GBOB news

GBOB Challenge England dates open

2009-05-18T15:41:07+00:00

The GBOB Challenge World Final 2008 was won by Floors and Walls (pictured) from England. And while previous winners have come from Spain, Ireland, USA and the Faroe Islands, there is a special buzz in England this year as a host of new bands attempt to follow in their footsteps. more... The England Qualifying events have been confirmed as: September 19 The Man on the Moon, Cambridge; September 20 The Purple Turtle, Camden, London; September 21 The Plug, Sheffield; September 22 The Cooperage, Newcastle; September 28 The Fleece, Bristol; October 1 The Talking Heads, Southampton; October 2 Coaition, Brighton; October 5 The Studio, Manchester; October 11 229 Great Portland Street, Regent’s Park, London; and October 12 O2 Academy, Birmingham. Featuring the very best bands from those qualifying rounds, the England Final will take place at the Jam House in Birmingham (date to be confirmed). For more details or to register, click here.

GBOB Challenge Serbia kicks off

2009-05-14T15:33:41+00:00

The GBOB Challenge Serbia 2009 is now open for band registrations. The band that wins the 2009 Serbian title will follow in the footsteps of last year’s winners Tea Break (pictured receiving their statuette from Sex Pistol Glen Matlock) and head to the World Final in London in December 2009. Qualification events will take place in Zajecar (04/09); Nis (05/09); Beograd (10/09); Beograd (11/09); Beograd (12/09); Beograd (13/09); Kragujevac (18/09); Zrenjanin (19/09); and Novi Sad (25/09). There will be a Regional Final in Beograd (Belgrade) on September 26 and the National Final will also take place in Belgrade on October 10. For registration details click here

Floors And Walls Festival dates

2009-04-30T13:31:58+00:00

Since coming first in the GBOB Challenge – Global Battle of the Bands World Final 2008 last December, Floors And Walls from Brighton, England have been gigging almost non-stop and will keep their foot on the pedal throughout summer 2009. The melodic hard rock/rap band are one of the most explosive live acts you will ever see and there’s a chance to check them out on a number of Festival stages including Sellindge Festival at Ashford, June 12; the Isle of Wight Festival, June 17, Redfest at Redhill, Surrey, July 25 and Leopoloosa, Bude, Cornwall, August 29. If you want to see them in a more intimate setting they also have tour dates at: The Studio, Isle of Wight, May 1; Sticky Fungus, Staines, May 2; Islington Academy, London, May 3; Latest Music Bar, Brighton, May 10; Liverpool Sound City, May 21; Black Cat, Horsham, May 23; Esquires, Bedford, May 29; and Zebra Bar, Maidstone, June 3.

GBOB Challenge 2009 Kicks off

2009-04-23T13:36:56+00:00

Another year, another GBOB Challenge and another 100,000 USD to be won! Qualifying events are already open in Australia, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan and New Zealand and more and more countries will be opening for registration in the coming months. If your country is not open for registration yet you can asked to be alerted by email when there are dates open – just go to GBOB Challenge, click on your country and click on GBOB Challenge Register Alert.

Jetstream signed by RCA

2009-02-27T16:21:02+00:00

GBOB Challenge USA winners Jetstream have been signed by RCA Records. Although none of the band members were older than 14 at the time, winning the USA 2007 national final won them a trip to the GBOB Challenge World Finals in London later that year where they came second. They may have narrowly missed out on the 100,000 USD first prize but their success brought them to the attention of the music industry. This led them to record a handful of demos with producer Julian Raymond in 2008, which in turn led to the RCA deal. They even have a seasoned rock manager in the shape of Peter Mensch who also manages Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. The hard-rocking teens, who take their musical inspiration from classic guitar bands old enough to be their grandparents, are no strangers to the local California live scene. They’ve played the Roxy and Club Nokia in Los Angeles, the Majestic Ventura Theater, the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills and recently played to 20,000 people at Dodger Stadium as part of a charity fundraiser.

