Bestival curator and BBC Radio 1 DJ Rob da Bank has today chosen the finalists for his 2013 Bestival Island Band, DJ, Choir & Spoken Word Competition. A veritable flood of entries were received at the last minute from Isle of Wight talent, leaving Rob with the task of sifting through literally hundreds of mp3s in order to compile his eventual shortlist of finalists.

Rob da Bank: “Wow! I’ve just ploughed through hours and hours of demos and Soundcloud links for all the categories of the Band Competition and once again the bar has been raised, with an epic spread of styles and genres covered. Really great bands, some incredible DJs and an inspirational selection of choirs and spoken word wizards. Thanks to everyone for entering and sorry if you didn’t make the shortlist. Congrats to anyone who’s made it through and see you on the night. Big up the Isle of Wight music scene!’’

Sadly one entrant had to be disqualified at the first hurdle as they didn’t meet the competition’s strict geographical criteria – despite the rules making it clear that this competition was purely for Isle of Wight-based talent, one hopeful musician from Russia still decided to try his luck (organisers were unsure as to whether he was looking for travelling expenses to be paid too?)!

All Rob’s chosen finalists will now compete on the evening of Thursday 16th May at Northwood House, Cowes in front of a panel of prestigious judges (including Level 42’s Mark King and Rob da Bank himself) for the prize of a coveted slot on-stage at this year’s Bestival.

Rob’s choices of finalists are as follows:

Lucid
Lucid formed in 2007 and six years and four albums later their musical journey continues and they haven’t stopped to look back. Combining their individual talents they produce a sound which blends stunning vocals with rich melodies resulting in finely crafted songs reflecting their
diverse musical influences. From heart wrenching soulful ballads with breathtaking harmonies to sensational electric fiddle playing, Lucid continue to impress audiences around the south and in Europe.

The Ohmz
The Ohmz formed when five goats from a local farm accidentally wandered into a reggae and tea night at a pub and discovered they shared a love of tea (and reggae) and decided to write some songs about that. They now spend their time performing their own brand of upbeat and funky reggae, with ska highlights and jazz overtones. Think if Bob Marley had covered White Stripes. Now throw in some of The Clash, and a touch of Sublime. Serve with a generous portion of warm harmonious horns. In between festival appearances and recording EPs, they can often be found wandering their native Isle of Wight habitat, or simply enjoying a nice cup of tea.

The Bear Social
The Bear Social are a four-piece indie/alternative band from the South of England, and consist of a male and female vocalist with guitar, bass, drums and keys. They’ve been playing gigs on and around the Isle of Wight for more than a year now, as well as a few mainland performances and appearances at minor festivals. Their members are Abbie Hickey on keys and vocals, Lewis Clark on guitar and vocals, Daryl Norman on drums and Ryan Saunders on bass.

Hentai Babies
Three bodies forcing thrashed gritty sludge into the guts of the cascade birthed chorus destruction.

Signals
Signals are a female fronted indie/math-rock four-piece from the Isle of Wight. Their second release, ‘Facial Furniture’, is on its way for summer 2013 (“Thanks to the invaluable help of our good friends, tea and cereal”). Expect lots of harmonies, shouty bits, pedal-board antics and time travel.

Ill Al
Born and raised in Shanklin, now resident of Ventnor. Ill Al has been DJing since the 90’s playing Techno & House and later Hip Hop. These days he is a regular on the IOW music scene playing Drum and Bass, Hip Hop, Dancehall, Reggae, Dubstep and Garage. Influences include The Nextmen, Rodney P, DJ Premier, Zinc, Shy Fx, Carl Cox among others, and he is also producing his own music too.

Tony Stark
22 year old DJ born and raised on the Isle of Wight and have always had a keen passion for music. Started mixing 4-5 years ago after seeing Isle of Wight/London producer Sepia mixing at a house party. His musical taste is heavily influenced by early Hip Hop/Electro producers and MCs.

Dub Dynamic
Dub Dynamic is a producer/DJ based on the Isle of Wight who has played regular sets right across the south coast. He has collaborated with various producers and MCs. His latest single, ‘Funky Man’, has met with interest from various independent record labels. Tracks entitled ‘Jogit’ and ‘Murder’ (a collaborative EP) were recently supported by Potential Badboy at DJ Hype’s Playaz night at Fabric, London. Dub Dynamic’s love of music and passion for deep sound combined with unmatchable production energizes the dancefloor. Expect some fire!

Splosh
Splosh (otherwise known as Callum Woon), began playing with music at the age of 15. Since then he has collected a wide variety of sounds from every edge of the spectrum. Using any kind of media to keep the music upbeat, lively and exploring your earholes in different ways, Splosh will do whatever he can to keep you moving.

