BELLADRUM Festival, held near Inverness next month, is launching a competition to give an unsigned band a unique opportunity for a slot on its high profile bill.
The winning band will secure 30 minutes of stage time, opening the Seedling Stage at the 13th Belladrum Tartan Heart festival held on the Belladrum Estate from 4-6 August. Wannabe performers will be asked to upload their top 10 tracks to Sound Cloud, with the winner selected by a panel, including representatives from Belladrum and the Sunday Herald in the coming weeks.
This year's headliners include the Darkness whose past hits include I Believe in a Thing Called Love, Irish indie rocker Two Door Cinema Club, eighties legends Madness and psychedelic rock band Super Furry Animals.
Other acts over the weekend include Wilko Johnson, Alabama 3, Circa Waves, Arrested Development and Lucy Spraggan, while the Hielan’ Coo Club allows festival goers to access a Turkish steam room, pampering stalls and get a free shoulder massage.
The independent festival, which started in 2004, has built a reputation for its eclectic line-ups, its offbeat non-musical entertainment and family-friendly style. In 2009 it won a VisitScotland Thistle Award.
Joe Gibbs, festival director, said Belladrum had a long standing commitment to supporting emerging talent, running an unsigned stage every year in collaboration with XpoNorth, and competition to secure a newcomers’ slot is fierce.
Many unsigned bands have gone on to secure mainstream success, Gibbs added. Twin Atlantic, festival headliners in 2013, first performed as an unsigned band five years previously.
“Audiences come to festivals from all over the country and beyond,” said Gibbs. “This is both a great way of exposing them to new music and a wonderful opportunity for an unsigned band.”
For Your Chance to Play Belladrum please email links and bio to: julie@tartanheartfestival.co.uk
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