The best unsigned talent in Nottinghamshire has successfully reached the final round of Future Sound of Nottingham, the annual contest which gives one lucky act the chance to open Splendour at Wollaton Park on Saturday 23rd July in front of 20,000 people.
Organised by community project NUSIC and supported by Nottingham Music Hub and Nottinghamshire Music Hub, six acts will perform in front of a panel of industry experts and a live audience at the Future Sound of Nottingham final, to be held on the main stage at Rock City on Sunday 19th June.
With a record number of people casting votes this year, the six finalists can now be revealed:
SKI – Eclectic hip-hop. With a salsa style instrumental and clever wordplay, Ski was the R1 industry judges favourite, and went straight through to the Rock City final.
OSCAR SPEED – The #FSN2014 finalist returns with sultry blue eyes soul. He came second in R1, so secured an auto final place.
HOMESICK – Super catchy female fronted pop punk, who won the public vote.
BABE PUNCH – Raw female punk with heavy riffs, sass, and tons of energy.
LISA HENDRICKS AND THE PROJECT-US BAND – A dose of Notts reggae perfect for summer.
SUPER FURNITURE – Dual vocal alternative rock with indie influences.
George Akins, DHP Family owner, said: “FSN is a fantastic contest which showcases the very best of Nottinghamshire’s unsigned talent. Congratulations to the acts that have made it through to the final round, we look forward to welcoming the overall champion on the stage at Splendour.”
All the finalists can be heard on the current Nusic New Music Podcast. Entry to the final at Rock City is free and open to 14+, doors open at 6.30pm and the winner will be announced on the night.
Nusic’s Mark Del said: “The main goals we set for FSN this year was to increase diversity both in terms of music genre and performers, and increase the amount of exposure musicians got from taking part. With record numbers of genres, female vocals and listeners to the podcast, we’re delighted to say we’re well on the way to achieving both these goals.”
The FSN champion will join the Splendour stage with headliners; Grammy Award winner and pop sensation Jess Glynne and Jamie Lawson, who has just won a highly respected Ivor Novello award for the best song musically and lyrically for his song Wasn’t Expecting That plus legendary bands The Human League and UB40, as well as a debut from local rising star Ady Suleiman. Across the park, multi-million selling megaband The Darkness will headline the Confetti Stage and home-grown talent will flourish on the Acoustic Rooms stage at the summer festival.
NUSIC is dedicated to all things ‘Notts, Musical and New’ and aims to support unsigned musicians from the county. For more information on FSN, visit www.nusic.org.uk/fsn.
Tickets for Splendour are on sale now and start at just £20. To get the latest line-up announcements and festival updates go to www.splendourfestival.com or like www.facebook.com/splendourfestivalUK or follow @splendourfest.
