by Rebecca Hannant
The organisers of Hornsea’s Battle of the Bands have hailed the event a huge success and are already making plans to repeat it next year.
On Saturday, August 31, bands from Hull, East Yorkshire and further afield competed in the competition at Floral Hall.
The Hornsea Carnival team behind the event received 18 applications which were whittled town to 10 acts who performed in front of music fans and a panel of professional judges.
The bands, demonstrating a range of styles and influences, included Tymisha, Offbeat, the Division, Martin and Tom, Breeze, Horizon, Sam Turner, the Stance, Blooms and Mordhau.
Judges Guy Stanway of Palm Island Music, and John Armstrong and Jim Lawton of the band Electric Enemy, had the difficult task of deciding the winner, but all agreed that the level of talent on stage was “breathtaking”.
Leeds band the Division – comprising bassist and lead singer Luke Whitfield, lead guitarist Liam Nicol, rhythm guitarist Geo Woodward and drummer and backing singer Lennon Davis – were declared the winners of a “truly life-changing” prize.
Hornsea Carnival chairman Iain Poole said: “The prize on offer was truly life-changing for the winner, and no other event in the region has come close to offering this type of prize.
“I cannot stress that enough what Hornsea Carnival has managed to achieve for this amazing artist.”
The four-piece band won the chance for a song to be written and produced by a multi-award-winning writer/producer, with the process fully overseen by Red Sun Records, and one to two days in a professional recording studio, with all costs paid.
They will also receive a recording mastered at the Metropolis studios, single artwork designed and created by Lisa Muscatt of Red Sun Records using the band’s logo, and the record released on the Red Sun Records label and distributed to all the major streaming platforms.
Guy and Jim also commented on the sheer level of talent on display and decided to offer a second prize to Breeze and Blooms, working with them too to help them get their music released and supporting them with advice.
Finally, each band that performed will also receive a free critique session with the three judges and have been given a direct email for advice on how to get a boost in the industry.
Carnival chairman Iain Poole said: “Firstly, a massive thank you to Hornsea Floral Hall for supplying the venue – it was the perfect setting for this event, and we had a steady stream of people in all day long. We hope to have more events with them in the future.
“As people know, we have always had strong links with local music talent. As an event we organise and promote a band stage at Hornsea Carnival which has always been free for all local and non-local bands to play on, showcasing their skills to the wider community.
“The stage has been home to some amazing home-grown talent over the years, and it has proven to be an excellent springboard for these bands to secure local gigs and allow youngsters to follow their dreams. We have had some truly amazing talent grace our stage over the past 20 years and we want to be able to give them more.
“Battle of the Bands was over a year in the making, and only really made a possibility from the relationship that the carnival team has with chart-achieving UK record label Red Sun Records, its associated management arm Palm Island Music and award-winning writer/producer Jim Lawton from Electric Enemy.
“What Guy, Jim and John have done is enable ‘cheat codes’ for these bands to get to the next level and we cannot thank them enough.”
Hornsea Carnival raised £600 in donations, which will go towards the many events staged by the team throughout the year.
Plans are now being made to ensure the Battle of the Bands can go ahead next year. To do so, Iain says they need more support from the community as well as sponsorship.
He added: “Our team does this for free – we market, promote and run the event all in our own time, but we need financial support to make these events happen. If you feel you could help with this event and make a difference, then please reach out. A community and any community-driven event are only as good as the community that gets behind it.”
Hornsea Carnival’s next events will be the fireworks night on November 3, and the Santa Sleigh in December.
