T Break – An outsider's perspective

Billy Hamilton’s explanation of how the bands are chosen disspells any thoughts that half the names are written down before the judging starts but I don’t think that is what people are saying. Certain bands are “expected” to get through and that is “understood”. You don’t need to be Derren Brown to predict who they are. Anybody querying the selection process is labelled as being from an unsuccessful band and that is simply neither fair nor true. The irony is if T Break was simply some bands picked by the promoter, some bands picked by the judges from their already wide knowledge of Scottish bands and then a smaller but genuine pick from fresh faced hopefuls everybody would be happy and the bands selected would almost certainly turn out to be the same !

Even though shops are seen as less important these days to a band’s strategy I am still regularly meant to be impressed when presented with a band’s credentials that they have “well connected” management or came top 5 in some competition to play at a festival, get studio time etc. I always try hard instead not to count that against them. Nearly but not always they are simply aiming to be the next Vampire Weekend, Mumford and Sons. Biffy etc. However to the media these things do matter and more bands could do with the exposure.

I was chatting to Matthew from Song by Toad today and one more thing was made clear that is by no means clear to an outsider. Unsigned doesn’t mean unsigned. Bands on small labels can apply too hence the success of Conquering Animal Sound signed to Gizeh Records of Leeds. I certainly know of bands who thought they weren’t eligible because they were signed to a label however small. That I’m sure will be made clear next time.

So now I think it is time to call things to a close. In my humble opinion valid points have been made by both those involved in the judging and by those who think the process is somewhat flawed in that people simply don’t bite the hand that feeds them. Anyway there are far worse things like public money being wasted. An army of unsuccessful applicants to Creative Scotland wait in the wings.