] After three years spent increasing their reputation in both St. Andrews and Scotland, they released their debut album, Indecent Exposure in May 2007, which included covers of tracks by Seal, Backstreet Boys and Chris DeBurgh.

In the winter of 2007, St Andrews hosted the quarter-finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs) for the first time. The Other Guys went on to win this regional round and progressed to the Western European Final in London.[citation needed]

On 12 May 2008, the group released their second studio album The Damage is Done, which included a mash-up of two Scouting For Girls tracks, "Elvis Ain't Dead" and "She's So Lovely", and a rewritten version of "Gangsta's Paradise" which was renamed "Golfer's Paradise", referring to the status of St. Andrews as the 'Home of Golf'. A rewritten version of the latter is also present on their fourth album, Barely Regal.

The Other Guys won the ICCA quarter-final again in 2008, where David Borowsky was awarded 'Outstanding Vocal Percussionist' at both the St Andrews quarter-final and the resulting Western European Final.[2]

2009–10

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Following the formation of The Voice Festival UK (VF-UK) in 2009, The Other Guys proceeded to compete in one of the three semi-finals on 7 March 2009 in St. Andrews. Tenor David Borowsky won the award for 'Outstanding Solo' for the performance of "Desperado", and the group went through to the London final, where Borowsky went on to win the 'Outstanding Solo' award once again.[3]

On 1 May 2009, the group released their third studio album, entitled Well Sung. This incorporated for the first time a guest vocalist and several well-known hymns, including "Amazing Grace" and "Auld Lang Syne". The album was launched in a special performance at Younger Hall in St Andrews, and was well received throughout the university and by Rector Kevin Dunion.[4]

On 6 March 2010, the group entered the Voice Festival UK for the second time, where bass Iain Glen won the 'Outstanding Arrangement' for his arrangement of Sara Bareilles' "Gravity".[3]

2011

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The Other Guys at the Voice Festival UK 2011 in Younger Hall, St Andrews

The following year, on 4 March 2011, the group entered the VFUK competition for the third time. There were now five semi-finals and as such, the number of groups qualifying from each semi-final was reduced from two to one. The Other Guys won awards for 'Outstanding Musicality', 'Outstanding Arrangement' for their performance of "Royal Romance", and tenor Henry Synge was 'Highly Commended' for his solo on "Kiss From A Rose.[3]

Filming and recording on their video "Royal Romance" began in March 2011. It was cut and edited at the beginning of April and was released onto YouTube on 11 April 2011, to celebrate the Royal Wedding and to 'put a smile on people's faces'.[5] Within a week, the video had earned recognition in the United Kingdom,[6] the United States,[7][8] Australia,[9] and India.[10] The group made their first TV appearance in a report on Five News on 14 April 2011 and later on STV News. The video was also featured on The Today Show in America as part of their 'Webtastic' section.[11]

After the success of the video in St Andrews in particular, the group were invited by Louise Richardson, the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the university, to perform at the Principal's Awards Dinner at Lower College Hall on Wednesday 20 April. Their first public performance post-video was in the Byre Theatre bar, where they performed a set of eleven songs, including "Royal Romance", some of which involved several former members of the group.

 
Promotional Teaser for the "Royal Romance" video

The group performed three times in St Salvator's Quadrangle in St Andrews on Friday 29 April 2011 as part of the celebrations of the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.[12] Each time they performed "Royal Romance" along with other songs from their repertoire, including "Canned Heat" and "Kiss From A Rose", the other two songs from their set at the VF-UK Semi Final. They also appeared on ITV's morning show Daybreak.

After the success of "Royal Romance", the group embarked upon several charitable endeavours, both just as a group and as part of various charity fundraisers. The group have twice appeared at fundraisers for the Muir Maxwell Trust, firstly on 3 July at Fettes College, Edinburgh as part of their Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and the second time on 10 December at the Savoy Hotel.[13][14]

Recording for their fourth album, Barely Regal began on 27 June 2011 and was completed on 7 July. The album was released on 5 September, alongside an EP of their 2009 album, Well Sung, which featured six of the tracks from the original album. The group worked with American professional a cappella group Overboard, who did the mixing and editing, and music producers Diovoce, who mastered the album.[15] The group also announced that a 'significant proportion of any profits made' were to be donated to the scholarship at the University of St Andrews that was set up in dedication to William and Kate.[16][17]

