Hotstop win Blastbeat world final

The band from St. Gerard's School in Bray saw off a host of international competition from the U.S., South Africa and Belgium to take top honours on the night, scooping the dream prize of an album deal with Blastspace records and a world tour, playing Blastspace gigs in four continents later this year.

The 'Blastbeat' programme is recognised by the Department of Education as a Transition Year business project and involves students setting up their own music and media company to discover and promote new bands in their area or community, taking on roles such as financial director, marketing, talent scout and PR. The students organise their own 'Battle of the Bands' competition to select a winner to proceed to the national and world finals.