Also a little bit of Disco news on a wednesday afternoon....
Do you want to perform at Liverpool International Music Festival?
This
year, organisers are opening up one of the festival’s stages over the busy bank
holiday weekend (23 to 25 August) to young, unsigned artists from the local
region – giving them an unparalleled opportunity to perform in front of an
audience of thousands.
The application process for the LIMF Academy in association with Edge
Hill University stage opened this weekend and will close on 21 June. Launching
at the inaugural festival last year, the LIMF Academy is a programme aimed at
inspiring the next generation of musicians and performers.
All entries will be judged by a panel of experts including BBC
Merseyside presenter Dave Monks, Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Levine and
the festival’s own music curator Yaw Owusu.
15 lucky finalists will be announced on Saturday 12 July live on BBC Introducing
Merseyside – and will be given the
opportunity to perform live at the festival on the LIMF Academy Stage (within
The Palm House at Sefton Park) during the August Bank Holiday weekend. The very best of these finalists – the most
ready to become professional artists in the opinion of the judges - will also
take part in an Elite Masterclass programme after the festival.
The Elite Masterclass programme will include:
A masterclass day of advice with industry insiders
A session and feature on BBC Merseyside with Dave Monks
An full day acoustic recording session at Grammy Award Winning
Producer Steve Levine’s Studio
Showcase event at Edge Hill University
Mentoring through The Label Recordings at Edge Hill University
Makeover by Voodou, styling
session by Resurrection Clothing and photo shoot by Mark McNulty
Discount at Resurrection Clothing
Coverage in local print media
Slot on LIMF 2015 and Threshold 2015 – plus other events
Free tickets to LIMF 2014 gigs
Studio
recording time at Cross Town Studios
Yaw Owusu said: “A vital element of Liverpool International Music
Festival is about nurturing upcoming, young talent from the local area – and
that’s why we launched the LIMF Academy.
“Last year’s Academy was a huge success and the Ones to Watch 2013
winners – Sophia Ben-Yousef and Tyler Mensah (aka Sub Blue) have now gone on to
further their career within the music industry with performances at a number of
key festivals and meeting with influential music industry insiders including
Nick Burgess, the Senior Vice President of A&R for Virgin Records.
“This year, the Academy will be even bigger and better. We’ll be
looking for performers that can really demonstrate an exceptional talent and
are the most ready to go to a professional career. In return, we’re offering
huge exposure for the finalists and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the
winners to progress in the music industry.”
Nick Burgess
said: “The LIMF Academy is a fantastic opportunity for any artist to meet with
record company and get some real experience for what it takes to have a career
in the music industry and to get some direct feedback on their music from
industry experts and it’s a useful tool for any label to hear the cream of the
crop coming out of the Liverpool scene.”
Tyler Mensah (aka Sub Blue), Ones to Watch Winner 2013, said: “It was an amazing experience, it gave me a
lot of publicity and it’s a great thing to take part in especially if you want
to get into music, you should definitely take part in the academy.”
Dave Monks, BBC Merseyside, said: "I'm
very excited to be involved with the LIMF Rising Stars. It's a fantastic
opportunity for any musician in Merseyside who wants to get involved in
themusic industry and take that next big step. We're looking for people with
true talent and enormous passion for what they do – people who can take to the
stage at Liverpool International Music Festival and make the public sit up and
take note. I can't wait to see who our finalists turn out to be!"
For any young performers and artists attending this year’s festival,
there will also be a host of free activities and workshops - all aimed at 13 to
21 years olds. From Saturday 23 to Monday 25 August (12pm to 5pm), workshops on
offer will include singing skills, recording techniques,music production,
DJing, drumming and free running dance. In addition, the Academy area will also
be running LIMF Academy Live Lounge Sessions, a mobile recording studio, a
‘Beat Club’ performance hub, a chill out zone and black cab style photo booth.
For more information – or to apply for the LIMF Academy Rising Stars
2014 – visit www.limfestival.com
