Over 60 artists, 25 gigs, 5 venues: 5 - 14 February


NEXT BIG THING new music festival confirms stellar line-up of new and breakthrough talent for 2010! 


Ellie Goulding, Marina & the Diamonds, The Soft Pack, Tinie Tempah, Rox and many more....



NEXT BIG THING - the exciting new music festival being staged and promoted by HMV and live music partner MAMA Festivals across five London venues next month, has met with the enthusiastic endorsement of some of the hottest new and breakthrough acts of 2010.



Over 60 artists drawn from across the musical spectrum have signed up to perform in the inaugural 2010 festival, including newly-crowned BBC Sounds of 2010 poll winner and BRITs Critics Choice recipient Ellie Goulding, who will be one of the star performers at the Relentless Garage, and the No.2 in the BBC Sounds poll Marina and the Diamonds, who will headline Upstairs at the Relentless Garage. 



Marina of Marina & the Diamonds comments: "HMV have provided a brilliant way for the public to see artists who are hopefully on the tip of something great, in an intimate setting very early on in their careers. It's also great for the artists, as it provides a platform to perform to a new range of fans, who will have never heard of them before, let alone seen them live." 

The aim of Next Big Thing is to showcase the best new talent from the UK, Ireland and around the world through an annual, multi-venue festival, giving music fans an early and affordable opportunity at the start of each new year to catch some of the hottest acts tipped for breakthrough success.  The festival, which is London-based but aims to develop into a nationwide event in time, also has a remit to support different music genres, ranging from Indie & Rock to Folk & Jazz and from Pop & Electronica to Hip Hop & Grime. 

With more names still to be confirmed, tickets for Next Big Thing, which is supported by media partners Time Out and Xfm, are selling fast.  They are priced at an all-in fee of just £10, and can be purchased online at www.hmvnextbigthing.com or from the venue box offices.  See Notes to Editors for full venue details, artist line-ups and dates.



Other new artists on the Relentless Garage bill who have similarly been tipped for breakthrough success this year include Folk-Rock duo from Sheffield, Slow Club and Belfast's General Fiasco.  Surrey outfit You Me At Six already have an avid following but are expected to connect with a much wider audience this year, and they will be joined by special guests Young Guns and This City in what promises to be an exciting night of Rock and one of the highlights of the ten-day festival.


Upstairs at Relentless Garage is also set to host some memorable performances, including by Welsh-based Marina & the Diamonds - described as 'Kate Bush meets Florence and the Machine'; highly rated Leicester Blues/Rocker Jersey Budd; Mercury Music nominees Sweet Billy Pilgrim; and hot new Irish band CODES, who have drawn comparisons with Coldplay. 


Across town during the same ten-day period the Borderline will host the likes of San Diego Indie rockers The Soft Pack and unsigned LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts) MIBI songwriting winner Polly Mackey & The Pleasure Principle (www.mibi.org.uk).

North London chanteuse Paloma Faith, who has already enjoyed top-10 album success and played the role of Sally in Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus last year; Rox; Californian singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop; and Scottish former model Alex Gardner, who counts Paolo Nutini among his fans, will be among the headline acts at the London Jazz Café.  


Heaven has new Hip Hop and Grime star Tinie Tempah lined-up among its artists - with more to follow, while Camden Barfly will host a number of great Rock acts that have been 'bubbling under' but are now set for major success such as Hadouken! and Joshua Radin.


Head of hmvlive Jason Legg comments: "We've had the most amazing response from across the music community - labels, managers, agents and, of course, from the artists themselves, and now we're seeing a great reaction from music fans, who are snapping up tickets fast.


"We've felt for a while that there is space for a different kind of music festival - one that not only showcases the best of new and breakthrough talent at the start of each new year, when interest is at its height, but which also shines a spotlight on what's going on with different music scenes right now - whether we're talking Indie Rock and Pop or Folk and Hip Hop."