Do you think you're the next Primal Scream? Franz Ferdinand? Young Fathers? Chvrches? Rather like the Devil, do you have all the best tunes? Are you so good, that it's not just your Mum who's your number-one fan? Are you designed, refined but as yet unsigned? If you are a brilliantly original young Scottish band shouting "Yes, yes, yes, yes!" at this paper, then pay attention, kids, for opportunity knocks.
This August, at the Tartan Heart Belladrum Festival in Beauly, you can win the chance to show the world what you're made of as you open this year's festival with a life-changing set. Today we begin the search for the lucky act that will appear on the special Seedlings emerging talent stage. All you have to do is prove with that you're the band for the job.
The competition invites bands and singers of all stripes to upload their best tracks to Sound Cloud, with the winner selected by a panel of representatives from Belladrum and media partners the Sunday Herald over the coming weeks. The chosen band will secure a highly prized 30-minute set, opening for the 14th annual festival held on the beautiful Belladrum Estate in Inverness-shire from 3-5 August.
Previous bands featured on the unsigned stage include Glasgow alternative rockers Twin Atlantic, who have since released four critically acclaimed albums. Five years after their debut on the Seedling stage, the band appeared as Belladrum's headline act in 2013. In an industry that's tougher to crack than Liam Gallagher's nut, organisers claim the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity could be the first step to success for a young Scottish acts, allowing them to showcase their talent to audiences and industry moguls from around the world.
Festival director Joe Gibbs said: "We've seen a lot of bands progress from the unsigned stage to playing the main stages. We get them crowds from all over the world, so the exposure is a wonderful opportunity. We're often described as the Glastonbury of Scotland because we are genuinely an all-ages festival with a huge range of music and art. It's certainly quite an event for the Highlands."
Gibbs claimed that new talent also formed the beating heart of the festival. "We've always had an emerging talent stage, and it's always been a large part of the event," he added. "The reason for the stage is to bring the acts to an audience, with a larger level of exposure than you might ordinarily expect as an unsigned artist. And hopefully these audiences will stick with them throughout the rest of their career."
Inverness Indie folk-pop band Dorec-a-Belle won the competition in 2013. Singer and guitarist Maryann Frew said: “Playing at such an established festival gave us a huge sense of confidence that we were doing something really worthwhile. We would highly recommend the competition as it was a great advertisement for us.”
As a result, the band was invited to open the Wickerman Festival and showcase at the XpoNorth industry event the same year, as well as playing the Edinburgh Fringe. Band members also credit their success with helping them secure funding from Creative Scotland to record an album.
This year Belladrum, which was founded in 2004, and built a solid reputation for its eclectic acts and family-friendly atmosphere, will welcome Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand, The Pretenders and disco legends Sister Sledge to the lush Highland countryside.
Other acts performing include KT Tunstall, Feeder, and Gallagher & Lyle, while the brand new Temple of Dub Arena will be bringing the woods to life with a constant flow of reggae, roots, dub and jungle tunes.
Largs-born Benny Gallagher, of legendary folk-rock duo Gallagher & Lyle, said: “Belladrum provides younger, unsigned bands with an invaluable platform to hone their stagecraft, and develop their skills as performers while reaching a far wider audience,”. He added: "It's a great way to get your foot in the industry door."
For your chance to play Belladrum, email your biog, a Sound Cloud link and social media details to claire@tartanheartfestival.co.uk
Deadline for submissions: 31 June
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