PUBLIC VOTING OPENS IN ARTHUR'S DAY PLAY ON THE DAY COMP

The Guinness Arthur's Day – Play on The Day competition has entered its second stage, with the launch today, Friday, October 12 of the public voting.

Entry to the competition, which is supported by Hot Press and RTÉ 2fm, came to a close, with a huge number of bands and artists from all over Ireland submitting tracks. The Play On The Day competition formed an integral part of this year's Guinness Arthur's Day celebrations. Guinness significantly expanded the Arthur’s Day celebrations this year to include live music events in local pubs across Ireland, with all the bands in the mix for the competition having played a gig on Arthur's Day.

Over the last number of days, a panel of judges worked round the clock to shortlist the very best acts in each of the four regions. The full list of shortlisted acts in each of the regions can be seen below. Fans can now listen to a track from each act at www.playontheday.com and vote for their favourite! Those voting will also be in with the chance of getting their hands on tickets to the live gigs!

"We have been telling people, over and over again in the pages of Hot Press about the extraordinary strength of Irish music at the moment, from a creative standpoint," said Niall Stokes, Editor of Hot Press. "Well, that has been confirmed by the quality and the variety of the entrants to this year's Play On The Day competition. I can say now that it is going to take something very special to emerge as winners!"

"The quality of the acts that entered was outstanding," Ian Wilson senior producer with RTÉ 2fm added. "The judges were faced with a daunting task, but there is no doubt looking at the list of shortlisted bands that musicians and bands in Ireland are taking Play on the Day really seriously”.

The public voting is now open at [link]www.playontheday.com[/link]. The top four acts in each region will then proceed to the Regional Finals, which take place in Cork, Limerick, Dublin and Belfast. The four regional winners will then proceed to the Arthur's Day – Play On The Day final. For a full list of the shortlisted acts in each of the regions, see below.

The East (All of the province of Leinster) 
Amoric – Symphony
Champagne Animal – Beauty I Do
Corrina Penston – Dark Room
Digital Fun – P.O.P.
Empire Saints – Rescue
Eric McGrath – Little Ripples
Heritage Centre – The Boss
Hogan – No! No! No!
Neon Wolf – We Own The Sky
New Musty Rhymes – Same Old Place
Paul Creane And the Changing Band – All For You Baby
Rob Steenson – Summer Rain
Stone and Jezreel – Tales
Stuart Agnew – Laces
Tara Stewart & A State Of Being – Grief
The 68s – Walkin Blues 
The Animators – Marvelous 
The Cold 100 – Mr. Westcoast Man
The Crayon Set – I Wanted You
The Darling Sins – Spindle
The Disconnected Bliss – Run
The Hot Sprockets – Cruisin'
The Juice – Ella Fontaine
The Thomas Donoghue Band – Solace
The Yips – Where the Wind
 
The North (All of the province of Ulster) 
Droids – Astromech And Protocol
In Their Thousands – 0400
Peter McVeigh – Out Of Control
Psychojet – False Crescendo
Red Velvetines – Bang Bang
Runaway Go – Electric
Suzzanne Savage – Dart
The Bonnevilles – Son Of Reverbio
Triggerman – Th'on Strange Brew
Wyldling – Waiting On Water

The South (All of the province of Munster, except Clare and Limerick) 
Aine Duffy – Keeping The Streets
Brian Deady – Over Like McGyver
Broken Glass On Broadway – Right Things Wrong Tiime
Dead School – Incisions
Hush War Cry – Lily
John Blek & The Rats – Take Me Home
Ladydoll – Honeybunny
The Calvinists – What a life
Time Is A Thief – So It Goes
Walking on Cars – As We Fly South
 
The West & Mid-West (All of the province of Connacht plus Limerick and Clare)
Animal Beats – Water To Sand
Drea – Animal
Ka Tet – Baby On The Brink
Moscow Metro – Spirit Of The City
Paddy Dennehy & The Red Herring – I Hate To Say I Love You
Protobaby – Traditions
Strange Boats – Boys Walk Faster Than Girls
Tom Ryan – When Can We Be Friends Again
Torq – On The Run
Túcan – Riot Now