Hundreds of fans get all shook up at Birmingham Elvis contest
Elvis entered the building over and over again this weekend as more than 100 impersonators descended on Birmingham for the European championships of impersonators.
Around 2,500 fans of the King shook up the city's Hilton Metropole hotel as the annual contest rock 'n' rolled into town.
More than 100 competitors travelled from as far as Switzerland, Germany, the Falkland Islands and the United States in a bid to be crowned the best Elvis.
Some are so dedicated to impersonating their hero they have even changed their names to resemble the legendary Suspicious Minds singer.
Entrants this year included Elvis Bob, Elvis Pricely, Elvis Pearsley and Ben Presley – who were all from England.
Other fanatics focused on the King's hometown with names like John Graceland and Johnny Lee Memphis – who are both from Scotland.
The 70 Elvis impersonators in the main competition had to perform two different songs in their heats, which kicked off on Friday.
The 16 highest-scoring contestants from Friday and Saturday then went through to last night's live finals.
Judges based their votes on vocals, which count for 40 per cent of the total score, as well as appearance or stage presence and overall performance, which counted for 20 per cent each.
One of the youngest Elvis impersonators at the annual event was nine-year-old Andrejus Rascinskis.
The autistic schoolboy has been obsessed with the King for several years, and his bedroom is a shrine to the Blue Suede Shoes legend.
Andrejus was one of five impersonators in the under-14 competition – where all entrants are rewarded with a medal rather than being judged in a best-to-worst order.
Mother-of-two Tory, 31, said her Elvis-mad son makes sure he learns all the words every time he takes to the stage as the King. Tory, who runs her own party decor company in Birmingham, said: "Since he was about four he's been obsessed with Elvis.
"He researches him, he digs into it deeply and learns all the words.
"This is the second year we've come to this event, and we take him to Porthcawl in Wales where there's a big Elvis festival every September.
"There were about five under-14s this year, and they all got a medal each."
