Young musicians to audition for Rock and Pop Festival

YOUNG musicians are set to battle it out for a place in the annual Rock and Pop Festival organised by Oxfordshire County Council’s Music Service.

Around seven bands will be chosen from auditions of about 40 musicians by a panel of experts from the Music Service’s Rock and Pop staff at Centre for Music headquarters at Bayard’s Hill School, Headington, Oxford, on Saturday January 31.

Musicians from all over Oxfordshire

The bands due to tryout include Ioneye, Rotary Attachment and Picnic Now!, who are all well-known on the county gig circuit and who are looking to appear at the Rock and Pop Festival gig, which takes place at the Centre for Music on Friday April 3, for a fourth time.

The groups come from all over Oxfordshire, attending schools in Abingdon, Faringdon, Woodstock, Thame, Oxford, Bloxham and Kidlington. Their musical influences range from The Beatles, Nirvana and Green Day to more modern groups such as Lost Prophets, Kings of Leon and The Raconteurs.

A great experience

Nick Wright, Rock and Pop’s Manager, said: “The bands auditioning for the festival are always of the highest quality and this year will be no exception.”

Councillor Jim Couchman, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Social and Community Services, said: “The continued success of the Rock and Pop Festival is yet another example of Oxfordshire’s Music Service providing opportunities for musicians at all levels of experience, from those who have never had a chance to play in a large venue before to those that play regular gigs around the county.”

Tickets for the April gig, at