The Surface Unsigned Festival 2009 is now in full swing. In 2009 Surface Unsigned and our sponsors are on hand to provide industry showcases, recording and production deals, professional photo shoots, cash, endorsements and much more. The winning band will receive prizes worth in excess of £30K. To apply to the Festival click here>>
The Surface Unsigned Festival is the only national live music event that brings unsigned bands and artists to the attention of all aspects of the music industry. Surface Unsigned is a festival of new music held throughout the country in aid of discovering and promoting new talent.
In 2009 events are being held in the Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and London making Surface Unsigned the biggest event of its kind.
In 2010 events will be held in the Northwest (Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds), the Midlands (Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Nottingham), and the Southeast (London, Reading, Brighton).
Surface Unsigned has teamed up with some of the largest names in the industry to develop alternative ways for bands to gain exposure and develop their fan base. We are working in association with Marshall, Kerrang, Zildjian, Tama, Evans, Planet Waves, Ashdown, D’addario, PMT, Univibe Audio, Music Live, Entertainment Distribution Company (EDC), Shure Distribution, Surface Digital, Backstreet Merch, TrippCobain Imaging and Oxjam.
The Surface Unsigned Festival has teamed up with Oxjam.
For more information on Oxjam please see their website: www.oxfam.org.uk/oxjam
Oxfam GB is a member of Oxfam International.tered Charity N
2918
Check out the latest top 10 bands in the
Surface Unsigned Charts here>>
Bands from previous Surface Unsigned Festivals continue to have amazing success. Following their performances at Surface Unsigned The Arcadian Kicksgot signed to OneBeat Media and played an overwhelming gig at the Isle Of Wight Festival on the Big Top stage alongside Feeder and The Stranglers. The Arcadian Kicksgot snapped up by Jon Brookes from The Charlatans as he was judging one of the heats in the Surface Unsigned Festival. Jon saw enough potential to sign them to his management company One Beat Media. Since then The Arcadian Kicks have gone on to perform at a string of major events such as the Isle of Wight Festival on the Big Top stage alongside Feeder and The Stranglers, they’ve completed a UK tour, played In The City and set up their own club night. This year they will have their first TV appearance at Alan McGee's Death Disco show, they will be playing the Isle Of Wight Festival again, the Skins & MTV P-A-R-T-Y, MAPS Festival, Canterbury/Christchurch Festival,Alchemy FestivalandGuilfest.
Congratulations also to Sierra Alpha; following their performance at the Surface Unsigned National Showcase 2008 they immediately got signed to Mutant Orange Management,who were at the show. They have gone on to play a number of gigs across the UK, have had numerous radio appearances and have recently been signed to Major-G Records, who will be distributing their releases globally. Major-G Records’ founder Gordon Rintoul, who has worked with the likes of Alanis Morissette and Paul Weller, first saw Sierra Alpha at a Surface Unsigned London show in September 2008 and immediately saw their potential. Their debut single ‘Superhero’ will be released later in the year.
Also check out 2007 winners The Brascoes who have gone on to tour the UK, have played Hide and Seek Festival and have been featured in an O2 Wireless Film by the Guardian.
Congratulations also to Long Day Gone for reaching number 27 in the Radio 1 UK charts.
Plus, make sure you check out 2007 National Finalists One Eye who have recently launched their debut album 'Whiskey Business' with Industry Records.
40 hours multi-track recording and 25 hours rehearsal (spec: DDA AMR24 mixing console, Apple mac Quad Core, Logic Studio 8, Westlake BBSM8 full range monitors, Focusrite Class A preamps, EMO professional power distribution)
Professional Full day photo shoot - studio or location, art direction, hair / makeup, stylist, post production courtesy of TrippCobain Imaging
Digital distribution courtesy of Surface Digital – Winning band will have a chart eligible single release to over 700 stores including mobile, digital, and ringtones
Featured content on Surface Unsigned online TV station and Surface Unsigned Magazine (50,000 copies)
DMK57/52 (Shure Microphone Drum Kit), 2 x SM58 mic’s, 2 x Beta58 mic’s, PGX24/SM58 wireless system including wireless SM58 mic and 2 x KSM141 Instrument Mic’s
Marshall Rig
Ashdown Rig
Tama Kit
Zildjian Custom A cymbals
15 x sets of D’Addario XL strings, 15 x sets of D’Addario Bass strings, Planet Waves S.O.S. Guitar Tuner, Planet Waves S.O.S. Bass Tuner, 5 x Planet Waves Instrument Cables, Planet Waves Capo, Evans Tom Pack (3 tom heads), Evans Snare Head and an Evans Drum Key courtesy of Planet Wanes, D’Addario, Evans
100 T-shirts, 200 badges and 500 stickers courtesy of Back Street Merch (Razorlight, The Charlatans, Babyshambles, Download Festival)
CD pressing QTY 1,000 units (single or album) format with either 4/0 j-card or 4p 4/1 booklet & 4/0 inlay and final over-wrap courtesy of EDC (Entertainment Distribution Company)
Main stage appearance at Music Live 2009 (the largest Music show in Europe - 25,000 people) and at the Surface Unsigned Stage. Music Live has played host to the likes of Duff McKagan (Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Bullet For My Valentine’s Matt Tuck, Dave Kushner (Velvet Revolver), Slayer’s Kerry King, Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Rick Parfitt (Status Quo), Black Stone Cherry, Roy Mayorga (Stone Sour) and Tyla (Dogs D’Amour)
Press release to over 45,000 music-related email-addresses.
