Fireball's Hottest Band Competition includes hundreds of entrants, with the finalists playing shows across the UK in 2018, including:

The Lagan, WACO, The Famous Class, These Five Years, Mick O'Toole, The Run Up, Death By Shotgun, Black Water County, Sinful Maggie, Northern Horizon, Deadbeat Paradise, Digits, Thieves of Liberty, LoGox, Too Close For Missiles, Red Winter, Without Andrew, The Human Project, Counting Coins, Deadset Dream, Wood & Nails, Lightblue, Blick Black & The Chilihollers, One State Drive, Worry, Brixton Alley plus special guests.