SUFFOLK bands are being given the chance to go head to head and battle it out to show who really is the best with a great new online talent competition.

SUFFOLK bands are being given the chance to go head to head and battle it out to show who really is the best with a great new online talent competition.

As part of The Evening Star and East Anglian Daily Times' brand new music site lovemusic24.co.uk, which will launch on June 20, the battle of the bands will see fans able to vote for their favourite song online each month.

The monthly winner will then go through to a battle of the bands competition early next year at a venue to be revealed at a later date.

And not only will they be safe in the knowledge that they are voted the best band in Suffolk but they will also get a fantastic prize of recording time with Ipswich based Punch studios.

The competition is aimed at all bands in Suffolk who write their own music and who perform at venues around the county.

Open to anyone of any age, whether the bands are already established or just starting out, the competition is about celebrating the fantastic musical talent that we have in the county.

Joe Bailey who runs Punch Studios and Punch Music Academy knows just how much talent is out there.

He said: “There is huge potential for all bands in Suffolk.

“It's good for bands, particularly bands under the age of 18 to have an outlet to perform.

“Competitions like this will push things forward, it's excellent.”

As a prize for the competition, Mr Bailey has offered the chance for the band to record a maximum of three songs which will be fully multi-tracked and mastered to professional standards.

He set up Punch Studios earlier this year and with experience of playing the local gig scene, he has now moved in to producing and engineering new young bands in the recording studio.

He was also involved in setting up Punch Music Academy which offers music lessons including guitar, drums, percussion and vocals as well as rock schools and other workshops.

For more information go to www.punchmusicacademy.co.uk, www.punchstudios.co.uk or call Mr Bailey on 07812 441716

Do you think enough is done to support live music in Suffolk? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, email starnews@eveningstar.co.uk or have your say on www.eveningstar.co.uk

THE MUSIC SITE

Lovemusic24.co.uk is a site that will celebrate live music in Suffolk, offering a comprehensive gig guide, information on bands and the venues where they play, gig reviews and handy hints on getting a new band started.

The site launches on June 20 with a free all day gig at The Steamboat Tavern, Ipswich featuring a number of bands from around the county - Lisa Ambrose, Stand Still Kid, Crab Meat Moon, We Slay Skies, Cosmic Sands, A Fate Untold, Stratosfire, Mr Happy Chainsaw and Underline The Sky.

THE COMPETITION

From June 20 bands will be able to send in or email in a song that they have written each month which will then be posted on lovemusic24.co.uk.

Fans can then vote for their favourite song online or by text and the winning band will go forward for the battle of the bands competition.

The monthly winning band will also get a one-page feature in The Evening Star, telling their story of how they got together and their hopes for the future as well as where they will performing in the weeks to come.

More details of how to get your music online will be revealed in The Evening Star nearer to the launch date.