EX-Adelaide boy Wes Carr remains the favourite to win Australian Idol after the top 12 were finalised last night. But can he win Idol?

Carr has created a troubadour identity for himself since he was expelled from school in Adelaide and wound up alone in Sydney at 15.

He became a folk singer doing acoustic sets in Sydney pubs before silverchair drummer Ben Gillies decided to do a side project.

Gillies was introduced to Carr through record company reps and the pair hit it off.

They formed indie rock band Tambalane in 2003, at a time when Daniel Johns called a go-slow on silverchair to indulge his own side project with Paul Mac.