Guinness is embarking on a major talent trawl in Ireland, covering the entire island. In a special link-up with Arthur’s Day 2010 – full details of which were announced on hotpress.com this morning – Guinness has teamed up with Northern Ireland superstars Snow Patrol for Our Thursdays, a competition that will give emerging Irish acts a unique opportunity to be part of the musical celebrations on September 23.

The talent competition, which will take place in three stages, is open to bands and performers of every musical style.

Speaking to Hot Press, Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody encouraged bands all of genres to enter, stressing that he was looking forward to hearing a huge variety of music. “Metal, electro, folk, jazz, anything that’s interesting, that just elevates itself and stands out is in with a chance,” he said. “We’re looking for things that are new but not necessarily God Speed You! Black Emperor.”

An initial selection of 600 hundred acts will be made, emphasising how extensive the ambition of the Our Thursdays event is, in terms of reaching out to top Irish talent. These artists and bands will be allocated to local showcases at 100 venues around the country, six per venue – who will split into pairs for three first round showcases.

Kicking off on July 15, and running on July 22 and July 29, two of the chosen bands and artists will play each week in participating pubs in front of an audience – doubtless including many of their friends as well as pub patrons and music fans – who will then vote on who should make it through to the final pub showcases on 5 August.

On that night the three bands-per-venue, who have come through the initial showcases, will perform again, before another vote decides which outfit will play at the venue on Arthur’s Day itself.

The acts that are selected will also be automatically entered into the second round of Our Thursdays showcases, which will be held at regional level. Over a course of four weeks Guinness will work with Snow Patrol, Hot Press and a team of experts from the music industry, to select the best emerging Irish talent – the ultimate stated objective of the event being to help these acts to get the exposure they deserve.

The most promising bands will be entered into the Our Thursdays National Showcase, which will be held in early September. Bands will perform in selected ‘studio’ venues, with a chance to play on-stage with Snow Patrol themselves at the Arthur’s Day Celebrations at St. James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin as the ultimate prize.

Gary Lightbody emphasised Snow Patrol’s commitment to finding the very best Irish talent. “Every band will be listened to,” he said. “Guinness are getting the entries down to 100, and we’ll then pick the most promising from that hundred, so we’ve a lot of listening to do.”

Bands, he said, would do well to stick to what they do best. “We’ll probably be looking for songs, not necessarily quality of recording. The acts who enter don’t have to worry about equipment, or anything like that. The songs are gonna sing out loud and proud, if they’re great songs.”

Bands can register to enter the Our Thursdays showcases by registering online at [link]www.guinness.com/ourthursdays[/link]. The deadline for applications is 8 July, and bands must be able to commit to at least 2 of the 3 dates available in their area to be part of the showcase. Our Thursdays is open only to artists and bands who are over-18.