What the 2008 World Finalists said…

2009-01-09T10:52:10+00:00

“We had an excellent time! We were also really pleased to see so many other great bands. It was really well organized and we never had any problems with anything. Thank you to everyone in the GBOB team – you were really helpful.” The Leads (Scotland - pictured) “We are almost lost for words about how cool this experience has been. We had a great time from the time we landed in London until we left. We met lots of great people and bands. Thanks so much for this experience.” Christine (Norway) “We'd like to thank everyone involved with GBOB as it has given us the chance to meet some great people and make some useful contacts. It enables bands globally to network with major industry guests. Overall, GBOB provides all artists with a truly great experience.” Floors and Walls (England) “What a great experience the GBOB Challenge has been! We sincerely want to thank everyone who made all of this possible. You are part of some memories we will carry to the grave and we truly hope we'll have a chance to meet again.” Fable (Canada) “I just wanted to tell you how wonderful it was to be part of the awesome GBOB challenge…we had such a blast from beginning to end! It was a blessing to meet so many lovely and talented people!” Metro (Denmark) “Many thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this thing happen. We had really great time in London and we enjoyed playing with so many great bands.” Restless Soul (Italy) “Thank you so much for everything the GBOB team did for us. We had a great time in London and made some great friends. We loved playing the final, it was two great nights with a lot of great music, it was a pleasure and an honour to be involved.” Baby Jenx (Ireland) “Thanks for some fantastic days in London and all your hard work putting together the GBOB event. The band had a brilliant time.” Darksound (Spain) “We had a great time in London. Everything was very well organised and it was a great experience for us.” Wallace Vanborn (Belgium) “The GBOB World Final was one of our greatest experiences in the seven years we’ve been together! All the bands in the final really deserved to be there. We think that you should keep it up that way in the future.” Tea Break (Serbia) “It was one of the best experiences of our lives to take part in such a well organised event. We didn’t win but getting so much feedback from people was all we needed – that’s what pushes you forward…” The Marker (Romania) “We just wanna say thank you! We had a great time in London and we are looking forward to seeing you again!” Pinky Piglets (Japan) “We had the best time ever! It was so nice to meet bands that were amazing and yet super cool!! In our opinion we saw some of the most talented bands in the world.” Broke City (USA) “Thanks to all at GBOB – we had such a good time in the UK! We made many friends in different countries and it was the biggest and best competition we have ever participated in.” Killer Soap (China)

Floors and Walls win World Final

2008-12-16T11:09:55+00:00

A band from Brighton, England, Floors and Walls, were the winners of the GBOB Challenge 2008 World Finals. The event featured national final winning bands from 26 countries playing two-song, eight-minute sets to an appreciative audience at the Scala, King’s Cross, London last night (December 15 2008). The panel of judges were Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols bassist/songwriter), Jim Lowe (producer: Stereophonics, Charlatans etc) and Ben Adams (ex-member of A1 and now producer). They were impressed by Floors and Walls’ extraordinary on-stage energy as well as their well-crafted rock-rap songs. In second place were teenage rockers Powerage from Australia who played with the swagger and assurance of old pros, and the delightful all-girl punk band Pinky Piglets from Japan took third place. Fourth place went to melodic rockers Baby Jenx from Ireland and joint fifth place went to Lady Fire from the Faroe Islands and indie rockers The Leads from Scotland. But as well as those six bands, all the bands who took part in the GBOB Challenge 2008 World Finals played their part in making the event such a success. A special shout therefore goes out to (in no particular order: C'Cord from Indonesia, Curanderos from Germany, Christine from Norway, Sorry Boys from Poland, Lab Rat from Malaysia, Tea Break from Serbia, Restless Soul from Italy, Wallace Vanborn from Belgium, Metro from Denmark, The Marker from Romania, Killer Soap from China, Kali-Mist from Wales, Darksound from Spain, ToDo from Moldova, Agent Fresco from Iceland, Broke City from the USA, Abroad Experiments from Croatia and Fable from Canada. A heartfelt thanks also goes out to Tango Tempo from the Ukraine and Phoenix from Pakistan, who won in their respective countries and should have played in the World Finals but were unable to come because of delays in getting visas to fly to London. Three of the bands are still in town and will be playing a special gig at the Bridgehouse II in Canning Town on Wednesday, December 17, which should be a special treat. On stage will be Powerage from Australia (who came second in the World Final), The Marker from Romania and Killer Soap from China. It's free to get in too! Bridgehouse II, Bidder Street, Canning Town, London E16 Tel: 020 74 74 32 00 website: http://www.bh2live.com

