Battle of the Bands 2023

Nonclassical Battle of the Bands

CHAMPIONING THE UNUSUAL, THE UNORTHODOX AND THE UNHEARD

Your chance to fund our new scheme for emerging artists and be part of one of the most thrilling contemporary music evenings of the year.

What is Battle of the Bands?

Now in its 15th year, Battle of the Bands is our annual extravaganza showcasing exciting new voices in the new music scene. We give a platform to innovative performers to experiment on stage for a friendly crowd and expert industry panel.

Making a difference / Impact

Many contemporary visionaries have competed in past iterations of the event, including Heloise Werner and The Hermes Experiment, Tangram Sound, and Andy Ingamells. 

“Nonclassical is definitely an important part in our artistic development.” – Heloise Werner, The Hermes Experiment

“It was really great to be financially supported to work on a new live performance through winning the Battle of the Bands. It’s such a valuable opportunity for me as an artist not based in London to be given a platform to show my work to London audiences.” – James McIlwrath

New this year

This year we want to offer our finalists extra support with higher fees, feedback and professional development sessions, and videos and photos they can use to promote their music. 

The ask

We need your help – it will cost us £8000 to run the scheme this year. We’ve already fundraised for part of this, but we still need £5000 to expand the scheme to support these bright new stars. 

Our values

We have a strong set of values at Nonclassical which we try to carry through all our activity. 

• Fair pay We want to remunerate all our artists with professional rates.

• Equal access We believe new music is for everyone. We will cover any access, childcare and travel expenses to make sure anyone can participate.

• Diverse representation We believe that there is strength in diversity, and want to make sure modern Britain is represented across all our activity.

Where the money’s going

We believe in transparency, so we’ve broken down how your money will be spent. If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

£4000 in artistic fees and expenses – last year we supported 19 artists with honorarium fees and expenses for their performances. Help us do better – we’re aiming to pay professional fees and expenses for our artists and our panel in 2023.

£2000 in staff time and overheads – we’re a small and efficient team of 4 part time staff at Nonclassical, however Battle of the Bands requires a great deal of time and thought in order to make it the amazing event that it is. This money enables us to do things properly, from our open call, selection process and managing feedback to applicants to putting on a great event, coordinating follow up sessions and more.

£1500 in artist and professional development – for professional videography and photography at the event and developmental seminars relating to the industry for all of our finalists.

£500 in production costs – the nuts and bolts of any event, including venue and equipment hire!