'Battle of the bands' competition returns with chance to play Hardwick festival
The Road to Hardwick is back for 2025, offering some of the region’s best up and coming artists the chance to play a main stage slot at one of the North East’s biggest festivals.
Following last year’s debut, which saw Swindled and Camel Island win their way to the main Hardwick stage, the Road to Hardwick is returning ahead of this festival season.
With a semi-final on June 20th, July 4th and a grand final on July 18th, this year's competition will not only crown a mainstage winner, but will also launch a new acoustic strand, giving singer-songwriters a chance to secure a slot on the festival's Treehouse Arena. The acoustic competition will take place downstairs from Newgate Social at The WonderBar.
Heats are due to begin from Friday, April 25.
Helping to decide who takes the crown is a stellar panel of judges, including former guitarist of Catfish and the Bottlemen Johnny Bond, David Haley, Chairman of Generator, the North’s leading music development agency and Josh Daniel, recording artist and Head of label at Interval Records.
“This event is such a natural fit for Generator,” said David Haley. “We’ve been supporting emerging talent in the North East for over 30 years – and Road to Hardwick gives that talent a real platform.
“The fact that these artists are not only performing live but being seen by experienced industry figures, with the chance to play at one of the UK’s best-loved festivals – that’s an incredible opportunity. We’re delighted to be back supporting it.”
Newgate Social, based at The Gate in Newcastle city centre, will once again play host to the heats. “We’re so excited to see it all kick off again,” said Cheryl Flowers, Newgate Social’s manager.
“There’s a huge buzz in the city when Road to Hardwick’s on” she added. “The energy, the crowd, the talent - it’s something special, and we’re proud to be part of it. We encourage everyone to come down and support their favourite bands.”
“It’s surreal to be part of this,” said Connor Pattison, co frontman of Decrepit Youths, who are set to light up Heat 3 on Friday, May 23. “The Road to Hardwick is a huge platform – we’ve played some amazing shows, but this is on another level.”
Bandmate David Stoker added: “We’re buzzing. It’s not just the prize at the end – it’s the vibe, the other bands, the judges. We’re giving it everything.”
The full lineup for the four heats are as follows:
Heat one, Friday, April 25: Leazes, Ochisia, The Callows, The Agency, Hels Pattison
Heat two, Friday, May 9: Provenance, Wednesday Flowers, Fleeting Faces, Slate Label, Alation
Heat three, Friday, May 23: Decrepit Youths, Dawks, Specky Cult, Joe Treacy, Voted Most Likely, Critch
Heat four, Friday, June 6: Frankie Dobson, Pearly Gates, White Collar Rebel, Marrick, Buses
Tickets to all Road to Hardwick events are free, but must be booked in advance through the venue’s website.
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