TALENTED teenager Liam Iliffe is a step closer to his musical dream after securing a place in the regional finals of Live and Unsigned.

The 15-year-old Arnewood School pupil, who lives in Southbourne, hopes his unusual style of guitar playing will take him to the national finals of the competition, designed to find the best original musicians in the country.

He specialises in Lap Tapping, which involves placing the guitar flat on his lap and tapping the guitar body and strings alongside the melody.

“This allows me to inject more raw emotion and drama into my songs” said Liam, who writes his own material and has been playing the guitar for more than eight years.

Liam will travel to the Portsmouth Guildhall on Friday May 26 in a bid to gain a place in the grand final at London’s O2 Arena.

More than 10,000 people entered Live and Unsigned, all trying to win the £10,000 cash first prize and the chance to perform at festivals across the UK throughout the summer.

Liam has also been selected to play at the Southampton Music in the City Festival in October.

And he has just launched his debut album, Slap Tapping, which is available from Amazon and iTunes.