It has been a long hard slog for our shortlist of twenty acts all vying for a place in the final of our Kickstart 2014 competition. By now many of your friends and family will have unfriended you on facebook, you’ll have been unfollowed on twitter but it has all been for a good cause.
As previously announced the five finalists will play a special showcase gig on Thursday 13th March 2014 in the Speakeasy, Belfast. The gig wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of our friends at Queens Radio and RADAR. Entry to the showcase will be completely FREE, so you have no excuse for not coming down and supporting local music.
More information available on our event page: Chordblossom Presents: Kickstart 2014 Showcase
So lets meet our five finalists:
Car Chase City
► Tell us a bit about yourselves?
Well the band consists of Gerard, Conor, Phil and Luke. We formed as a 3 piece in January 2013 and in December we found Conor and we joined forces. The best way to describe our sound would be Pop Punk with a bit of Alt Rock thrown in as well. Since the start we have been fairly active, going on an Irish Tour last March with our friends The Big Grizzly, then we have also released 2 EP’s in the last year. We’re currently in the process of recording an album and are likely to release a single in the coming months.
EQ1NIX
► Tell us a bit about yourselves?
EQ1NIX is a duo consisting of Colin Mallon and Gavin Kennedy. We are friends from secondary school and now both study chemical engineering at queens. We both knew we had similar tastes in music and regularly discussed it with each other. From playing together when over at each others houses recently we decided to form the band and only have 1 gig behind our belts. We are heavily influenced by 80s pop, electronic music and current chart music from bands such as Chvrches and The 1975.
Runabay
► Tell us a bit about yourselves?
We’re quite an eclectic mix of people. We only really achieved a settled line up in the last month so we’re trying to get to know one another as well as the songs each of us has brought to the band. We hail from Cushendall, Cushendun, Belfast and Peterborough…our influences range from the Shins to the Beatles to Ben Howard to Elbow to Luke Kelly. As I said we value melody immensely and the vocals are a huge part of that in terms of how we execute harmonies and backing vocals.
Hopefully we’ll be gigging regularly within the next month or so, from that people can make their own minds up.
Freak’s
► Tell us a bit about yourselves?
We formed roughly around May last year. Spent too much having fun and probably not enough time in the practise room but have miraculously come out with a video release, an EP, a stand-alone single, a christmas song, a few favourable live shows and a fundraiser for Marie Curie. We’ve all been great friends for years and don’t really let any “business-y type-y stress-y stuff” get in the way of us hanging out and playing together. We’re from Strabane and have been told that “we’re great for the town!”.
In An Instant
► Tell us a bit about yourselves?
We’re a 4-piece band from Bangor, Northern Ireland. Formed last year towards the end of our final year of school, we decided to put off University in order to pursue a future in music. Our music blends live guitars, synths and drums with multiple elements of electronic tracking which consists of drum samples and pads to create a unique sound which unites the border between high energy electronic dance music and a large, live pop-rock band sound. We aim for a large live sound which you can get up and dance to, but with something substantial there when you sit down to listen.
A big thanks to our partners and supporters of Kickstart 2014. If you are a band or a buisness, we highly recommend you work with them!
► Music Studio – Millbank Studios
► Music Video – Dog Kennel Productions
► Festival – Stendhal Festival of Art
► Radio Play – Electric Mainline
► Professional Career Advice – Third Bar Artist Development
► PR – In Your Steps
► Graphic Design & Printing – Love Print & Design
► CD Duplication – Botanic Media
► Single Artwork – DSNT
► Photography – Barry Wright
► Professional Biography – Write It For Me
► Promotions – Shizznigh Promotions
