Which band is headlining PUMA Manchester?

1. Pete and the Penguins
2. Pete and the Pilots
3. Pete and the Pirates

Email 1, 2 or 3 to david@pumamusic.co.uk, or send a DM over Twitter to @pumamusic. The competition finishes on Tuesday, May 12, at 5pm.

Get entering and see you there!

Bye Bye Johnny

The winner of PUMA’s search for Manchester’s most promising alternative music act is hotly tipped Bye Bye Johnny. Already having a strong local following, this young band on the up will take to the stage alongside Pete and The Pirates at the PUMA Manchester gig at Moho Live on 14th May 09. Also featuring at the gig are runners-up Disco Nasties.

Bye Bye Johnny will win a host of other prizes from PUMA to kickstart their career over the next 12 months. This includes a year’s consultancy with leading music industry professional, Ewan Grant, who has 20 years’ experience, including involvement in the management of Feeder and many other worthy credentials at Universal Music and Ministry Of Sound.

Ewan was on the panel that selected the winning band and runner-up alongside Tom Rush of last year’s winner The Sticks and Lisa Lindahl of PUMA.

Grant says of Bye Bye Johnny, “I really, really like their track Knocking Shop. It reminds me of everything that was good about The Clash and Danny’s vocal style is very cool – it has attitude but also manages to remain radio friendly with the potential to be liked by young and old. The beats and rhythms also drew me into the band. With the right help and direction they could go far.”

Those on the judging panel aren’t the only ones to believe in Bye Bye Johnny’s potential. Danny McNamara of Embrace selected them from more than 300 bands to open his clubnight The Aftershow, where they played alongside The Ting Tings and The Magic Numbers. They also made their festival debut at V Festival last summer.

Bye Bye Johnny’s five members are Danny Seasman, 24, (vocals), Dean Hulse, 25, (guitar), Johnny Collins, 22, (guitar), Russ Davies, 24, (bass) and David Yazdi, 25, (drums). Formed in 2006, their rock and roll street band sound is influenced by a mixture of punk, rock, ska, dance, reggae and funk. It’s already attracted critical acclaim with Michelle Hussey of BBC Manchester saying, “They remind me of that feeling that surrounded early Oasis fans,“ and Tom Robinson of BB6 Music saying, “The writing is strong and individual…“ and they’re, “…a band that sounds like it’s going to go a long way this year.“ John Robb, author of The Stone Roses’ official biography puts their sound, “…somewhere between London’s Calling by The Clash and the Roses’ first album.“

Obviously, PUMA will be helping Bye Bye Johnny to look great as they build their profile further – they’ll be kitting the boys out with gear from the brand’s legendary lifestyle ranges and re-releases from the heralded PUMA Archive collections.

Disco Nasties

PUMA will also whisk the band into a professional studio to record two tracks that’ll be released digitally and supported with a strategic promotional campaign, including a PUMA photo shoot and six-date UK live tour.

Commenting on what winning PUMA Manchester means to them, Bye Bye Jonny guitarist Dean Hulse says, “We’re all buzzing about winning. It’s good to be recognised by someone like Ewan Grant with his experience in the music business and we’re looking forward to recording some more songs, getting something released and playing a tour across the UK. Cheers PUMA!”

Applications for tickets to see Bye Bye Johnny and Disco Nasties support Pete and The Pirates on 14th May at Moho Live in Manchester have closed. However, the last few pairs can be won at a silent disco at the PUMA concept store in Manchester’s Arndale Centre on Thursday 7th May 09.

For more information on the gig and PUMA’s Manchester search for alternative music talent, please visit www.pumamanchester.com

Take advantage - once it’s 7.30pm, the offer is off!

This five-piece band on the rise will support Kids in Glass Houses at the PUMA Liverpool gig on 30th April at O2 Academy 2. Also playing at the gig will be runners-up The Jives.

In addition to supporting one of their favourite bands, My Emergency! will win a host of other prizes from PUMA to kickstart their career over the next 12 months. This includes a year’s consultancy with leading music industry professional, Ewan Grant, who has 20 years’ experience, including involvement in the managment of Feeder and many other worthy credentials at Universal Music and Ministry Of Sound.

Ewan was on the panel that selected the winning band and runner-up, alongside Kids in Glass Houses’ drummer Philip Jenkins, Lisa Lindahl of PUMA and Liverpool Daily Post music blogger Peter Guy.

Grant says of My Emergency!, “First and foremost I thought the quality of their songwriting showed real potential. The production of their demo track was good for a new band too and their MySpace is very user friendly for fans. It’s great to be working with fresh, raw talent at such an early stage in their career – I’m looking forward to helping My Emergency! shape its future.”

