Battle of the Bands winners from Burnley will be performing alongside The Fratellis at a music festival in August.
The Sprats, who won first prize at the ‘Feel Good – Battle of the Bands’ competition two weeks ago, will be opening the main stage at Rochdale Feel Good Festival on Saturday, August 13.
The band were shortlisted as one of the six finalists through a Facebook vote and were judged by music specialist Rob Kerford - founder of Sonic PR - which promotes some of Europe’s biggest musicians, DJ Dave Sweetmore, cabinet member for events Councillor Janet Emsley, musician Aziz Ibrahim and Rochdale councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for culture.
The band, formed in 2021, were shortlisted as one of the six finalists and their win has landed them a slot supporting famous Scottish rock band The Fratellis who will be headlining the festival.
Lead singer Brad said: "We were buzzing when we first got the call, and we still are. Even though we knew we were in the final it was a big surprise to find out we’d actually won.
"We can't wait to be playing on a festival stage, in our hometown, with other bands and never expected to be on the same stage as The Fratellis this year. We think it’s a great opportunity for us, considering this is our first year of gigging, and a great opportunity for locals to have a cheap festival experience close to home.
“It’s great to have the support from our local town and be able to showcase our music to new people, as a new band it’s what you're always aiming for.”
Two of the band’s members, singer Brad Ellor and drummer Jak Marshall are from Rochdale and guitarist Alex McArdle and keyboard player Connor Watson-Reid are from Burnley.
Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for culture at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “All six finalists would have put on a great show so it was a difficult decision to pick a winner, but as well as getting good support in the public vote we thought The Sprats would go down very well on the main stage this August.”
The four have already performed across the North West with their most recent gig taking place at Manchester Academy last weekend. They released their debut single ‘Why Would I With You’ in April.
In addition to playing at the summer festival, the Burnley band have announced gigs in Rochdale and Manchester in the upcoming months.
Rochdale Feel Good Festival on Saturday, August 13, will feature another showcase of top-class entertainment, food and culture.
There will be live music across indoor venues, a main stage, plus quality food and drink.
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