Sometimes, talent shows can catch us by surprise and blow us away, allowing us to access emotions we didn’t know we even had deep down. That’s what the North Wales male chorus John’s Boys did, and then some, during their audition on this year’s Britain’s Got Talent. The audience truly had no idea what they were in for when this collective of gentlemen walked onto the stage, and neither did the judges.
The male chorus, from Rhosllanerchrugog (near Wrexham, to those who are quite likely to struggle with the village’s pronunciation!) is formed of men between the ages of 14 and 73. This 40-strong male chorus shocked the judges with their bellowing melodies and touching leads, but you can see the performance with all its beauty and glory in the video below:
A video like this would be enough to make anyone from Wales incredibly proud of their country and people. This combination of voices, tones, and frequencies combine to create a touching, absorbing, and overall simply glorious atmosphere that is drenched in emotion.
The 2023 audition for Britain’s Got Talent wasn’t the first time that the John’s Boys Male Chorus was in the spotlight. In 2016, they were noted as finalists for BBC Choir Of The Year, and placed in 3rd place for both the open category, and also for Best Male Voice. From this performance, the collective has grown from strength to strength, and with their Britain’s Got Talent performance, they reached a larger audience than ever before.
Before their Britain’s Got Talent performance, one member of the male chorus introduces the group and where they are from. He also mentions that the group gets together every Sunday afternoon to prepare their songs and rehearse, but they do it in a cow shed. That doesn’t stop the speaker from cracking a joke, as he mentions how nice it is to be in a room full of two-legged people as opposed to their usual bovine audience.
As the outfit performs, the audience and judges immediately realize that this is going to be a special performance. Their powerful rendition of Callum Scott’s ‘Biblical’ is enough to reduce the audience to tears, with some of the judges – mainly the British-Italian TV personality and choreographer Bruno Tonioli – joining them with a tear or two.
When it came to the judge’s decision, it was unanimous; the outfit would go from their audition to the semi-final of Britain’s Got Talent before falling short of the final with their cover of Harry Styles’ ‘Falling’. However, the public was not impressed by the judge’s decisions, and thought that the Welsh outfit should have at least performed in the final; others believed they could win the competition.
Despite coming short in the competition, the John’s Boys male chorus has managed to keep a successful career. Their publicity on Britain’s Got Talent has helped them secure regular performances, including a performance at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton on January 27th, 2024.
If you would like to see more from John’s Boys Choir, you can follow them on Facebook.