Obviously, PUMA will be helping My Emergency! to look great as they build their profile – they’ll be kitting the boys out with gear from the brand’s legendary lifestyle ranges and re-releases from the heralded PUMA Archive collections.

PUMA will also whisk the band into a professional studio to record two tracks that’ll be released digitally and supported with a strategic promotional campaign, including a PUMA photo shoot and six-date UK live tour.

The five members of My Emergency! are Karl Eginton (24), Sean Ryman (23), Adam Bromilow (21), Ben Fenlon (23) and Stephen Jones (23). They formed just a year ago and immeditately supported established bands Say Anything, Innerpartysystem and Attack! Attack! in their first three gigs. Their influences range from hip hop to heavy rock and pop, culminating in a musical style of intricate verses and catchy, singalong choruses.

Commenting on what winning PUMA Liverpool means to them, lead singer Karl says, “Being fans of Kids In Glass Houses and knowing that there are a lot of great bands in Liverpool right now, it means a great deal to us to know that their drummer was one of the people who chose us to play with them. We’re really grateful for the opportunity that PUMA’s given us and are glad that people are enjoying the music that we’ve worked so hard to create over the past year.”

Applications for tickets to see My Emergency! and The Jives support Kids in Glass Houses on 30th April at O2 Academy 2 have closed. However, the last few pairs can be won at a silent disco at the PUMA store at Liverpool One, 19 Paradise Street, Liverpool, L1 3EU on Thursday 23rd April 09.

For more information on the gig and PUMA’s Liverpool search for unsigned talent, please visit www.pumaliverpool.com.

Click here to upload your track

This Friday is also your last chance to register your FREE ticket for the gig, which is set to be one of the highlights of the Manchester music calendar. So if you haven’t already, what are you waiting for?

Click here to register for tickets to PUMA Manchester

Well the judges have listened to all 125 tracks uploaded for PUMA Liverpool - an unbelievable number, thanks to all who got involved - and have made a decision after a lengthy and occasionally heated debate.

We’ll be making the formal announcement of a winner and runner-up very soon. Stay tuned!

Using dirty concrete as a canvas, Moose (real name Paul Curtis) used his trademark style to “clean” up various parts of the city in the style of PUMA Liverpool, which takes place at the O2 Academy 2 on April 30. All graffiti will wash off naturally - here’s a map of where the clean graffiti is located.

PUMA are currently scouting out the city’s best alternative music talent. Over a hundred bands have already uploaded a track here, with the winners getting to play at PUMA Liverpool alongside Kids in Glass Houses. They’ll also get a once-in-a-lifetime start-up package, including 12 months’ mentoring, photo shoot, recording time, six-date live tour and lots of free PUMA gear.

Tickets for PUMA Liverpool are free - register here.

See below for evidence of Moose’s clean graffiti on the streets of Liverpool.

Full story here

Thanks guys!

Get your entry in here

How important is it for new bands to get their music out there and heard by people?

Crucial. You won’t become the biggest band in the world masturbating over your own genius in the comfort of your bedroom. The more people that hear your band, the better.

What was your big break?

We had a lot of little big breaks, I guess. Our first London show introduced a lot of influential people to our music for the first time. We played with Gallows and The Blackout at The Monsta Bar in Camden. It was entirely filled with industry people and we found ourselves an agent, manager and lawyer as a result.

The PUMA Liverpool winners will get a year’s free consultancy, recording time, promotional campaign, photo shoot and six-date live tour, and will also be kitted out in PUMA gear. How much of a help with that be to their career?

It’ll definitely be a nice opportunity. They’ll obviously be pretty good to have won, so that kind of support could potentially extend their appeal. Failing that, they could be nicely dressed and in the same position. Which is no bad thing.

How much are you looking forward to playing with the winners in Liverpool, and will you be seeking them out for a word of advice or cheeky drink?

The words advice and drink in a sentence don’t bed well. The only advice we’ll give them is “don’t be better than us”, the rest of the time won’t be spent with our ill-experienced selves palming off nonsense advice, but showing them the road to cocktail mecca.

You’re about to tour with Fall Out Boy – how much are you looking forward to that?

This much <————————————————————————————————–>
Ooooh. That’s a lot. They have so many tunes and it’ll be nice to play to 8 billion people a night. They seem like pretty nice guys too, and they like monkeys. It’s a dream.

What are your ambitions for 2009?

Conquer my fear of snakes by wrestling snakes. Conquer my fear of fuzzy, yellow fabric by winning Wimbledon or a similarly prestigious tennis competition. Finish writing our new record and make it better than the last. Visit America. Eat more sushi. Go back to Japan. Go back to Europe. Play a lot of shows. Have more fun.

You can register here for free tickets to the PUMA Liverpool gig with Kids in Glass Houses, which takes place on April 30 at O2 Liverpool Academy 2.