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J Wishbone
21-Jun-05, 19:28
Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival has announced ‘Pulse’ - a talent trawl for emerging bands and soloists throughout the Highlands, in association with Mad Hatters at Hootannany’s and HUBL, the web site for Highland musicians.

A series of selection events will be around the Highlands – Inverness, Dingwall, Nairn, Alness, Thurso, Skye and Oban, culminating in a final selection in Mad Hatter’s, Inverness in July.

The winning artists will open the main stage of the Belladrum Festival (near Beauly, Inverness-shire), which is being headlined by the Alabama 3 and the Proclaimers on 12th and 13th August. Other prizes will also be awarded to the winners and runners-up including gigs in the run-up to the festival.

The Thurso heat is to take place on Saturday July the 23rd and will feature the following bands -
All Stitched Up
Crimson Tide
Estrella
Ragstone 27
Boss Hogg

Please come along and show your support for all involved.

Good luck to all the bands.

www.hubl.co.uk
www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk
www.hootananny.com

The Pepsi Challenge
22-Jun-05, 09:05
A battle-of-the-bands competition to land the opening slot of a festival dominated by bands not from the highlands? Hmmm... this shouldn't have to happen. Tell El Presidente where to go and just turn up and play.

moncur
22-Jun-05, 10:44
I think its a great idea to have a competition for the opening slot. Who cares if the other bands arent local (after all were not living in Royston Vasey!) If you think back to days when some of us were in high school, the battle of the bands was the highlight of the year. You always hear of competitions down south but never anything up here. Good luck to all the bands.

The Pepsi Challenge
22-Jun-05, 18:41
No band should be competing for a slot on a bill they should be on anyway. This ain't high school no more, Toto.

moncur
22-Jun-05, 19:46
So how is it a bad thing that El Presidente and The Proclaimers are bothering to travel further north than other bands? Whats wrong with a bit of healthy competition? What would it be like if EVERY northern band turned up to a festival and told the headlining bands to shift over? Also, I was only referring back to High School competitions as an example to emphasise that competitions can only have a positive effect.

metalhead
22-Jun-05, 23:06
I have to disagree Mr Challenge.

I have been successfully involved with music sales, marketing and promotion for the past 10 years. If you look at the whole music industry, it is based on COMPETITION. This local heat is a fair process as it not only dictates an outright winner, it also allows judges the opportunity to hear our other local bands with a view to possible future promotion else where.

You could argue that music is an acquired taste, but when it comes right down to it, the only way to define the best is through competition.

This has obviously been set up to allow a credible output from the North. Let’s not spoil it for the bands involved by introducing small minded idealisms.

Something that really annoys me about this forum is when people lose an argument they resort to immature name calling. Please stop, it lowers the whole credibility for our area.

The Pepsi Challenge
23-Jun-05, 04:00
"So how is it a bad thing that El Presidente and The Proclaimers are bothering to travel further north than other bands?"

It isn't. Bands joining them on the same bill, however, via a battle-of-the-bands competition is.

"Whats wrong with a bit of healthy competition?"

Competing with other bands - bands who should all be on the bill - is not healthy. Especially when one such talented band has to make way for some other, say an up-and-coming band from Scotland's two biggest city's. It's a highland music festival. There is space for its talented bands. All of them. Hosting a competition merely makes the bands feel like they have something to play for. It's a slap in the face and an insult. Just ask the band(s) who miss out after the heat. Attitudes will be different then.

"What would it be like if EVERY northern band turned up to a festival and told the headlining bands to shift over?"

Sorry if I mislead you. They wouldn't turn up and tell them to shift over. There's plenty space for all bands mentioned from the heat as I've already explained.

"Also, I was only referring back to High School competitions as an example to emphasise that competitions can only have a positive effect.[/quote]

They were an excuse to put on a gig. From what I can remember it caused nothing but bitterness and infighting. I, personally, don't like pitting bands against each other... unless it's in a Run DMC vs Aerosmith kind of way, of course.

Final point: if anything, this topic has got people talking again. Good. It's about time we started talking more about the good bands the highlands has to offer, and less about who are favourite guitarist is. How many pages has it got already?

The Pepsi Challenge
23-Jun-05, 04:11
"I have been successfully involved with music sales, marketing and promotion for the past 10 years."

Excellent. What's your secret? Fill me in on the details, please.

"If you look at the whole music industry, it is based on COMPETITION. This local heat is a fair process as it not only dictates an outright winner, it also allows judges the opportunity to hear our other local bands with a view to possible future promotion else where."

