Roads to Nowhere get set for competition finals at O2 (From Wiltshire Times)

Chippenham band make the finals of Live and Unsigned

2:30pm Tuesday 10th July 2012 in Latest News

Chippenham-based metal band Roads to Nowhere are busily preparing for this weekend’s national final of the Live and Unsigned competition.

Having earned their place in the final alongside some of the country’s most impressive talent, they are set to perform at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

The band – consisting of Sheldon School pupil Jake Reid and Chippenham College students Joe Grimes, Lauren Todd, Lee Butler and James Spiller – have played in numerous venues but lead guitarist Jake said this will be their biggest yet.

He said: “Nothing prepares you for the O2. We are just going to keep working hard and practicing and hopefully it will all go well.”

Already the band have won a number of prizes as they have progressed through the rounds, including a 24 carat Gold disc for best original song at the area final and two days of free recording at Anton Road Studio in Andover.

They went to the studio for two days in June and have recorded two songs, Sharks and Jakiller, which will be available on iTunes in the near future.

For the final they will perform a number of song, both originals and covers, including Jessie J’s Do It like a Dude, in an attempt to impress not only a huge audience but some of the biggest names in the industry, with celebrity judges such as Kerrang writer Alex Baker.

The competition is designed to give a platform for artists and bands whose dream is to break into the competitive music industry.

Last year, a number of finalists were signed follow ing their performances and this year‘s competition will be broadcasted as an exclusive documentary on SKY TV in order to gain even more publicity for the artists involved.

With the opportunity of winning £10,000 worth of equipment and potentially massive gigging opportunities, the band are extremely excited.

Jake said: “We’re really nervous as we’ve never done anything this big before, but we’re also so excited.

"The amount of support we’ve got is so nice and there is a whole coach full of fans coming to London for the final. It’s going to be incredible.”