The Road to V 2009 is Paved with Gold for Two Winning Unsigned Bands

The Last Republic

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The celebrated V Festival hits the plains of Staffordshire and Essex on August 22nd and 23rd and with it brings the hopes and dreams of 2 young bands. Yes, the winners of the Road To V competition have been announced and they sure sound and look good.

The Last Republic from Swansea and Underline the Sky from Ipswich, have been selected by, you, the public after being whittled down from 10 finalists, as mentored and chosen by The Charlatans and Just Jack. Both acts opened for their mentors at the Brighton Great Escape Festival back in May and impressed them enough to get a place on this year's V Festival bill - not only that, they have the thrilling task of opening each festival and thus sharing the bill with the likes of Oasis and The Killers.

The Last Republic have been gathering some critical acclaim from all corners of the musical globe including Zane Lowe and Bruce Dickinson for a while now. Their powerful gigs have become synonymous with discerning metal and pop fans alike, although their sound is firmly routed in epic progressive anthems rather than fly-by-night punkisms. Kicking off V will surely escalate their chances considerably.

Underline The Sky may come from a flat and often featureless part of East Anglia but their music is far from it. Quirky power-rock with female singer might sound like a 'shock-horror' headline but this lot are heading for bigger things, that's for sure. They have already reached the Top 15 of the MySpace Music Charts and have a clutch of gigs around the East of England to add further weight to their upcoming date at the V Festival.

Well done to both bands and enjoy your big days!!

Paul Pledger