The GBOB Challenge World Finals – a world of music comes to London

2008-12-13T06:08:55+00:00

The GBOB Challenge 2008 World Final, featuring 26 national final winning bands from all over the world, takes place at the Scala, King’s Cross on Sunday and Monday December 14 and 15 (doors open 7pm, first band onstage 7:30pm). It will be judged by Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, producer Jim Lowe (Stereophonics, Charlatans) etc., and former A1 and now pop svengali Ben Adams. The hostess on both nights will be easy-on-the-eye model and MTV Thailand presenter Michele Ronja (pictured). After watching all the action over the two nights the judges will award the winning band the first prize of $100,000 USD. The bands playing each night, in no particular order are: December 14: Powerage (Australia); Wallace Vanborn (Belgium); Metro (Denmark); Lady Fire (Faroe Islands); Curanderos (Germany); C’Cord (Indonesia); Baby Jenx (Ireland); Restless Soul (Italy); Pinky Piglets (Japan); Sorry Boys (Poland); The Leads (Scotland); Tea Break (Serbia); Tango Tempo (Ukraine). December 15: Fable (Canada); Killer Soap (China); Abroad Experiments (Croatia); Floors And Walls (England); Agent Fresco (Iceland); Lab Rat (Malaysia); ToDo (Moldova); Christine (Norway) Phoenix (Pakistan); The Marker (Romania); Darksound (Spain); Broke City (USA); Kali-Mist (Wales). The doors at the Scala open at 7pm each night and the first band is onstage at 7:30pm. Tickets priced £10 for 1 night and £15 for both nights are available from WeGotTickets (who have a clever ticketless delivery system), or buy tickets in person at the Scala Box Office (020 7833 2022) or Stargreen Box Office, 20-21 Argyle Street, London W1 (Oxford Circus tube).

The GBOB Challenge World Finals 2008 line-up

2008-11-30T23:43:52+00:00

With all the national finals around the world now completed, the GBOB Challenge World Finals line-up has now been finalised. Taking place at the Scala in London on December 14 and 15 the two-night event will see 13 bands performing each night. The same panel of judges will be assessing the bands from both nights with the results being announced at the end of the last night. The standard of the bands taking part is exceptionally high, so we believe the judges have a tough job on their hands. The bands playing each night of the GBOB Challenge World Finals 2008 are: December 14: Powerage (Australia); Wallace Vanborn (Belgium); Metro (Denmark); Lady Fire (Faroe Islands);Curanderos (Germany); C’Cord (Indonesia); Baby Jenx (Ireland); Restless Soul (Italy); Pinky Piglets (Japan); Sorry Boys (Poland); The Leads (Scotland); Tea Break (Serbia); Tango Tempo (Ukraine). December 15: Fable (Canada); Killer Soap (China); Abroad Experiments (Croatia); Floors And Walls (England); Agent Fresco (Iceland); Lab Rat (Malaysia); ToDo (Moldova); Christine (Norway) Phoenix (Pakistan); The Marker (Romania); Darksound (Spain); Broke City (USA); Kali Mist (Wales). Please note: the finalists are listed alphabetically by country – this is not the order in which they will play each night. Check out the finalists' band profiles here

Agent Fresco win in Iceland

2008-11-29T15:55:02+00:00

The final part of the musical jigsaw that is the GBOB Challenge has fallen into place. Up-and-coming rock band Agent Fresco have won the GBOB Challenge Iceland final to complete the line-up of fantastic bands taking part in the GBOB Challenge World Finals at the Scala in London on December 14 and 15. Agent Fresco were the unanimous choice of the Iceland jury which included deligates from the Icelandic national and music media. The band has already been making a name for themselves in Iceland by winning the Musiktilraunir (music experiments) competition. They also played blistering sets at this year’s Iceland Airwaves festival where they were considered by many to be the surprise hit of the event.

