WOULD-BE stars will be getting the chance to perform alongside some of the music industry’s big names thanks to a new North East festival.
The first ever Sunniside Live, organised by Bar Justice at West Sunniside, Sunderland and supported by Sunderland’s Business Improvement District will be held at Sunniside Gardens onJuly 11.
As part of the event, Bar Justice will be running a Battle of the Bands competition, giving amateur acts the chance to win a spot in the festival’s line-up.
To enter the competition bands will be asked to submit a video of them performing as part of the application process.
The top three acts will then perform, in front of a judging panel, in a live heat at Bar Justice on July 3. The winning act will open the show at the Sunniside Live Festival.
The judging panel will be made up of Ken Dunbar, CEO of Experience It Here! Sunderland’s Business Improvement District, Frankie Francis, lead singer of Sunniside Live’s headline act Frankie & The Heartstrings, Harry Collinson from Dave Stewart Entertainment and Katy Wheeler, entertainments editor at the Sunderland Echo.
The winner of the heat will perform alongside the festival’s other acts which include Joe Harriett, the soul and motown legend, Olivia Lawson, finalist from hit BBC One show The Voice, Hyde & Beast, Yellowstone, The Source Unplugged and DJ Craig Hope from Northern Soul.
Application forms for the Battle of the Bands competition are available from Bar Justice, online at www.barjustice.co.uk, or by emailing enquiries@barjustice.co.uk. The closing date for applications is June 28.
Completed applications should be sent to enquiries@barjustice.co.uk or returned by hand to the staff at Bar Justice.
Sunniside Live, which is designed to attract visitors and showcase what the area has to offer, is sponsored by a number of top businesses including headline sponsor – Sunderland’s Business Improvement District – Experience It Here!, Heineken, O’Brien Demolition, Bar Justice, City Taxis, Michael Hodgson, Paul Burgess Graphic Design and Gentoo.
The event, which will run from 12pm until 10pm, will also offer visitors the chance to browse a number of food stalls and enjoy a pop-up café by The Place Café. There will also be a bar run by Bar Justice, a retro Pimm’s van and cocktail store.
For more information about the event visit www.facebook.com/sunnisidelive or contact Bar Justice on 0191 565 2050.