The battle of the bands

Always a popular part of the festival, this year's Heineken Green Energy/Hot Press Band Challenge is bigger and better than ever.

With over £20,000 worth of prizes; free studio space and a CD manufacturing deal up for grabs as prizes, it's no wonder that demo entries have been pouring into the Hot Press office since early in the year.

A team of industry experts came up with a shortlist of 30 bands who will battle it out in various Dublin venues over the weekend with the two semi-finals taking place in Eamonn Dorans and Fitzsimons on April 30th at 8 p.m. and the grand final taking place in the Temple Bar Music Centre on Monday May 1st.

Previous finalists have included Pelvis (winners in 1997) and Neon (runners-up in 1999) who were recently signed to Atlantic Records.

It's not just the winning though: all of the thirty hopeful bands taking part in the Band Challenge have the opportunity to showcase their music in front of a small army of A&R people, including numerous representatives from UK, US and local record companies.

This year's winners will carry off £10,000 worth of recording time in the Temple Bar Music Centre as well as the production of 500 CDs, free consultation with a leading international music lawyer and plenty of free equipment.

These gigs are some of the most exciting you'll see all weekend, so get out and get a glimpse of the future. And before they reach the Point.