2019 Blog
Meet the Flash Funding for Vinyl Winners of 2019!
On the 9th of May, Key Production along with PRS Foundation, Metropolis Studios and Music Glue, hosted the Flash Funding for Vinyl panel at The Great Escape 2019 to choose 4 lucky winners of 500 records, mastering of 4 tracks and release support.
This year, we were graced by the presence of Anton Newcombe (The Brian Jonestown Massacre), Julie Weir (Music For Nations/Sony), Jamz Supernova (Presenter, BBC Radio 1Xtra), David Bianchi (Various Artists Management) and Claire Alliott (Stellar Songs Publishing / TW9 Music Management) to evaluate the artists' submissions.
This years' 120 applications represented an almost 50/50 gender split, with a good spread across genres and the majority of hopefuls came from outside of London. The panellists watched a shortlist of 8 video submissions where the artists explained to us why they were ready to have a vinyl release at this point in their career. We'd like to thank all the participants that participated in the Flash Funding for Vinyl panel 2019, the amazing panellists, The Great Escape, PRS Foundation, Music Glue and Metropolis for making this great initiative possible! Have a read and get to know the winning artists!
You can watch a recording of the live panel here and below provides some insight into the winners themselves. Congratulation!
Gardna
Luke Gardna is a lyricist hailing from Bristol, UK who operates within the genres of Dub, Grime and Dancehall. Harbouring true passion for sound system culture and being blessed as a wordsmith has allowed Gardna to approach the music game from a fresh perspective to truly make an impact on the worldwide underground bass circuit. 2018 saw the release of the collaborative project between The Nextmen vs Gentleman’s Dub Club album where Gardna features on four tracks alongside vocalists Joe Dukie, Hollie Cook, Kiko Bun, Chali 2na and Eva Lazarus. Rudeboy, the first single of the album Pound For Pound garnered over 10 plays across the major BBC Radio platforms as well as being featured on the prestigious Spotify New Music Friday playlist.
Facebook | Soundcloud | Twitter
Lauran Hibberd
Lauran Hibberd is Isle Of Wight’s rising sensation with a growing status within the UK’s emerging indie elite. Buzzing across the airwaves with BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac, Huw Stephens and Jack Saunders all throwing their support behind the young musician, Lauran’s witty, off-kilter approach continues to attract glowing praise from the online community (The Line Of Best Fit, Clash, The 405) and welcome comparisons to contemporaries including Courtney Barnett and Phoebe Bridgers. Touring with the likes of Hippo Campus, and with a Glastonbury slot this summer via BBC Introducing.
Website | Soundcloud | Instagram | Twitter
Soeur
Soeur is a dual-fronted, three-piece making rock band who are Worcester raised and Bristol based. Breaking hard-rock down to its simplest, most fundamental form, Sœur are a brutal, soulful assault on the senses. Bound together and battle-hardened by an experience & appreciation of the fringes of British rock music, Anya Pulver, Tina Maynard & James Collins have already found their incendiary live shows selling out in dive bars and clubs across their native South West. With vocal lines that tangle & intertwine, riffs so substantial they’ve got their own postcode, and a beat - provided by former Maybeshewill drummer James Collins - that ties everything down with industrial power, this is a sound of colossal proportions.
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Hoopla Blue
Birthed out of the Birmingham alternative scene, Hoopla Blue have carved themselves a niche of their own. With a live show that deftly probes the juxtaposition of light and dark, early performances garnered the band support appearances with Wolf Alice, Temples, Stealing Sheep, Merchandise, Happiness, and Widowspeak. Championed by the likes of BBC Introducing. They have shared the stage with the likes of The Flaming Lips, Algiers, Public Service Broadcasting, Let's Eat Grandma, Kite Base, Lowly, Mothers, Blaenavon and Dutch Uncles to highlight a few. - Hotvox