Bands set to rock Bialystok

Judge Richard Dowling, Patryk Pugawko, Bialystok native studying in LIT, Mayor of Limerick, Maria Byrne, Adrian Cunningham, promoter and David Keary, judge, launching the Rock to Bialystok Competition to take place in Dolan’s Limerick in April

50,000 baying students, mega-rock band the Guano Apes and the oldest rock festival in Poland - what do they all have in common? One lucky Limerick band could be among them, performing as the opening act at the Juwenalia Rock Festival in Poland in May.

Local bands are being called on to enter the ‘Rock to Bialystok’ competition that could see them play at Poland’s oldest rock festival in front of an amazing 30,000 music fans.

The contest, billed as Limerick’s first all rock band competition, will take place over three nights in Limerick in April, with the eventual winner scooping the prestigious prize of an opening spot at the huge international festival.

This coming Monday marks the closing date for entry for the competition, and the organisers are urging local bands to enter the heats, and are seeking “original, energetic and exciting rock bands from the Limerick area” to take part.

“We have a good few entries already and we still have just under a week to go before the closing date,” explained competition promoter, local man Adrian Cunningham, of the Production Office.

“This really is a brilliant opportunity for a local band and there will be three nights of heats in Dolan’s, a nice venue, and each heat will be professionally recorded and the band can keep that recording free of charge,” he added.

The eventual winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to Poland to play at the Juwenalia festival, but Adrian warned that is a rock festival, so a rock band was required.

“It is a rock festival, make no mistake. There is a pre-selection process and it for bands of a rock genre - not necessarily heavy metal, but it does include that. If you are not the kind of band who can stand up in front of 20 or 30,000 people and excite them, then you wouldn’t get very far,” he said.

“We would encourage local bands to enter and there is a burgeoning scene here in Limerick, so we know that the bands are there.

“It doesn’t matter about the quality of the demo, it is the material we want to hear, it doesn’t need to be professionally produced,” he added.

Interested bands need to apply before midnight on Monday, March 28 and should send two mp3 tracks and a full biography to rtb@juwenalia.bialystok.pl.

Nine bands will be shortlisted to play at the three heats in Dolan’s, which will take place on April 5, 12, 19, and three selected bands going through to the final on April 26.

Full details are available here.