YOUNG bands have a new competition which aims to elevate their exposure and support their emergence into the music industry.

Boom Clash Rockstar is the brainchild of Brett Pattinson, frontman for Aussie ska band The Allniters, and music industry expert Grant Hilton.

Together, their goal is to encourage and mentor the next generation of music performers.

Created to help young artists find their voices, giving them real-world experiences and shining a light on youth mental health, Boom Clash Rockstar is open to school students aged fourteen to 22 residing in New South Wales.

Local Coffs Coast bands already signed up include Blind Pretty, Temperate and Purple Disturbance.

With little to no exposure to the industry for school leavers, especially for musicians in regional areas, Boom Clash Rockstar aims to provide young bands with hard-to-come-by industry exposure and experience as they work to make a name for themselves in the Australian music landscape.

Industry insiders connected to Boom Clash Rockstar will provide bands mentoring on their music, stagecraft, song development and production, all while gathering valuable feedback from judges and audience voting.

The prize for the winning band is a spot on a major festival main stage, with the possibility of signing a worldwide digital recording deal.

Speaking with News Of The Area, Boom Clash Rockstar co-founder Brett Pattinson said, “Playing music can be a form of self-expression and help process emotions or experiences.

“As a result, music can be a powerful tool for promoting youth mental health and well-being.

“While playing in bands and making music is fun, it is a business and can be brutal.

“We hope with this program, we can help young bands find their voice, what makes them unique and stand out from the crowd, and how to prepare them for the industry business.”

Committing to the fact that music and visual arts have always gone hand-in-hand, there is also an art section.

If you are creative and love your music, but stage performance isn’t your thing, you can enter one of the categories in Boom Clash Rockstar’s Art Competition and help out your band-playing mates.

The Art Prize consists of four prize categories – The Poster Prize, The Photography Prize, The T-Shirt Prize and The Multimedia Prize.

104.1 CHY FM Station Manager Angie Vaughan told NOTA the station is proud to be associated with this competition and initiative.

“The station avidly supports local musicians,” she said.

“We received many music links and CDs from young artists.

“An initiative like Boom Clash Rockstar will assist these young, promising artists in navigating the music industry, songwriting and industry development.

“Killing Heidi and Silverchair are just two of the many successful bands from Australia’s regional areas.

“I know there is some real talent here in Coffs, and I’m excited to see and hear what these future rockstars have to offer.”

Boom Clash Rockstar is proudly supported by Twenty10, GLCS, Headspace, Raise, Studios 101, Inside Out, Big Deal Touring, Niche Advisory, Studio 57, Abbey Road Studios, Stage Door Productions, Offbeat Operations Entertainment Agency, Sports Marketing Australia, SOHO Media Group and 104.1 CHY FM.

The Coffs Harbour/Northern Rivers final will be held at the Hoey Moey on Saturday, 17 June.

Online applications can be made at boomclashrockstar.com.au.

Entries close on Sunday 14 May.

By Andrea FERRARI