Our industry panel is headed up by Jon Brookes, the founding member and drummer of ‘The Charlatans’. Since forming the world-famous band ‘The Charlatans’ in 1989, Jon Brookes and his band have released 14 albums and 31 singles worldwide and have been going strong for over 19 years.
In 2007, instead of releasing their album ‘You Cross My Path’ through a record company as one would have done traditionally, The Charlatans teamed up withXfm.co.uk to become the first UK band to release an album completely free to download via a radio station, along with exclusive interviews with the band and their management Alan McGee. They are now seen as pioneers in developing new digital ways for bands to distribute music and for fans to acquire music. As well as going strong with the Charlatans (their upcoming UK tour has already sold out) Jon Brookes has been busy drumming on Chemical Brothers tracks and is also working as a band manager, managing unsigned bands. When he was judging one of the heats in the Surface Unsigned Festival, he saw enough potential to sign Surface Unsigned Band The Arcadian Kicks to his management company One Beat Media. Since then The Arcadian Kicks have gone on to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival on the Big Top stage alongside Feeder and The Stranglers, which saw their performance in to XFM's top 10 "finds of the festival" alongside the The Duke Spirit, Newton Faulkner & Ida Maria. Following on from this they embarked on a UK tour, played In The City and set up their own club night. They have their first TV appearance to look forward to this year when they are due to play live on Alan McGee's Death Disco show. In 2009 they will be also be playing theIsle Of Wight Festival again as well as the Skins & MTV P-A-R-T-Y, MAPS Festival, Canterbury/Christchurch Festival,Alchemy FestivalandGuilfest.
Other industry guests at Surface Unsigned have included Adam Foster (label rep at Q, Mojo and Kerrang, 70SIX Music), Boy Wonder Records, Flat Cap Promotions, Gotham Records, Gordon Rintoul (Producer + Engineer, incl. artists Alanis Morrisette, Prince, Paul Weller + many more), GetYourBandOn - Band Management, Development and Promotion, Horus Music, Transmission Management, Audio Authority Management, Revolver Records, Jon Brookes (The Charlatans, One Beat Media), Weekender Records, DCC Recording, The Hit Sheet Magazine, James Lucas (Promoter and Artists/Band Manager), Fat Fox Publishing, Mojo Magazine, London Unplugged, Monumental Management, SPC Live, BBOX Management, Rage Events, Mixtape Promotion, MAS Records, Modern English Record Company, Alan McGee Management, Carl Barat from Dirty Pretty Things, Paul Tipler producer of Idle Wild and Placebo, MTV2, Steve Kent producer and mixer, Equator Music, Tap n Tin Records, M20 Records, BBC Essex, The Rage, Rockbottom Promotion, HeadSpace Events, Surface Management, TrippCobain Imaging, Simon Burchell (Arena Television, Glastonbury), Faber Music, IMG Publishing, Mercury Records, Andrew Maurice, Frances Murphy (Tour Engineer for The Melvins and The Ting Tings), Oxjam, Surface Management, Surface Magazine Journalists and more individual A&R and journalists.
Surface Unsigned TV is a brand new online T.V. station which is now up and running!!!!
Surface Unsigned TV features some of the UK's most talented up and coming unsigned bands from the 2008 Surface Unsigned Festival. Go to Surface Unsigned TV>>
Surface Unsigned TV is fantastic platform for promotion and provides media content of the highest level which can be placed on MySpace or YouTube pages.
Surface Unsigned TV filmed at the Regional Showcases and National Showcase of the Surface Unsigned Festival 2008.
If you would like the opportunity to be featured on Surface Unsigned TV in 2009 please apply to the festival here>>