Successful Experiments in Croatia

2008-11-27T21:42:08+00:00

Prog-rock fusion band Abroad Experiments are the winners of the GBOB Challenge 2008 Croatia. The Croatian Final, which took place at the historic and much-loved Saloon club in the heart of Zagreb, seemed to draw the best out of the six finalists. The participating bands pulled all the stops out to provide a music event that few who were there will forget. Every band that played would have been a worthy winner. But a decision had to be made, and in the end the judges decreed that Abroad Experiments were the best band to send to the World Finals at the London Scala on December 14 and 15. The band started when guitarist Daniel returned from Germany and handed a CD containing some new songs to Ivan (vocals) and Marco (drums). The CD had “Abroad Experiments” scribbled on its cover. The name stuck – as did the songs – and with the arrival of bassist Vedran, the band was complete. Abroad Experiments have since gigged all over Croatia, impressed with a dazzling live performance on the Metro Show on STV2 (Slovakian National Television), and have twice played the famous Hodokvas Festival in Slovakia. Now their first UK gig – and perhaps international fame – beckons.

ToDo can do and did do in Moldova

2008-11-26T21:59:30+00:00

The 2008 National Final of GBOB Challenge Moldova saw 17 bands giving it their all to a capacity crowd at the Faraon Club in Chisinau. The standard was very high but only one band could win. That honour fell to up-and-coming band ToDo (picture courtesy of pamparam – for more pictures click here) who will now represent their country in the GBOB Challenge World Finals at the Scala in London on December 14 and 15. It was a hard-won victory though, with ToDo only marginally beating Headswitch in second place and Scroom in third place. But even the bands that didn’t win won’t lose out. Major TV network MuzTV filmed the entire five-hour concert, which was ably hosted by GBOB’s National Director Victoria Dobrogeanu, and they will present all 17 bands in dedicated TV episodes, ending with coverage of both the Moldovan Final and the World Final. ToDo may be from an east European backwater in global terms but they are at the cutting-edge of a worldwide underground phenomenon some are calling the third Emo wave (Crikey…nobody told us…we’re still mopping up after the second wave!). So no suicidal tendencies, miserablism or tears from these guys – instead it’s positive energy and cheeky grins all the way to the World Final. Could the coolest band in the world come from Moldova? Why not?

Phoenix on fire in Karachi

2008-11-25T22:28:22+00:00

Phoenix, one of Pakistan’s fastest-rising underground rock bands, are the winners of the first-ever GBOB Challenge Pakistan Final. It was held at Royale Rodale, one of the most revered clubs in Karachi and the perfect stage for an event with so much at stake in the search for the absolute best contender to represent Pakistan at the World Finals in London. Five bands competed in the Final and from the intensity of their performances it was evident that each band was determined to be the one that would get to perform at the famous Scala in London. The performances were thoroughly weighed up by a heavyweight judging panel that included Imu, a member of Fusion, one of Pakistan’s top rock bands; Maize, the respected DJ and VJ and a familiar face and voice on Pakistan’s leading entertainment TV and radio channels; and last but not least, Khurram, a popular journalist from The Dawn, one of Pakistan’s biggest newspapers. Although Phoenix have only been together as a unit for five months, the individual members have an impressive pedigree in different areas of music. Guitarist Omar Khalil and drummer Adrian Fletcher have played together in several bands over the last six years. Bassist Blaise Pereira has been teaching music for just as many years. Lead guitarist Sean Arnaz cut his musical teeth playing professionally in Dubai and South Africa. And singer Kevin Fernandez has until now made a living from making jingles for brands such as KFC and Nestle. With Phoenix, the guys feel that the time is right to stick to their guns and use their shared aspirations and passion for music to make it big on their own terms.

