So, Surface Festival has started all around the country with the Welsh first round due to start on March 31st at the great venue that is the Undertone Basement in Cardiff, but what exactly is Surface Festival?
We live in a time where the reality television show rules the media, in some cases making stars out of the previously unknown but more often than not promising a level of stardom and fortune that is rarely delivered. Like it or not these TV talent shows are here to stay. Talent shows, battle of the bands competitions and "showcase" events have got themselves a bad name in recent years, either because of the lack of credibility caused by the above or because of promoters who are in it for the money and don't actually care if they deliver on their promises. Surface Festival is different to all these competitions, for one reason, one huge reason. There are no false promises!
The team behind Surface have grafted over the years to create a credible event that not only gives bands and artists the chance to win some awesome prizes but it also provides in-valuable experience in larger venues as well as great advice on how to develop your career as a musician and build a business out of what you love doing. How do I know that this is the case? I know this because I've been involved with Surface, not as an employee or promoter but as a competitor. My band Blackwaters entered the competition in 2011 and ended up finishing joint top for the Welsh region and playing at the o2 in London for the international final. So I know that these guy's do everything they can to help you, they're not just interested in their take from the door at the shows, they are doing their best to help develop unsigned artists all over Europe.
Surface does not claim that it will turn you into rock stars overnight or even at all, what the guy's at Surface say is that if you're good enough to win this we will give you prizes worth around £100,000 in value to help you make this your career, including equipment, video/photo shoots, recording sessions at a pro studio, a tour and a festival appearance. You will have to do the rest. Don't get me wrong Surface is hard work and entering is not something you should take lightly, if you enter put the work in and you will have an awesome experience from start to finish. You will get out of the competition what you put in and you'll have to beat the best bands from around Europe to get the big prizes at the end.
Having said all that about the prizes, the ultimate prize is undoubtedly the connections and experience you gain throughout the competition.
We will be covering a lot of the shows here in Wales for the radio show so expect a few Surface Festival specific blogs to come your way.
The first round of shows in Wales are at The Undertone Basement, 12 Church Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BG and will take place on:
Saturday 31st March
Sunday 1st April
Wednesday 4th April
Friday 5th April
Full details of all things Surface Festival can be found here: www.surfacefestival.com
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