News

Bestival Announce New Band And DJ Competition

• 14th May 2010

Now in its seventh year Bestival's New Band and DJ competition, is back and bigger than ever with the support of Plugged In from Southern Electric, which is committed to plugging in to new music and giving local people real opportunities to shine on a credible platform. The annual event is renowned for finding the hottest in local talent that the Isle of Wight has to offer and this year will be no exception.

Curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank, this year's fantasy themed fancy-dress musical extravaganza boasts the most eclectic and best UK festival line-up of the summer – with over 300 acts playing across 13 stages from Brit Award winning “Bonkers” rapper Dizzee Rascal to legendary art-school glam innovators Roxy Music…and now with Southern Electric on board, local Isle of Wight bands & DJs have a once in a lifetime opportunity to get 'plugged in' and join the incredible bill.

This year entrants (who must be based on the Isle of Wight) should submit all entries digitally to Rob da Bank. They need to convert the one song (bands/singers) that best represents their sound into an mp3 file (of no more than 6mb) or provide Rob with a link to their best 20min mix (DJs) via the official entry form that can be downloaded now at link. Rob will then select five finalists in both the band & DJ categories who will face-off in the ultimate test before a panel of esteemed music industry judges at Ryde Theatre on the evening of Thurs 1st July; plus a very special guest MC and live act will be announced for the Southern Electric 'plugged in' Finals night soon – so watch this space!

Rob da Bank said today, “I have been at every Bestival Bands & DJs Competition at the Ryde Theatre since we started seven years ago and I always get excited about the night. Firstly I get to see and hear loads of amazing Island talent – it really is of such a high standard – add to that the fact that I also get to have a few light ales with some of the Bestival faithful, I strongly recommend you come down and join the fun!”

Jonny Petrie of Southern Electric explains: “We've got a great record of supporting our local communities and that is why we're excited to be announcing our link up with Bestival. By plugging into Bestival, Southern Electric is going to give local, up and coming bands, photographers and budding journalists a real chance to shine. Bestival-goers will also be able to see first-hand some of our green innovations which we hope will make their weekend one to remember!”

The overall winning band will headline Bestival's 2010 Island Day – a whole day (Sunday) dedicated to the best in Isle of Wight based talent on the prestigious Plugged In Bestival Bandstand. And if performing at one of the hottest festivals this summer isn't enough, then keep your eyes and ears peeled for some of the extra prizes that Southern Electric will be revealing shortly.

The overall winning DJ will play an exclusive set at the ultra-cool Hidden Disco on the Bestival site, which will this year operate for the first time as a 'silent disco'. In previous years this super exclusive tent has played host to block-rocking sets from some of the biggest and best DJs in the world, such as French dance sensations Justice.

Always a massive leg-up to the winning acts, Rob da Bank was so impressed by previous winners Bastila that he signed them to his own record label Sunday Best (where labelmates include Top 40 hip-hop/spoken word/electronic maestros dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip, Kitty Daisy & Lewis and perennial Bestival Main-Stage hosts and general mischief makers The Cuban Brothers amongst others).

2009 Bestival Island Band Competition winners Arcade Eden today remarked of their win last year;
“Playing at Bestival was an amazing experience. We are really grateful to Rob da Bank and the whole Bestival staff for giving us the opportunity. Bestival has always been one of our favourite festivals, so having the chance to play last year was unbelievable. We learnt a lot from it – it has given us the drive to really work on our live show and go as far as we can. We are currently recording our debut album which will be released later this year”.

Closing date for all Bestival 2010 Island Bands & DJs Competition entries is Tuesday 1st June @ 6:00pm.

As befits such an open-minded jamboree of fun, no form of music is off-limits and originality is to be positively encouraged…