Carling Supports Showcase
AMA
Carling Supports saw Carling scour the UK on a mission to unearth the best local music talent. Entrants were encouraged to upload their two best tracks to www.carling.com and four outstanding bands from Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow Liverpool and Newcastle were given the opportunity to play at their local Carling Academy. The prize at stake was a Supporting slot at a Carling venue, priceless exposure in NME and the opportunity to showcase their talents to an industry crowd in London.
Of the twenty-five hopefuls, the five finalists were:
Pinstripe (Carling Supports Bristol)
Page 44 (Carling Supports Birmingham)
Stoneleaf (Carling Supports Newcastle)
The Inventors (Carling Supports Liverpool)
Yoshi (Carling Supports Glasgow)
Armed with a tour bus with their name on it, our five intrepid bands set out on a mission to conquer London in the Carling Supports Showcase and didn’t fail to impress. The event kicked off with the hilarious comedy of award winning Andrew Maxwell, who introduced the bands and ensured there was never a still moment in the two hundred strong crowd.
First up came Pinstripe; showing no signs of a band of eighteen-year-olds who have been playing together for less than two years. They breezed through a string of catchy hits of the future, showing the maturity of group way beyond their years.
Then the crowd were treated to the musical delights of Merseysides The Inventors. The scouse six some looked at home on Supports stage and picked up a room full of fans at the same time. Sounding like a cross between The Coral and The Zutons, they had the room swaying to their quirky grooves from start to finish.
Third on the bill was Birmingham’s Page 44. Taking the night in a rockier direction, they blasted out a string of anthems that would be as home in a stadium as they were to the intimate Supports crowd.
Just as the crowd began to mosh, Yoshi took over and filled the room with a funk injected dance floor explosion. Sounding like a Scottish version of Junior Senior, they rolled out the baselines, plucked the funky licks and rapped to the crowds delight.
Last but not least came Stoneleaf. The Geordie three piece finished the night with a heavy dose of grunge that left the crowd with something to talk about on the way home. It was no surprise to see an entourage of happy fans in attendance for the polished outfit.
Ice-cold Carling, a happy crowd and the best new music made the Carling Supports Showcase the complete live experience! Look out for its return in 2008.
