The dream may not have ended with a place in the final, but for rising progressive rock band SOS, their appearance in the live semi-finals of ITV’s Britain's Got Talent has signified a huge success.

The group performed their original song ‘Monsters’ live to millions of viewers on Saturday, May 23, becoming one of the very few acts in the show’s history to perform original material during the live televised stages.

Lead singer JV, a former student of Kingsbridge Community College, said the band were “buzzing” following the performance, despite missing out on a place in the final.

“Although we would have loved to have been in the final, we are very pleased with what we did in the competition and enjoyed every minute of the process,” the band said.

“Our aim was to highlight grassroots groups and venues. We also wanted to use BGT as a platform to perform our own original music.”

The band admitted they were determined to stay true to themselves throughout the competition.

“We couldn’t live with ourselves without giving that a go,” said JV.

Their decision impressed judge Simon Cowell, who had initially suggested they might be better suited to being a cover band.

“You did make the right decision,” Cowell said. “The song was pretty good, and you play well, you have good chemistry together, and - I've got to hand it to you - it does take guts to be a rock band and come on a show like this, so you can go away with your heads held high.”

Viewers have commended the original song, calling the music “fresh” and “exciting”.

SOS will release Monsters as a single in early July, with more original music planned later this year. Regular updates are posted on their social media pages, or their music can be streamed on Spotify and YouTube.

The band are now preparing for a busy summer festival season, including headlining this year’s Kingsbridge Fair Week from July 18 to 25.