I NME-Europe Battle Of Bands: The Fat Lady Sang

Well, the polling station closed on Friday and the whole world (ahem) has waited with baited breath since then.

First things first, CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU to all the artists who have participated in the I NME-Europe Battle Of Bands contest. If anyone reading this hasn't heard their music yet, then do it now!

Secondly, respect goes to everyone who bothered to place a vote in the contest. Over 1,500 votes in 15 days is a fantastic response and certainly means NME-Europe is looking forward to future events already.

Anyway, let's cut to the chase and see who's Top Of The Pops. The voting was carried out in two parts; the public vote, where each vote was given 1 point, worth 70%; and the 'jury' vote (special thanks here must go to my friends Second and Pipers who have taken time from their hectic schedule to listen to all the acts), worth 30%. Both members of the jury ranked the artists from 1st to 6th, where 1st place gained 1,000 points, 2nd 800, 3rd 600, 4th 400, 5th 200 and 6th 100.

So, where does that leave us? Are you ready? We'll do it in reverse order, just like Miss World.

3rd place goes to Overspill Poets, with 464.8 points. The 'Poets' were relatively weak on the public vote, but did comparatively well with the jury, pulling in a 2nd and 3rd place.

2nd place is for A Number Of Fires, with 784.9 points. A Number of Fires were going like the clappers for a while in the public vote, before having to settle for 2nd place with 607 votes. The jury ranked them 2nd and 4th.

And finally....

1st place (cue the drum roll) is for.....

The Little Hydes





A whopping 993.3 points for the latest scousers to 'shake the world' sees The Little Hydes claim victory in the I NME-Europe Battle Of The Bands. Let's face it, they are worthy winners; a late spurt saw them end as leaders in the public vote with 817 (more than 50%) and the jury ranked them 1st and 4th to ensure they take the glory this time.

Congratulations to A Number Of Fires and Overspill Poets and thanks to the rest of the artists - Cybiont, Inner Voices and P.A. Meirelles for having the guts to take part - I sincerely hope this has been a positive experience for all concerned.


You'll be hearing more from the winners in due course.....