East Coast FM have announced that – after selecting four finalists last month – Drying Weather are the station's overall winners of A New Local Hero.

Formed in late 2019, this alternative rock four-piece joined forces with producer Eoin Whitfield in recent years – releasing a series of lauded singles. It’s a promising taste of what to expect from their debut album, set to arrive this year.

"Wishing them all the best of luck, and we know that they're going to make East Coast FM proud!" the station remarked.

The other fantastic finalists selected by East Coast FM included Ella Olsen, Holly Smith and The Monadnocks.

Each finalist got the chance to play live on East Coast FM, with all of the artists – thanks to the support of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, under its Sound & Vision scheme – being paid for their performance.

As one of the central features of Irish Music Month, A New Local Hero is a major call to arms for Irish musicians and bands – with all 25 participating radio stations having reached out for submissions as part of the talent search.

 

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25 acts, including Drying Weather, have been selected as their radio station's A New Local Hero. Now, an industry judging panel will choose just five of those acts to go forward to play at a special showcase event in Dublin.

The A New Local Hero campaign will ultimately see over  €100,000 paid directly to Irish artists – and one worthy winning act selected, who will get to record a single at the prestigious Camden Recording Studios in Dublin, and release the single on the famed Irish independent record label Rubyworks.