Search for best unsigned blues musicians goes nationwide - musicians from across the country urged to enter now!!

It has just been announced that entries for this year’s highly prestigious and UK-wide competition – The New Brunswick Battle of the Blues - will open on 1^st October 2012.  For a third year the cream of unsigned bands and singer/songwriters is being sought from across the UK. 

Five heats will take place around the UK, at the True Blues Club, Newton le Willows in the North West, the New Crawdaddy Club, Billericay, The Brunswick, Hove in Sussex, the Redcar Blues Club, Redcar and the Blues & Beyond Club in Cupar, Scotland.  Heat winners plus a ‘judges’ choice’ will go head to head at the final in London in March 2013, with the overall competition winner being taken out to play main stage at the world renowned Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival in New Brunswick, Canada, during September 2013.

Says Lisa Gagnon, who’s organising the competition in the UK for New Brunswick, “Harvest Jazz & Blues is one of the world’s great music festivals.  Once again we’re thrilled to be offering this chance to British blues musicians to play alongside the best of the best and we’re so pleased to be running this competition for a third year.  NewBrunswick’s capital Fredericton, where the festival is held, is a wonderful place to visit at any point in the year, but at Harvest time the atmosphere is electric!”

And she continues, “The winners will play gigs on the Festival’s main stage and have the chance to make contact with some of the all time blues greats who come here from across North America and indeed the world.  And we’ll even take our winners whale watching, sea kayaking and sightseeing – all expenses paid, of course.

Last year’s winners – Groove-A-Matics (see photo) from Gateshead in the North East of England – said this of the competition, “It’s a fantastic opportunity for emerging or established British blues artists to raise their profile and play on a world stage at this brilliant festival – as well as experiencing the wonders of the Canadian province of New Brunswick.” 

Interested bands and singer/songwriters are invited to register initially at www.tourismnewbrunswick.co.uk between 1^st October and 30^th November 2012.  Artists will need to demonstrate the ability to produce new and original work, though some covers are permitted.  To qualify, they will need to be unsigned at the time of the competition (including the final). Musicians may enter whichever heat best suits them.

Details of heats:

·         11th January, True Blues Club, Newton Le Willows

·               24^th January, New Crawdaddy Blues Club, Billericay

·               25th January, The Brunswick, Hove

·               8th February, Redcar Blues Club, Redcar

·               23^rd February, Blues & Beyond club, Cupar, Scotland.

Miranda Johnson.