'Road To V' goes live! Read the reaction..

United Kingdom | | 04 May 2006

A packed Islington Academy played host to three consecutive nights of new music as the 'Road To V' finalists sought to impress fans and experts alike (including The Charlatans' Tim Burgess). See how they fared...

2-4 May 2006

You'd be easily forgiven for thinking that whittling down more than 2,000 demos to 14 finalists meant the hard work was more or less over for organisers of the Road To V competition. However, the nationwide talent search, in which Virgin Mobile will give two bands the dream opportunity of opening both legs of V Festival, has only just begun.

With all 14 bands proving themselves worthy of their place in the final phase following rave reviews from fans filling the forums on the official site www.roadtov.com, last week it was time to prove themselves in front of a live audience. Nine of the bands rocked London's Islington Academy over three days, with the remaining five acts playing in Liverpool.

Virtual Festivals was there to take in the diverse mix of music on show and give a sneak preview of what you can expect to see when the Road To V television series kicks off on Channel 4 this summer. We also got the opinions of an expert panel that included Virgin Radio presenter, Steve Harris, Metropolis Music promoter, Mags, and Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, as well as the reaction from those that matter most, the fans!

Click through to the next few pages to find out how the nine London finalists fared...