The iconic Camden Assembly is to host one of the biggest battle of the band contests London has ever seen. Fifteen up-and-coming punk and hardcore acts will compete to win a slot at the renowned Hellfest Festival in Clisson, France, performing on the line up with heavy rock royalty headliners, Machine Head, Metallica, Foo Fighters and many more. The event, ‘No Sleep Till Hellfest’ has revealed the band shortlist, as well as a series of nail-biting heats running from Monday 25 to Thursday 28 March. The celebratory climax on Saturday 30 March will see the lucky winners perform alongside special guests Petbrick with Sepultura drumming legend, Igor Cavalera. Tickets for ‘No Sleep Till Hellfest’ are now on sale from £15 at https://camdenassembly.com.
Hosted by Hellfest, ‘No Sleep Till Hellfest’ is the first new talent competition open to grass root punk and hardcore talents residing in the UK. The winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip to play a coveted set during the opening day of the 60,000 capacity, sold-out Hellfest (Thursday 27 June to Sunday 30 June 2024) alongside a killer lineup including the huge headliners plus global rock superstars, like Queens Of The Stone Age, Megadeth, Royal Blood and many more.
Following a gruelling shortlisting process of over 250 applicants, organisers at Hellfest are now set to showcase the best new talent that the UK has to offer in the renowned Camden Assembly. Formerly known as Barfly, the Camden Assembly is a London institution having staged the likes of Kasabian, The Strokes and Muse before they went on to become international stars, making it one of most exciting venues for new talent to appear.
From the successful 15 applicants, five bands will go head-to-head each day over three days (25 – 27 March). The winners from each day will then battle it out once again in a tense semi final on 28 March. Each must dig out the performance of a lifetime as they play to a heavyweight judging panel that includes Nick Collins from Camden’s DIY record store, All Ages Records; former drummer of U.K. Subs, Jamie Oliver (now Hüsker Dü’s Greg Norton, 4ft Fingers and Anti Nowhere League); and Nabila Slama from Hellfest.
Nabila, Project Manager at Hellfest Productions said, “Living locally in Camden and having worked for Hellfest for 14 years, I always wanted to do something between the UK and France. And where better to host the contest than in the heart of Punk’s capital – London!”
