Scottish rock band We See Lights today fought off competition from across the country to be crowned the winners of this year’s BT Battle of the Bands contest, earning themselves a coveted spot playing the main stage at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival in association with BT.
The seven-strong Edinburgh group triumphed over nine other up-and-coming acts from across the UK in the national final earlier today at the BT Tower in Central London.
BT, the primary sponsor of this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, hosted the Battle of the Bands contest to give the UK’s hottest new musical talent a once-in-a-lifetime chance to perform in front of thousands at the Festival this summer. The 3-day festival takes place in June and will include performances from the Sex Pistols, The Police and Ian Brown.
We See Lights will be following in the footsteps of rock greats including The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie, all of whom have appeared at the legendary festival. The band impressed the panel of music industry experts, including Starsailor vocalist James Walsh, singer Arno Carstens and Isle of Wight Festival organiser John Giddings, plus Gavin and Stacey star Mathew Horne.
Runners-up The Velcros and The Tempus didn’t go home empty-handed, earning themselves a high profile support slot alongside Starsailor at London’s Borderline later this year.
The BT Battle of the Bands competition provides a platform for the rising stars of the UK music scene to showcase what they are really made of in front of a massive audience of both potential fans and the cream of the UK music industry.
We See Lights are a seven-piece act, with an uncompromising, multi-layered sound. They have already gained the support of XFM in Scotland and have many gigs planned across the UK.
Matthew Dearden, director of home phones said, “We’re delighted to offer We See Lights the chance to appear at the famous Isle of Wight Festival. The judging panel was impressed with the band’s stage presence and songwriting, and all agreed that they had the perfect festival soundâ€.
Now in its seventh year, since its reincarnation in 2002, the Isle of Wight Festival is undoubtedly one of the most distinctive and well-loved festivals on the calendar – scooping the two UK Festival Awards for Best Major UK Festival and Outstanding Contribution to Festivals. The Isle of Wight Festival takes place 13th – 15th June at Seaclose Park, Newport, Isle of Wight.
An extra wave of tickets for this year’s sold-out Isle of Wight Festival is now available from bt.com/isleofwight
