Liverpool International Music Festival Calls out to Stars of the Future

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.

Applications are invited from unsigned bands, artists and DJs aged between 13 and 21 from Merseyside. They can apply by visiting www.LIMFestival.com/academy/apply  

 

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