A SINGER and songwriter from Weaverham is hoping to impress judges in a regional competition on October 5.

Chris Tavener, 21, sailed through his heat of Open Mic UK and will perform again at the regional finals in Manchester.

"It'll be partly down to judges and partly audience so I'm going to try to get as big a home crowd as I can," he said.

"I will practice as much as I can, get my songs nailed down and play the best I can on the day.

"For me it's about the exposure just to get that far in front of acclaimed judges at that level."

Chris went to Weaverham High School and Sir John Deane's College before studying film and TV production at York St John University.

"I've been writing and producing my own music for quite a number of years," he said.

"I've come back after uni and am trying to develop that on a bigger scale.

"I'm a singer/songwriter and play my guitar.

"Gigs are me and an acoustic guitar and I do folk and satirical stuff.

"I'm focusing on making it unique so I can be picked out of the crowd."

For more information about Chris and his music visit facebook.com/ChrisTavenerMusic,