Over the past fortnight bands from all over Scotland have competed in Hard Rock Cafe’s Hard Rock Rising Global Battle of the Bands 2013 at the Cafe in George Street Edinburgh.
The competition was a great success and I was invited to judge on two of the four nights which I very much enjoyed.
Bands from Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Midlothian competed to win the chance to play at Hard Rock Calling in London this summer as well as thousands of pounds worth of equipment, a record deal and a world tour.
Jim n the Crickets from Dumbarton won the overall competition, however the standard of bands was tremendous and hopefully showcased a lot of the best up and coming music in Scotland.
Jim n the Crickets came out on top in a final which was totally brilliant, and had the added bonus of being judged by Bruce Watson and Jamie Watson from Big Country, Derek Forbes formerly of Simple Minds and now with Big Country, Forth 1’s Paula Whitelock and Mark Martin. They had a massive job on their hands and I was glad I was not judging this one!
The first band up were heat 3 winners Blackjack with band members from Edinburgh and Penicuik. They got the final underway with a tremendous three song set that set the bar very high for the remaining acts and they performed very well with massive praise from all five judges.
Next up were Jim n the Crickets who put in a fabulous performance and in my humble opinion a bigger and better performance than they did to get into the final.
Last up were the superb GutterGodz from Aberdeen who gave it their all in a fantastic show. They rocked the Cafe big style, however the night belonged to Jim n the Crickets who came away the worthy winners and now go forward to a global competition in the hope of winning the massive prize at the end of the competition.
All five judges praised the bands very highly . Some of those judges are from some of the biggest Scottish bands ever and they know their stuff! All congratulations go to Jim n the Crickets winners of Hard Rock Rising 2013 and aslo a massive well done to Lesley Ross, Sales and Marketing Manager ,at Hard Rock Edinburgh and the whole Hard Rock team for a great event.
Below is an interview with the winning band Jim n the Crickets:
Jim n the Crickets Hard Rock Rising Winners Interview by Basher1969 on Mixcloud
Married Father of Three Great Children, Radio Presenting and Article/Review Writing As A Hobby. Lover Of Music and Like To Think I'm A Decent Guy.
