00:00It's a moment to be savored, it's a moment to enjoy and have fun because that's the most important thing.
00:06Battle of the Bands is the exciting peer-judge competition created by Afropunk
00:10to seek out new and emerging local artists and bands.
00:14Now in its fifth year, Afropunk Presents Battle of the Bands has become an intrinsic part of the Afropunk global music program.
00:21Not only because it uncovers and shines a light on unsigned artists,
00:25but because the winners are chosen by their peers.
00:30Once a year in the host city, Afropunk opens the competition with a call out for candidates to upload their music, blogs, pictures and artwork to the specially created portal.
00:41We're in London for the inaugural Afropunk Presents Battle of the Bands London 2017,
00:46run in partnership with the Roundhouse, Soundcloud and Arts Council England.
00:51After the entry day closes, the Afropunk team choose the best crafted tracks and or developed artists to go through to the public vote.
00:59In this competition, Afropunk presents Battle of the Bands London 2017.
01:03The top four bands, Idris Miles, Navin, Blackfish Collective and Cassaja were invited to play live.
01:10At the end of the week, a specially created Battle of the Bands industry workshops at the Roundhouse to an audience of their friends, family, peers and an industry judging panel.
01:20The winner on the night is selected from an equal mix between audience noise appreciation and industry expertise.
01:27The advice I'd give to the winner from the Battle of the Bands would be like when you go on stage and perform at Afropunk just to have fun, embrace the moment man.
01:36Make the most of these opportunities. I think you're going to get to meet a lot of amazing people, you're going to get to perform to an amazing audience and the opportunities won't stay on fire.
01:45Be responsive to your audience and deliver what they want. It's best to have 10 minutes of brilliance rather than 30 minutes of mediocrity.
01:52I did a very packed two hour session where we covered some basics in intellectual property and it just gives them a bit of security in the sense that they'll be understanding what they're getting themselves into.
02:06So it's about what they project and how they stand and how they feel and so it's very much about the attitude.
02:12The prize for the lucky winner, the incredible Blackfish Collective out of Dublin, Ireland, was to appear on the stage at the Afropunk London 2017.
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