A SINGING primary school teacher from Gornal Wood is set to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival.

Alex Ohm has already played sold out gigs and opened shows for the likes of Ian Brown, The Charlatans and Pete Doherty but after beating off stiff competition from 2,000 other emerging bands and artists to win the Pirate Prodigy programme, he has won a slot on stage at the popular festival.

His prize also includes unlimited rehearsal and recording time, one-to-one mentoring and masterclasses to help him build a successful career in music industry.

The 30-year-old supply teacher said: "It’s an amazing feeling to have won; quite surreal really. The amount of support that came in was unbelievable - there was a real community spirit vibe about it.

"I’d just like to say a massive thanks to everybody that voted and for all the well wishes. It’s what makes it all worth doing.

"I’m looking forward to seeing where this leads now. Already we are playing showcase shows in Liverpool and London as well as shows at the Isle of Wight Festival and Y Not Festival because of this so it’s pretty exciting to see what else is to come.

"There’s a lot of planning and talking going on but I’m hoping to get more releases out as well as touring the UK and abroad."

For more information about Alex's music, visit www.alexohm.com.