Ten up-and-coming Tasmanian bands will battle it out on stage at Hobart City Hall, with the audience deciding who walks away with a sought-after festival slot, radio airplay and $1,000 cash.
Each band will perform a 10-minute set before judges shortlist the top three acts.
From there, the crowd votes live via QR code to crown the winner.
The winning band scores a guaranteed performance slot at Great Escape Music Festival, an interview and airplay on Triple M and $1,000 in prize money.
The event, called Next Set, is part of a larger music night running from 6pm to 3am, put on by drinks company Vocaf.
Vocaf director William Saltmarsh said the competition features a diverse mix of acts.
“We’ve got two girl bands, two heavy metal bands, two sort of punkish bands, a lot of indie rock,” he told Pulse.
“There’s just sort of everything under the sun pretty much in that competition.”
Saltmarsh said he had been blown away by the quality of local talent.
“I was a little bit oblivious to how much talent Tasmanian bands offer,” he said.
“These bands, they’re really talented.”
Once the competition wraps up, a main lineup takes over the stage.
New South Wales band The Terrys headline the evening, supported by established Tasmanian acts Powderkeg and Bocci.
After midnight, the event shifts into a DJ and techno set to close out the night.
It is the first time Vocaf has staged an event of this scale, though the company threw an afterparty for the Cliff Masters cliff jumping competition earlier this year.
Saltmarsh said that experience gave them the push to go bigger.
“We’re also really keen to support live local music,” he said.
“You also wanna get the fresh up and coming acts in to make things new and vibrant and interesting.”
Tickets are available now at www.vocaf.com.au/next-set/ for the September 12 event at Hobart City Hall.
