Square Factor have a Winner!

The competition called, The Square Factor, supported by Newport City Homes, invited bands and solo artists aged 18 and under to enter with ten finalists selected.
The finalists were then put through their paces in a two-day workshop at Le Pub before playing before a panel of judges including Emma Corten- editor of Voice, Sian Nicholas of Newport City Homes, Chris Vinnicombe from musicradar.com, Sam Harries from Le Pub, Dave Corten from Flyscreen, Sam from Asda (who supplied the food for the two-day workshop) and Leanne, daughter of the late John Sicolo.

 

The judges had great difficulty in selecting the winner due to the fact that the entries were so diverse – from Noel Gallagher-inspired solo artists, to a metal band, a punk band, and much more besides. After a final ‘rock-off’ the winner was decided via a point scoring system which included marks for showmanship, originality and benefit from the workshops provided.

In third place were The Dolts and in second came metal cello quartet, Nexus. A special award went to ska-punkers Cash on Delivery for being the most improved band of the weekend and the overall winner was Joe Kelly from Ringland, Newport.Joe will now go on to play at TJ’s in the Square on July 10th alongside GLC, Flyscreen, The Darling Buds and many of Newport’s greats.

“The competition showed how much diverse musical talent there is in Newport,” Sian said.
“I was so impressed with the friendships forged between groups during the competition and the support they showed one another. I am really looking forward to watching Joe at the event on the 10th and am sure that the crowds will love his music.”

For more information on TJ’s in the Square which is supported by Newport Festival 2010 and Newport Initiative and brought to you by Voice and fanzine Frug, visit www.wearevoice.co.uk