Following a performance at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Gala Dinner on 1 October 2011,[18] they were invited by professional golfer Colin Montgomerie to sing at a fundraiser for his own charity, Maggie's Cancer Care.[19]

2012

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Promotional Teaser for the "St Andrews Girls" charity single and video

On 3 March 2012, the group competed for the fourth time in The Voice Festival UK, entering the St Andrews Regional Round. The group won the round, as well as the award for 'Outstanding Performance', and progressed to the final in London,[20] where they won the award for 'Outstanding Arrangement' for their song 'Skinny Love'. Shortly afterwards, the group performed for the English National Ballet at their annual Gala Fundraiser held in The Dorchester. Pictures of the performance were published in Tatler.[21]

In April 2012 the group revealed plans for their latest project, a charity video and single in aid of Breast Cancer Care entitled "St Andrews Girls".[22][23] As part of the filming process, the group invited girls from St Andrews to be a part of the video during a special day of recording in St Salvator's Quad, St Andrews, on 22 April 2012. The single was released onto YouTube on 15 May 2012.[24]

The group went on tour between 10 and 15 July, performing in several venues in Nottingham, Oxford and London, including The Half Moon in Putney.[25]

The group's Christmas EP, entitled The Other Guys' Christmas was released on 26 November 2012, and contained 8 tracks, including an original, entitled "Christmas Gets Worse Every Year", written and arranged by friend of the group, Oscar Foxley.[26][27] As of 12 January 2013, the song had peaked at number 2 on the Amazon.com Bestsellers Chart, had amassed over 130,000 views on YouTube,[28] and had attracted media attention on Classic FM,[29] and BBC Reporting Scotland. In the first week the song was eligible for the Official Charts, it reached number 9 on the independent chart[30] and number 32 on the Scottish charts.[31]

2013

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In early 2013 the group revealed plans to release an EP especially for Valentine's Day.[32] The album, entitled Just For You, was released on 5 February.[33] A week later, the group released another video onto YouTube, "I Only Bought You Flowers Because I Love You So".[34]

On 23 February, the group once again took part in the St Andrews Regional of the Voice Festival UK, winning the award for 'Outstanding Musicality'.[3] On 16 August, the group took their first ever show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, performing their "One Night Stand" at Greyfriars Kirk.[35] In November, the University of St Andrews commissioned Oscar Foxley to write a song in commemoration of the university's 600th anniversary celebrations. The song, entitled "St Andrean Skies", débuted at an honorary graduation dinner attended by Hillary Clinton and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond.

2014

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The Other Guys performing Ignition (Remix) at the Scottish A Cappella Championships in April 2014.

In January 2014, the group embarked on a tour of the East Coast of the United States to celebrate their 10th anniversary. They travelled to New York City on 9 January and performed in the Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on 11 January with the University Glee Club of New York City. They then moved onto Boston where they performed at several high schools and colleges.[36]

On 18 April 2014, the group took part in the inaugural Scottish A Cappella Championships (SACC), held in place of the St Andrews Regional of the Voice Festival UK. The group placed first with 405 points ahead of The Alleycats and The Accidentals and became the first outright champions of Scottish collegiate a cappella. Richard Phillips also won the award for 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion' for the group's rendition of Coldplay's "Fix You".[37]

In August 2014, The Other Guys performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the second time. They embarked on a week-long run, with fourteen performances in six days, which sold out.[citation needed]

On the back of this success, The Other Guys released their seventh studio album, 10, named in honour of their tenth anniversary that year. This release was followed up by a celebratory reunion, in which all manner of Other Guys returned to St Andrews for a weekend of a cappella, culminating in a gig at The Byre Theatre, St Andrews. [citation needed]

On 7 November 2014, The Other Guys released a cover of Run to You, originally by Pentatonix, which was accompanied by a music video.[38] Proceeds from the single were donated to Help For Heroes. The single reached number three in the iTunes classical music charts on day of release.

2015

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The Other Guys 2015/16

In January 2015, The Other Guys embarked on a ten-day tour of the South of England and Greater London, performing at a number of secondary schools in the region. The group also put on a concert at the Royal Ocean Racing Club on the Isle of Wight. [citation needed]

In May 2015, the group released its most recent charity single and music video: It's Raining Men, in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.[39] This single was first performed by the group at the Scottish A Cappella Championships 2015 on 5 March 2015 where they were awarded second place.

