We all love the Summer Sundae festival in Leicester. You know, the one that has helped to give a leg up to such bands as Hot Chip, Jamie T, The Young Knives and Kasabian. Well, as a warm up to this year’s festival (taking place on 8th - 10th August at DeMontfort Hall) the festival organisers are holding a special evening at the intimate Firebug venue in Leicester next Saturday, 1st March.

“A Taste of Summer Sundae” will see Envy and Other Sins headline, supported by Johnny Foreigner, Tired Irie and my current favourite band, Kyte.

Tickets are on sale now from Tickets Portal at the tiny price of just £2 each (plus the usual booking fees). If only I lived a bit closer to Leicester….

EDIT: Please Note that “Original Cast” have been removed from the top 14 as they were in fact signed. They were replaced by The Guests.

So they’ve announced the new Road to V shortlist today, and to be honest I’m a bit disappointed. The judges seem to have gone for the bands with the most “buzz”, the most positive press, or the most sell-able sound, rather than simply the best bands. Whilst I’m glad that Bo Pepper are included, I’m disappointed at the lack of singer-songwriters, or simply good songs consistently available.

The top 14 are, along with their MySpace page links are:

1. Bo Pepper
2. The Brightlights
3. Dylan James
4. India Mill
5. Johnny Foreigner
6. The Jubilees
7. Kagura
8. Maxfield
9. New Cassettes
10. Original Cast
11. Our Fold
12. Outside Royalty
13. Rosalita
14. Seven Heroes

Of these, I most like Bo Pepper, The Brightlights, Kagura, Maxfield, New Cassettes, and Outside Royalty, though expect me to change my mind repeatedly as the competition progresses. Some of them however I think are just outright shite (see Seven Heroes, and India Mill).

Expect much heated talk from me regarding these bands in the coming weeks.