Britain’s Got Egg-Throwing Talent

Violist Natalie Holt has been all over the UK papers for pelting Simon Cowell with eggs during the live final of “Britain’s Got Talent” June 8.

She even penned her own piece for The Guardian, explaining she did it because she cares deeply about the power Cowell and TV reality shows have over the music industry.

Holt, a Bafta-nominated composer who studied at the Royal Academy of Music and has toured with such acts as The Last Shadow Puppets, The Libertines, Ellie Goulding and Alt-J  said: “TV talent shows are not the way to discover the next Beatles, or to nurture talented musicians and entertainers.”

“PR people and agents have made it known, however, that my actions might have more serious consequences for me so I would like to thank Cowell for not pressing charges,” she wrote. “As an act of goodwill, I would also be happy to offer to pay his dry cleaning bill or buy him a new shirt, maybe with a few more buttons at the top.”

Holt’s egging of Cowell came a week after Arts Council England chief Alan Davey claimed that record labels were failing new artists by not investing enough money in developing them to their full potential.

Arts Council England and PRS for Music Foundation have set up the Momentum Music Fund, aimed at emerging talent in contemporary popular music. It’s being funded by £500,000 from the public purse.

The BGT final didn’t turn out to be much of a showcase for UK talent. The winner was Attraction, a shadow dancing group from Hungary.