Girl Power from Japan

2008-11-24T21:29:03+00:00

Eighty-three bands took part in the GBOB Challenge nationally. Six bands made it through to the Japanese Final at a hot and heaving Aube club in Shibuya, Tokyo. But only one band would walk away with the first prize. And that was the delightfully-named Pinky Piglets, a four-piece, all-girl punk band from Tokyo. The judges with the unenviable task of choosing the winning band were Noriomi Terui (Artist Development, Sony Music), Daisuke Koyano (Artist Development, Sony Music), Hiroyuki Noguchi (Editor in Chief, Guitar Magazine), Kenichiro Hakariya (CEO, Medialeaf) and Takeshi Ohyashiki (National director, GBOB Japan). The smorgasbord of musical styles in the final didn’t make the judges’ job any easier. As well as the Pinky Piglets’ brand of punk rock, there was jazz rock from SexRex; pop from Demolight; heavy dance rock from Buffalo 3; UK-influenced rock-indie from The Monochrome Shelled Life; and Japanese Emo from Giniro. The Pinky Piglets have been together since 1998 and one year later they won the gold prize in the competition Young Sound FES (no, we don’t know what “FES” means either). In 2001 they were a smash hit at the Yamaha Teens Music Festival Tokyo Area. 2006 saw the release of their first single "Hadakano (... of naked)" and they provided the opening and closing songs for cult anime movie "Jinzokonchu Kabutoborg VxV". And in 2007 their second single "Beatlepower!" and mini album "Hopping!!" were released to great acclaim.

C’Cord hits the right note in Indonesia

2008-11-24T00:35:39+00:00

The very first GBOB Challenge Indonesia completed its search for the best band to represent the country internationally with the crowning of the five-piece pop-folk band, C’Cord as outright winners. The Indonesian national final was held at the picturesque Backstage Café Ancol in Jakarta that saw a spectacular stage, sound and lighting system set against an equally spectacular sea view. Twelve bands battled it out in the finals after a stringent selection process from four qualifying heats in Bandung and another in Bali. More than 70 bands competed in the preliminaries with their eyes set on conquering the London Scala stage as Indonesia’s first finalist at The GBOB Challenge World Final. Indonesia’s music professionals were well represented in a five-man panel that included Wendy Putranto, Chief Music Editor of Rolling Stone Magazine indonesia. They chose C’Cord from all the talented Indonesian bands on offer for their original concept of infusing pop-rock music with traditional Indonesian instrumentation. And they were in no doubt that C’Code’s unique performance will catch the attention of international audiences as well as the judges at the GBOB Challenge 2008 World Finals at the Scala in London on December 14 and 15.

Restless Soul going places

2008-11-22T22:49:28+00:00

Restless Soul are the fantastic band that Italy is sending to the GBOB Challenge 2008 World Finals in London next month. The panel of top-drawer judges assembled for the Italian final at a packed out Palazzo Granaio in Milan gave them first place after a very long (and for the bands, agonising) discussion. Clearly it was no easy choice for the judges as all five bands that had progressed through the qualifying heats to the Italian final set an extremely high standard. A big shout then to Wanderlust, The Brats, Krop Circles and Trek – any one of whom would have made a great world finalist. But there could be only one winner. Restless Soul from Vicenza are a four-piece band blessed with a singer who has an extraordinary Mercury-esque voice. Combine that with harmonised guitar licks worthy of Thin Lizzie (or Brian May for that matter); Beatlesque backing vocals and a thumpingly good rhythm section and you are ticking a lot of boxes. We look forward to seeing them play live in the World Finals on December 14 and 15 at the Scala.

Christine wins in Norway

2008-11-21T21:36:28+00:00

The GBOB Challenge 2008 Norway has been won by Christine, who are four guys and a girl singer called…you guessed it…Christine! The panel of judges were unanimous in their choice despite one of the strongest national final line-ups that GBOB Norway has ever seen. Blue Monday, who came second, were “one of the best metal bands in Norway”, according to one judge, and Bastarized were praised by another judge for their “fantatic energy – rock ‘n’ roll all the way”. Honorable mentions also went to Artilius (third place) as well as Pandora Peaks and 7 Days And A Miracle (joint fourth). Even many of the other bands that took part agreed that Christine has a fantastic voice. It's one that can shift from a seductive purr to a soulful scream at the bat of an eyelash – and this girl knows how to bat an eyelash! And there were some record companies present who wanted to sign her on the spot! Christine and the boys now head to London for the GBOB Challenge World Final at the Scala, King’s Cross on December 14 and 15. Don't miss their performance.

