2006 Bestival Bands & DJs: Finalists Announced

bestival 2006The Bestival PR Line has been ringing off the hook all day with everyone wanting to hear WHO has reached the finals of the 2006 Bestival Bands and DJs competition.

Try no more, all you need to know can be found right here ….. so excited to see some of our favs in there (high five to i love audrey, Becky Entwhistle and Bastila).

Sadly, there can only be one band who goes through to play at the Bestival, anyway, here’s the full release.

becky entwhistleSTOP THE PRESS:

The competition closing date has now passed and Bestival head honcho (and BBC Radio One DJ) Rob da Bank has finally emerged sans headphones from beneath a veritable mountain of demo CDs sent in by hopeful Isle of Wight bands & DJs, all looking to join the 14 (fourteen!) local Isle of Wight acts already confirmed to appear at this year’s Bestival.

This year has seen the biggest response yet to the annual clarion call to the Island’s aspiring new talent that is the Bestival New Bands & DJs Competition, whereby Rob da Bank personally selects his favourite demos sent to him by eager local bands & DJs throughout the summer and these acts play-off in the musical equivalent of a penalty shoot-out at The Venue, Ryde, this year to be held on Wednesday 19th July.

2006 Bestival Band & DJ Finalists (as selected by Rob da Bank) are as follows;

Bands : BASTILA / BECKY ENTWISTLE / DELTA T / I LOVE AUDREY / LIGHTWEIGHT

DJs : AFTERDARKDNB / FORCE ONE / GEORGE CROSS / RENEGADE

These chosen few will each get the chance to perform a short set at the competition grand final (bands play 3 songs + DJs mix together a 15min set) in front of a glittering and distinguished panel of judges. The judging panel will select the very best band and DJ with the result to be announced at the end of the night – the 2006 judging panel consists of;

bastila* Rob da Bank (Bestival/BBC Radio One)
* Ross Findon (Isle of Wight County Press)
* Tom Stroud (Isle of Wight Radio)
* Barry Ashworth (Dub Pistols)

The best Island band will win the opportunity to play the Bestival main-stage alongside literally hundreds of top music acts such as The Scissor Sisters, Pet Shop Boys, The Fall, Rachid Taha Band (& Brian Eno), The Stranglers, Devendra Banhart, King Creosote, Klaxons, Hot Chip, John Martyn and current No.1 chart star Lily Allen, whilst the best Island DJ will join a line-up of the greatest DJ talent in the world, such as Carl Cox, Sasha, Tom Middleton, Erol Alkan, Justin Robertson, Plump DJs & Mark Ronson etc.

Another major benefit to the bands & DJs playing the final is that many acts that have caught Rob da Bank’s ear this summer will receive the tremendous boost of national radio play via his weekly BBC Radio One show, The Blue Room.

Do go along and support your favourite Island act @ The Venue, Ryde on 19th July
Doors : 7pm
Bands/DJs : 8pm – 10pm
Winners announced : 10:15pm
Finish : 11pm

Admission : Free / All ages (U18 accompanied by parent/guardian)