DJ Longjack
DJ Longjack aka Jeremy Hall is a dance music enthusiast who has had a keen interest in electronic music since the early 80s and the ‘Breakdance’ craze. Having listened to electro and early hip-hop and well as punk and thrash metal he began DJ-ing in the 1990s when the rave scene was emerging, staying with the sound of the times he moved through rave/breakbeat, house, techno, hip hop, drum and bass, and dubstep, now playing a sound he prefers to call ‘bass music’ (which is a reflection of all these influences plus more).

Quaynote
Quaynote is an acapella quartet, formed around 18 months ago. They perform both as part of Wight Harmony barbershop chorus shows, and as a stand-alone quartet at weddings, birthdays and ensemble shows. They have competed at national level and at IOW music festivals, with good results. Their repertoire contains both traditional “barbershop” songs along with more contemporary arrangements of popular music and musical theatre.

Wight Harmony
Wight Harmony is a male Barbershop Chorus and was formed in 1977. Over the years the Club has expanded and now has about 40 members who meet every week in Wootton to rehearse both their existing repertoire and learn new arrangements. The club now comprises both the main chorus, and also a number of quartets who have their own unique repertoire. We focus not only on the songs themselves, but also singing and performance techniques so that we can provide the best possible entertainment for our audiences. Whilst Barbershop singing originated in the USA in the 1940s, and several songs in our repertoire date back to that time and before, we also embrace more modern melodies, often from successful stage shows and musicals such as ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Les Misérables’, when suitable songs can be adapted to the four part harmony, Barbershop style. All of the men are volunteers, and regularly entertain for theatres, hotels, at weddings and numerous other events and venues on the Isle of Wight. The Chorus is lead by our Musical Director, Dave Bryant. Dave is a Primary school teacher who is also jazz trombonist and joined the chorus is 2007 through a Wight Harmony ‘Learn to Sing’ course.

Ryde School Choristers
Ryde School Choristers (under the direction of Rachel Tweddle) rehearse every Tuesday for 45 minutes, concentrating on repertoire for their four formal school church services during the year, as well as lighter styles of music for the school concerts in the spring and autumn terms. Pupils are from year 9 through to 6th form and they are both committed and enthusiastic. Pupils are encouraged to include the choir as an activity towards the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Each year the music department embarks on a European tour and have visited Italy, Spain, Croatia and France, performing concerts with choir, orchestra and swing band. The choir have been fortunate enough to perform in prestigious venues such as St Mark’s (Venice), Montserrat Cathedral, Barcelona Cathedral and also in Assissi. The Choir are absolutely thrilled to be participating in the finals for a chance to sing at Bestival 2013!

Callum Fairweather
I’m 17 and live in Ryde. When my ambitions to join the army were put on hold, due to things out of my control, I struggled for motivation. I found inspiration in various spoken word artists such George the Poet, Scroobius Pip and discovered Kate Tempest at Rob da Bank’s Music Club (at Quay Arts). I found writing my own spoken word therapeutic and a good way to get feelings out. I think Spoken Word has so much potential and can carry pure emotion and messages across to its audience, better than any other form of performance. Although I haven’t performed before, I’m very excited to bring my stories to Northwood House and hopefully to Bestival itself!

Buddy Carson
Trawl through the reams of paper and endless filled journals adorned with the ink from Buddy’s pen and you can chart the progress from child limerick writer, budding horror novelist, and children’s short story writer, to songwriter, poet, MC, spoken-word artist, and more. In songwriting and spoken word Buddy finds his vessel of choice, and his honest, informal, and thoughtful poems explore the more natural considerations, all with a tint of wit and joviality. Having been honing his skills since a tender age, Buddy has gone onto reach Children’s Literature Festival finals, write and work with developing artists such as Emmy J Mac, and has had the pleasure of working with young developing writers at his Stand Up For Lyricism Workshop, part of Rob da Bank’s Music Club. Since studying Writing at university, Buddy is now combining his love of music, with his passion for the pen, and his penchant for performing.

Lady Robinson
I am currently a student in the second year of my A-levels and music has always been an important part of my life. Ever since the sounds of the likes of Scroobius Pip and Kate Tempest graced my ears, I have been hooked by the art of spoken word poetry. At first, writing poetry was merely a medium in which to express and vent raw emotion, but it has since flourished, developing into an art form that I have thoroughly embraced. The passion I hold for spoken word poetry is something I really hope to exhibit within my live performances. To date, I have only performed my work in public at Rob da Bank’s Music Club (where my performance was recorded and broadcast by Isle Of Wight Radio). I am very grateful for this opportunity and I believe that it will really help me grow as a spoken word artist.