No, I'd say the whole music industry is based on accountancy. The judges - who are they exactly? What are they looking for? Can you tell us? - should be coming to see these bands when they play at any other given time round the year.

"You could argue that music is an acquired taste, but when it comes right down to it, the only way to define the best is through competition."

This isn't about being the best. The festival is/should be about inclusion and bringing the cream of highland music to as wide an audience as possible. I mean, what are you proposing? That there will be a prizegiving after the festival is over?

"This has obviously been set up to allow a credible output from the North. Let’s not spoil it for the bands involved by introducing small minded idealisms."

No, it's been set up to make bands feel like they're acheiving something via competition. As I said, there is space for all the bands mentioned. From my ivory tower in the deep south of Scotland, if anyone talks up bands from the highlands in the Press, it's me. Disappointing quality musicianship from a platform they should be taking is small minded.

"Something that really annoys me about this forum is when people lose an argument they resort to immature name calling. Please stop, it lowers the whole credibility for our area."

Very assumptous of you. Making bands compete against each other lowers the whole credibility for our area. Like I said, it's not high school anymore.

Emac
23-Jun-05, 09:48
Good to see some publicity for music in the North!

Good luck to all the bands.

J Wishbone
01-Jul-05, 14:15
Never mind all the ins and out's of the music biz or the principle's involved. This is simply a chance for a few of our Caithness bands to showcase their own music to not only a supportive home audience (hopefully) but there's also that added bonus that the folk putting the event on might be able to help get the bands a few gigs further South and take their music to a wider audience.

Now come one Pepsi, surely you must remember how difficult it was to get people to listen to your own music in Caithness. I remember you and Ralph playing in the Viewfirth barn to just a handful of folk., not because you were bad, just because people weren't interested in original rock music in Caithness. All of a sudden bands like Crimson Tide, Estrella, All Stitched Up and Boss Hogg seem to be changing that and it looks like Caithness might actually start to be building a decent rock scene again.

So let's not be negative about the event, let's just support everyone involved.

Good luck to all the bands.

The Pepsi Challenge
01-Jul-05, 15:07
Never mind all the ins and out's of the music biz or the principle's involved. This is simply a chance for a few of our Caithness bands to showcase their own music to not only a supportive home audience (hopefully) but there's also that added bonus that the folk putting the event on might be able to help get the bands a few gigs further South and take their music to a wider audience.

Now come one Pepsi, surely you must remember how difficult it was to get people to listen to your own music in Caithness. I remember you and Ralph playing in the Viewfirth barn to just a handful of folk., not because you were bad, just because people weren't interested in original rock music in Caithness. All of a sudden bands like Crimson Tide, Estrella, All Stitched Up and Boss Hogg seem to be changing that and it looks like Caithness might actually start to be building a decent rock scene again.

So let's not be negative about the event, let's just support everyone involved.

Good luck to all the bands.

"Caithness might actually start to be building a decent rock scene again."


It's always been a chore getting Caithness punters to come out and watch live, original music. And I'm delighted there's a scene evolving once again. However, to play to a wider audience, you certainly don't need to play these BOTB competitons. You'll still have to cajole mum, dad, our best friends and your extended family to support you - usually to convince judges you have a big support - but if you wanted said bands to get gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow (the wider audience I assume you're pandering to), all you have to is ask me.

I'd be interested to learn when the heats are over, and what the bands thought of the competiton after its results have been learned.

ctbass
01-Jul-05, 19:13
battle of the bands and similar ideas of having heats, narrowing down lists ,etc , etc is brilliant! ....... if you want to get to the top of what you do - and be the best - you have to work for it, the fact that your competing agaisnt other bands really gives you an insentive to do your best.

may the best band win is all i can say ...... im really looking forward to it!

theboss
18-Jul-05, 13:54
Good luck to all the bands this Saturday. Should be a good night.

mike.mckenzie
19-Jul-05, 16:16
Have to say I'm morally opposed to any battle of bands competitions. I think they're crass, subjective and usually biased to an organiser's already chosen favourite.

How is it judged? A scream o meter? On how loud the applause is for each band afterwards? one of the better bands might not bring down as many people as one that is not as talented, will the people organising go for the "band with mates" to ensure a return or will they go for talent? Usually its the former. Good bands should never enter a battle of the bands.

moncur
23-Jul-05, 13:59
Good Luck to all the bands tonight.