The Surface Festival is a European-wide live music event which aims to discover and promote new talent.

Surface Festival is working in association with Zimbalam, Marshall, Ents24.com, Last.FM, Ashdown, Planet Waves, D'Addario, PMT, Tama, Zildjian, Univibe, Dominic Nicholls Photography, Guitar Nation, Ibanez, CheckMineOut, Band SEO, Quite Great P.R., Ritter, Sziget Fest, Jumbocruiser and Gig the Nation to develop alternative ways for band and artists to gain exposure and develop their fan base.

The Surface Festival consists of four stages in which the search is on for bands to play at the International Showcase in the Indigo2 Arena in London, bringing together talent from Wales, the Midlands, the North, the South, the West, Scotland and Europe. The bands will perform in front of a panel of music industry experts headed up by Jon Brookes founder of the Charlatans.

As well as an industry showcase, Festival sponsors will award the best bands with Tour Dates, Festival slots, Recording and Production Deals, Professional Photo and Video Shoots, Musical Equipment, Endorsements and much more. The prizes for 2011 are in excess of £100,000!

Thousands of bands applied for Surface Festival 2011. A strict vetting process has now been undertaken and the successful bands allocated slots for the first round.

Check out the Surface Festival website for details of what bands are competing in your area.

Text voting lines opened on 1st February, details are on the Surface Festival website.