Competition Details

What’s this all about?

We’re asking Scotland’s finest new bands to busk it out to kick off
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, one of the biggest New Year parties in the world.

The band that gets the most money in the guitar case on the Busk Off Weekend 3rd / 4th December will get the slot opening for Primal Scream and Bombay Bicycle Club.

Who can enter?

Any Scottish band, but if we’re completely honest we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for some fresh young upstarts in particular.

Bands need to be free to play the Busk Off Weekend on Princes Street, Edinburgh on the 3rd / 4th December. And you’ll need to be free (and brave enough) to play to thousands on 31st December 9pm.

When’s the deadline?

You’ve got until 6pm on Friday 25th November to get your entry in.

Shortlisted bands will be announced on Monday 28th November.

Yowza! I’m fresh and new, what now?

Get your shorthand primed. What we need now is in 140 characters or less for you to tell us why you are ideal to make Princes Street Garden bounce. We’ll also need a track, a video (ideally of you playing) and a picture. Stick this all in at hogthestreet.com/enter/ then sit back and await your phone call.

Ok, Ok, then what?

We’ll stick all the entries into our patented ‘NextBigThing’ machine and let her do her thing, using a complex algorithm she will calculate the 10 most promising young bands in Scotland which she will then print off as a handy shortlist.

Shortlist you say? What’s next for the lucky 10? Boot camp?

Don’t worry we won’t send you off to be judged by the bird who’s not Beyonce from Destiny’s Child. For the lucky 10 it’s a good old fashioned busk off.

On the 3rd and 4th of December we will invite our lucky 10 to play al fresco on the cobbles of Edinburgh. The band that has the most money in their guitar case at the end of their set will reign supreme. And all the money raised over the course of the weekend will go straight to Scottish charities.

I’m sold!

Barry! Get your name down and we’ll see you on the cobbles.

One last thing, who the hell are you?

Hog the Street is brought to you by the lovely folks at Leith Records and the equally lovely folks at Unique Events.

I need more answers. Now.

Wow you’re persistent. Let’s hope you strum as well as you interrogate! If you’re not sure about something, the site doesn’t work, you’re just not happy, you want to moan about the price of butter or maybe you want to kiss our faces and tell us how great this whole things is, then go right ahead and send us some digital mail to hogthestage [at] gmail [dot] com.

And be nice, we’re on your side.