GBOB winners rock German TV show

2008-11-21T10:47:43+00:00

GBOB challenge Germany 2006 winners Amplify took a lot of confidence out of that victory. So much so, that after the experience of sharing a stage with some of the world’s best new bands at the World Final in London, they returned to Germany determined to go for all or nothing. Having just finished school, the four lads from Hittfeld near Hamburg moved into a house together and set about making a living with the band. Well, three years down the line, they're well on their way. They have played over 200 gigs driving all over Germany in their van, produced two self-released albums and built up an impressive fan base. When they showed up a couple of weeks ago on "Das Supertalent", a German TV talent show, not only did the crowd in the Hamburg theatre go nuts for the young group, so too did the judges. Head judge Dieter Bohlen – pop legend and 170million album selling producer – said, "I don't believe the Beatles sounded much different when they hit the Hamburg scene in the 60s." See them on the show here Being the only band to actually play live in the TV show, they will perform for around 6 million viewers on Saturday, November 22. The semi-final will be broadcast on RTL and starts at 20:15 CET. If they do well, Amplify will make it to final just one week later. But whether they win or not, the GBOB winners have already raised their profile through a couple of recent TV appearances and will go on tour in February 2009.

Darksound set their sights on London

2008-11-21T09:52:31+00:00

Rock metal band Darksound from Badajoz in southwest Spain are the winners of the GBOB Challenge Spain 2008. In a tightly contested national final at the renowned Garaje in Murcia, the judges chose them to be the band to represent Spain at the GBOB Challenge World Finals at the Scala in London in December 2008. Formed in 1999, Darksound were originally Ricardo Larios on guitar and vocals, David Lopez on bass and Jesús del Castillo on drums. In 2001 Javi Caldito (guitar) and Pedro Wichards (vocals) came on board to take the line-up up a gear to an entirely new level. Their sound combines classic rock vocals with crunching guitar riffs underpinned by a rock-solid rhythm section. Their second album “No Return Road” was released in 2007 to great acclaim.

Lab Rat heading for London

2008-11-19T23:37:06+00:00

Out of 106 bands that registered, Lab Rat bettered 14 other finalists to win the GBOB Challenge Malaysia 2008 Final at a filled-to-capacity Planet Hollywood in Kuala Lumpar. Victory was as sweet as it was unexpected for the five-piece alternative folk band because the GBOB was their first public exposure as a band. Their victory was sweetened further by a 50,000 Ringgit Malaysia cash prize (more than USD15,000) and an all-expenses paid trip to London on where they will represent Malaysia at The GBOB Challenge World Final on December 14 and 15 They also received prizes from The Guitar Store, Radioactive and will represent Malaysia at the Jack Daniel’s Global Tour three-day two-night party in Singapore in May 2009. The distinguished panel of Judges chose to pluck Lab Rat out of obscurity as Malaysia’s best bet from a stable of novice musicians, professional sessionists, recording artists and veterans in the gig scene that made up the other finalists. From a variety of musical styles than ranged from blues, rock n roll and funk to metal, experimental, grunge, R&B, pop and glam, Lab Rat’s music, which they describe as “carefree and full of life,” stood out. Lab Rat frontman, Syarul, however, is not new to the live music scene. He is also the lead singer of Love Me Butch, one of Malaysia’s most popular heavy rock bands. Love Me Butch competed in GBOB last year but never made it to the finals. With Lab Rat as Syarul’s new outlet for his looser musical adventures, together with bandmates Shahirah, Syaril, Acik and Kecik, the GBOB championship was finally his at the second time of asking. Funky punkers The Federated came in close second while rock ‘n’ rollers Rock ‘n’ Roll John clinched third place. The other finalists were: Rollin Sixers (blues/ rock ‘n’ roll), SingleTrackMind (alternative rock), Houdinix (alternative), Wynken Delirium (rock/metal/grunge), Five and Dime (retro/funk/r&b/soul/classic rock), Poseidon (experimental progressive/alternative rock), Day Seven (rock), Vessel of Worship (Christian funk), Niskala (modern rock), Pledging New Foundation (fusion/progressive rock), Cynosure (modern alternative/hard rock) and Pink Acid (glam rock). On Lab Rat’s victory, GBOB Malaysia National Director, Issa Rodriguez Medina says, “Each of the 15 finalist bands have shown their ability to blow other acts offstage. But in the end, the judges agreed that only one band did just about everything right. Lab Rat stood out, made the stage their own and totally engaged the audience. In short, they are pretty much the finished article and they are ready for international stardom.”