BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR are offering venues and bands the opportunity take the stage at Bloodstock 2009 through a number of regional ‘battle of the band’ competitions, and in Northern Ireland it’s happening in the only place it should, the Rosie. Yes folks, she’s back…
After a brief hiatus from the metal music scene the Rosie is back in business, so to speak, and to kick off our period of revival we bring you Metal 2 The Masses, your chance to land a slot in the upcoming BOA metal music festival in Derby, August 14-16 2009.
After the success of last year’s Metal 2 The Masses BOA is back to celebrate the 2009 BOA festival, quite simply the best in metal entertainment and a showcase for the finest breakthrough talent throughout the UK. With Bloodstock Open Air being the most committed event to highlight breakthrough metal it’s understandable why it’s endorsed and supported by the likes of their exclusive media partner Metal Hammer, alongside others such as Terrorizer, Kerrang, Scuzz, Rockworld, Total Rock and BBC Online. Which means for all you potential winners that they’re offering extensive editorial features, interviews, reviews, broadcasts, website coverage, e-fliers, blogs and so much more for the successful bands, making this a year-round initiative and promotional opportunity.
Additionally they’ve ensured all local, regional and national media will be specifically alerted and invited to cover M2TM to maintain Bloodstock’s commitment to venues and bands alike. Not only that, every band featured in the M2TM tour will receive profile coverage on the associated Bloodstock websites.
So what does it mean to you, the bands? Well, this is this your chance to play at Bloodstock in front of thousands, and if you land yourselves a place to play in 2009 then you also stand the chance of playing the main stage in 2010. Yes that’s right, this is not a one year dash – Bloodstock are offering all acts that play the 2009 festival (and have entered via the Metal 2 The Masses campaign), the opportunity of opening up the main stage the following year. Take the example of bands such as “Evile” who started of by gracing the second stage their first time round only to go on to support Megadeth on a major UK tour and return to grace the Bloodstock main stage in 2008. Just so’s we don’t trample all over a trademark, let’s just say that it REALLY could be you…
With only 20 slots available nationwide via the Metal 2 The Masses campaign, the attention will be focused on musical ability, performance, professionalism and raw power. And just so’s we’re clear, this is a competition for metal acts of all genres – therefore rock, pop, rap, indie and other nonsense need not apply!
For each of the five nominated bands at the regional final (Belfast’s being on July 18th) they get to showcase their act and if the Bloodstock crew think more than 1 act are worthy of a place at the 2009 event then they’ll make it happen – it’s about the music not rules and regulations! Likewise if it is thought that the bands at any one event did not make the grade, then the unallocated slots will go back into the BOA pot for our team to consider accordingly.
In order to get to the final, you will need to compete in one of our 4 heats, beginning in June (dates below). Each heat will produce one winner and one wildcard selection, as voted for by the judging panel and the audience at the gig. By the final there will be four heat winners and four wildcard selections, at which point the judges will choose the best of the wildcard selections to go through to the final in the 5th slot. It’s not as complicated as it sounds, and it leaves a little room to be sure we’ve got the right line-up for the final.
So if you want the chance to take the stage at the Bloodstock Open Air music festival 2009, via a couple of performances on the revered stage of the Rosie, then drop us an email to register your interest. You’ll need to include a link to your MySpace or other website where we can check out your work, or give us a number to call you on to arrange an alternative method to check out your work. Short-listing for the heats will be at the judges discretion, but if you’re succesful we’ll let you know, and the dates for the competition are as follows:
Heat 1 - June 6th
Heat 2 - June 12th
Heat 3 - June 26th
Heat 4 - July 3rd
Final - July 18th
We say give it a go, luck favours the brave and all that. Looking forward to hearing from you…
Metal 2 the Masses @ the Rosie
