BLISSFIELDS FESTIVAL IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE DETAILS OF IT’S ROAD TO BLISSFIELDS COMPETITION, NOW BIGGER THAN EVER BEFORE, SPREADING OUT INTO THE NORTH OF ENGLAND WITH A NATIONAL FINAL. LOCAL WRITERS COMPETITION ALSO LAUNCHED…
 
Blissfields has been championing new music for years. Not only having early performances from artists such as Ben Howard, Mystery Jets and Mumford & Sons, its opening night has always belonged to pure discovery. Each spring organizers host a series of live events to seek out the best undiscovered artists to play on the Thursday night of the festival.
 
Acts are invited to enter the competition via an online form, from which four or five will be asked to play a live heat in their local town. The winner of that heat will then either play at the festival in July if they’re competing at one of the local events, or on to the national final in London where a winner will represent all towns further afield.
 
The Blissfields soundscape is one of pop, rock, indie, folk, dance and electronic, so almost any genre of act can get involved – from twelve piece experimental grunge experiences, to tight and controlled digital pioneers… there really is room for anybody. All acts can apply via www.blissfields.co.uk/information/road-to-blissfields and choosing their home (or nearest) town.
 
The dates are confirmed as:
 
LOCAL VENUES AND DATES:
Portsmouth: Edge of the Wedge, Saturday March 23rd 2013
Poole: Mr Kyps,  Saturday 30th March 2013
Guildford: The Boileroom,  Friday 5th April 2013
Southampton: The Joiners, Saturday 13th April 2013
Basingstoke: Sanctuary, Saturday 20th April 2013
Winchester: The Railway Inn, Sunday May 5th (Bank Holiday Weekend)
Salisbury: Altar Club,  Salisbury Arts Centre, Saturday 18th May 2013
 
NATIONAL VENUES AND DATES:
Leicester: The Shed, Saturday 30th March
Stoke-on-Trent: The Sugarmill, Friday 4th April
Nottingham: The Maze, Thursday 11th April
London: The Wheelbarrow, Saturday 13th April
Brighton: Sticky Mikes Frog Bar, Friday 19th April
 
LONDON NATIONAL FINAL:
London: Surya, Monday 6th May
 
As in 2012 a competition is also launched to find the best new music writers out there, wanting to get involved with journalism. Each event will have a media partner – be that the best local music blog or print newspaper – who will publish the best, most Lester Bangs worthy, review from all entries received. The winner will also win PRESS TICKETS to the festival in July and get the chance to experience the event from the other side of the fence, again their review being published with their local media partner.