Five-week local music showdown coming to Crawley, Horley, Reigate, Betchworth and Redhill

ORIGINALS Showdown ’26 brings five consecutive Thursday evenings of original music to Horley, Crawley, Reigate, Betchworth and Redhill, starting on 19 November. Join us at the venues, cheer on the performers and help decide who reaches the Grand Final.

Get your FREE heat tickets, artist line-ups and full details at susyradio.com/originals. Can’t make it in person? Listen live on SUSY 103.4, watch the YouTube livestream and vote from your sofa to help your favourite through.

Created by the Sussex & Surrey Soapbox podcast in partnership with SUSY 103.4, ORIGINALS brings bands, duos and solo artists performing their own material to the stage for a live playoff.

The growing Open Mic scene across Sussex and Surrey is helping musicians find their voice, develop their songs and build an audience. ORIGINALS complements those flourishing nights, offering another stage for performers developing their craft, with radio broadcasts and livestreaming taking their music beyond the room.

Its ethos goes beyond finding a winner. The aim is to create a friendly, fun and supportive environment where musicians can make connections, gain exposure and introduce their music to new listeners.

Four Thursday heats run from 7–10pm: The Tavern, Horley, on 19 November; The Grasshopper, Crawley, on 26 November; The Market Stores, Reigate, on 3 December; and The Red Lion & Cellar Room, Betchworth, on 10 December.

The Grand Final follows on 17 December at the new Redstart Community CIO venue UNIT 45 in The Belfry, Redhill, bringing together four heat winners and a public-vote WILDCARD.

An impressive judging panel brings decades of experience across performance, songwriting, recording, broadcasting and artist development.

The judges are Richard Coppen, music producer and recording professional at Panther Studios; Maxine Talulah, singer-songwriter, pianist and lead singer of The SIXX; Rish Rai, artist development professional behind C-Raw Studios; Keiran Wynyard, musician and founder of Mogstock Festival; Jacq Inwood, musician and SUSY presenter; Steve Trigg, co-founder and chair of Redstart Community CIO; and Charlie Smith, music journalist, content creator and multi-instrumentalist.

There is also a connection stretching back more than three decades. Richard Coppen was involved with Radio Mercury’s Battle-of-the-Bands in the 1990s at the Hawth Theatre, when ORIGINALS organiser and host Clive Hilton was volunteering at the station during university holidays.

Their paths crossing again shows what a small world the local music scene can be, with longstanding connections and fresh talent coming together to support its future.

Helping every artist sound their best is Tom Hughes of Dragonfly Recording Studios in Reigate, providing a superb professional PA and expert live sound engineering. Tom brings more than 25 years’ professional audio experience and Funktion-One equipment to the production.

Clive is joined by co-host and fellow SUSY broadcaster Chrissy Muir, supported by TechOps Jamie Grimmett and Oli Hilton.

Judges’ scores contribute 65% of the result, with the public vote making up 35%. Supporters at the venue and watching online can have their say.

The accompanying flyer features the artists and venues. Book your FREE heat tickets, explore the line-ups and find everything you need to watch and vote at susyradio.com/originals.

See you at the venue — or join us from home.

Either way, support local original music and help your favourite through.