2016

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In January 2016 the Guys toured LA, Dallas, Chicago, Boston, New York, DC and Toronto, as well as opening for acclaimed country vocal band, Home Free, at the Byre Theatre on their UK tour. [citation needed]

The Other Guys claimed second place at the 2016 edition of SACC with a performance inspired by Sia, OutKast and The Lord of the Rings soundtrack.

In August 2016 The Other Guys returned to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for a week of performances with their show "Well Sung", named after the group's 2009 album. The show earned a 4-star-review.

2017

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In August 2017, as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Guys sold out all their shows.

In October 2017, the Guys hosted their first Ball, 'The Other Ball,' celebrated fourteen years of The Other Guys. This sold-out event was held in the Lower and Upper College Halls of St Salvator's Quadrangle at St Andrew's University. The event was described by the student website as 'flawlessly executed.'[40]

2018

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In January 2018, the Guys toured North America for three weeks. Starting in New York city, they performed across the East Coast (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; New Haven, Connecticut; Washington D.C.; Richmond, Virginia and Chapel Hill, North Carolina) and in Toronto, Canada.[citation needed] As part of this tour they sang with groups at Yale University, Georgetown University and the University of Richmond as well as at various schools and performance venues.

In February they took part in the International Competition of Collegiate a Cappella and placed for the semi-finals in London. This took place in March 2018. On 4 July, the group released their new single, 24K Meghan (a parody of Bruno Mars' '24K Magic'), in honour of Meghan Markle and the 'special relationship' between the UK and US.

Following a successful tour, the group recorded and filmed their Christmas single of Fairytale of New York, featuring Amelia Poole, alluding to the nostalgic emotions that inevitably manifest themselves around the Christmas season.

2019

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In December 2019, the group performed at Huawei's Charity Christmas Concert in support of the NSPCC. The group performed at the Royal Festival Hall, London alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Russell Watson. In January 2020, the group embarked on their UK tour visiting cities across the country.[citation needed]

2020

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In March 2020, the group took part in the Scottish A Capella Championships in Edinburgh, placing 2nd and winning the prize for best choreography.

2022

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TOG competed in Aberdeen for the Scottish A Capella Championships (SACC). The group won SACC, achieving the title 'Scotland's Premiere A-Capella Group'.[citation needed] They also garnered prizes for best choreography, and best vocal percussion.

In August, they returned to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in a much larger venue.[41]

2023

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The Other Guys defended their title at the Scottish A Capella Championships held in St Andrews, with only seven members. They also returned to the studio to record their 2023 competition set as an EP, "Seven is Heaven", released in October 2023.[citation needed]

The end of the year saw the group join composer and pianist, Alexis Ffrench, as a support act for the UK leg of his European tour, performing in Queen’s Hall (Edinburgh), and Theatre Royal Drury Lane (London).[citation needed]

2024

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In 2024, The Other Guys returned to the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. They placed 2nd in the UK when they competed at the semifinal at the New Wimbledon Theatre on Saturday 30 March.[citation needed] The group also won at the 2024 Scottish A Cappella Championships, hosted by University of Aberdeen A Cappella Society.

2024 was also the twentieth anniversary of The Other Guys, and was marked by the release of the group's eighth studio album, XX, and charity single, 'Holding Out for a Hero'. The release weekend saw the return of a third of the group's alumni to a large-scale concert in Holy Trinity Church, followed by the group's annual ball, held at Lower College Hall.[citation needed]

The Other Guys featured on episode two of VRT’s ‘Niks Te Zien’ which aired on Belgian Television on May 16th 2024.

Members and Alumni

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Current Members

  • Leon Tasch - Baritone & VP (Business Manager & President)
  • Seb C Roberts - Tenor & VP (Musical Director)
  • Joseph Hall - Tenor (Social Secretary & PR Rep)
  • Guy Minch - Bass (Assistant Musical Director)
  • Jobim Ffrench - Tenor
  • Miles Silverstein - Tenor
  • Ben Hayes - Countertenor
  • Charlie Tavolato - Bass & VP
  • Seb Filho - Tenor
  • Arthur Fink - Baritone

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Indecent Exposure (2006)
  • The Damage Is Done (2007)
  • Well Sung (2009)
  • Barely Regal (2011)
  • The Other Guys' Christmas (2012)
  • Just For You EP (2013)
  • 10 (2014)
  • Right to Roam (2016)
  • Making Waves EP (2018)
  • Seven Is Heaven EP (2023)
  • XX (2024)

