new Next Big Thing Festival unveiled

HMV and MAMA Group have unveiled a new festival for London. The Next Big Thing Festival will offer a platform for a new generation of breakthrough artists drawn from across the music spectrum in the UK and internationally.

The inaugural Next Big Thing will run between Friday 5th and Sunday 14th February 2010. It will be hosted by HMV/MAMA owned venues in London, including the Borderline, Heaven and the Relentless Garage, and will feature up to 50 artists representing different genres, from singer-songwriters and indie-rock bands to urban and pop through to crossover classical talent.

Over twenty artists are already confirmed, and more will be added to the bill progressively over the coming days. The line-up includes The Soft Pack, Tinie Tempah, Jesca Hoop, Lissie, Cate Le Bon, Hamel, Leddra Chapman, Hadouken!, Unicorn Kid, Slow Club, The Low Anthem, The Wave Pictures, Paloma Faith, Ian King, Example, Cosmo Jarvis, The Miserable Rich, Plastiscines, Chew Lips, Alex Gardner, First Aid Kit, Jersey Budd, Band Of Skulls, Polly Mackey and The Pleasure Principle, and Joshua Radin.

Jason Legg, Head of Live at HMV, commented, "Predicting which new artists break through has become a big deal for media and public alike in recent years, but whilst quite a bit of hype and excitement is generated in print, frustratingly for fans, they often have to wait to see these news stars in the flesh. We wanted to change all that by creating a highly accessible and affordable live music event to showcase the best new bands and artists, whatever their genre of music, and to introduce them to a wider audience.

"HMV has always done its best to champion new talent, and now that we have access to our own live venues we feel Next Big Thing is a great way to take this engagement to a fantastic new level – not only does it represent a great opportunity for artists and labels, but, just as importantly, we hope it will quickly become established as a great platform for fans to engage and get closer to new talent at an early stage in their careers."

Clare Lusher, Head Of Marketing MAMA Group, added, "It is refreshing that two great music brands, Mean Fiddler Group and HMV, are getting behind new talent – new talent starved of investment and opportunities to break. Live is where it is at for these artists and the joint combination of MFG and HMV can support this initiative better than anyone else in the UK."

Each venue will host three acts per night and all gigs will be priced at £10, whichever the venue and whoever the artist bill. To buy tickets, click here.

With the festival's position in the calendar at the beginning of each year, it's hoped that it will effectively come to be viewed as the official start of the festivals season.

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