Singles

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  • Auld Lang Syne (Free Download) (2011)
  • St Andrews Girls (Charity Single) (2012)[39]
  • Christmas Gets Worse Every Year (2012)
  • I Only Bought You Flowers Because I Love You So (2013)
  • Run To You: The Other Guys' Commemoration Single (2014)
  • It's Raining Men (Charity Single) (2015)[39]
  • 24K Meghan (2018)
  • Fairytale in New York (2018)
  • Holding Out for a Hero (Charity Single) (2024)

References

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  1. ^ The Other Guys' Official YouTube Channel
  2. ^ ICCA Results 2008 Archived 26 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 1 May 2014
  3. ^ a b c d Voice Festival UK Results Retrieved 3 July 2011
  4. ^ "The Other Guys Album Launch". Kevin Dunion. 1 May 2009. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  5. ^ "The Other Guys 'delighted' at online response to Royal Romance". The Courier. 16 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  6. ^ "Royal Romance: St Andrews students' tribute to Kate and William". STV News. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  7. ^ "The Other Guys Royal Romance on Youtube - Gaga for Kate and William". TNT Magazine. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  8. ^ "St. Andrews choir parodies royal courtship with Lady Gaga cover". NBC17.com. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  9. ^ "Singing group has royal Bad Romance". Sky News Australia. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  10. ^ "Royal Romance: The Other Guys Sing of Their Unrequited Love for Kate Middleton". The Times of India. 16 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  11. ^ "Viral Vid goes 'Gaga' for Royal Romance". NBC News. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  12. ^ "Royal wedding: St Andrews celebrates matchmaking role". The Daily Telegraph. 29 April 2011. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  13. ^ "Mad Hatter's Tea Party". Muir Maxwell Trust. Retrieved 7 July 2011.
  14. ^ "TOG Spread Christmas Cheer Across the Country". The UK University A Cappella Blog. 31 December 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
  15. ^ "Barely Regal Release Date Revealed". The UK University A Cappella Blog. 23 August 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
  16. ^ "Charity". The Other Guys. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  17. ^ "Other Guy Mark has high hopes for album". Ilkley Gazette. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  18. ^ "Other Guys Perform For Host of Celebs". The Other Guys' Official Website. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  19. ^ "TOG Sing for Monty". The Other Guys Official Website. 26 December 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
  20. ^ "The Other Guys Complete London Line-Up". The UK University A Cappella Blog. 3 March 2012. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  21. ^ "English National Ballet Fundraiser Tatler Magazine". Tatler Magazine. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  22. ^ "The Other Guys Are Looking For Girls". The Other Guys' Official Website. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  23. ^ "The Other Guys Reveal New Charity Video and Single". The UK University A Cappella Blog. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2012.
  24. ^ St Andrews Girls: The Other Guys' Charity Single on YouTube
  25. ^ "The Other Guys' Summer Olympiad!". The Other Guys' Official Website. 29 June 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  26. ^ "The Other Guys' Christmas Released". The Other Guys' Official Website. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  27. ^ "The Other Guys Release Christmas Album". The UK University A Cappella Blog. 26 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  28. ^ Christmas Gets Worse Every Year: The Other Guys' Christmas Single on YouTube
  29. ^ "A cappella choir The Other Guys aim for Christmas No. 1". Classic FM. 6 December 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  30. ^ Independent Singles Top 40 on www.officialcharts.com
  31. ^ Scottish Singles Top 40 on www.officialcharts.com
  32. ^ "New Record Announced For Valentine's Release". The Other Guys' Official Website. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  33. ^ "Valentine's EP Release". The Other Guys' Official Website. 5 February 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  34. ^ I Only Bought You Flowers Because I Love You So on YouTube
  35. ^ "The Other Guys: One Night Stand at the Edinburgh Fringe". The Other Guys' Official Website. 11 August 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  36. ^ "New York and Boston Tour". The Other Guys' Official Website. 1 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  37. ^ "Results". The Scottish A Cappella Championships. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  38. ^ "Run to You: The Other Guys' Commemoration Charity Single". YouTube.
  39. ^ a b c Lindsay Alexander (5 May 2015). "Forecast says it's raining men in St Andrews". Fife Today. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  40. ^ "Not Just Any Other Ball", The Stand Online, 20 October 2017.
  41. ^ "The Other Guys". tickets.edfringe.com. 19–26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
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