Shadowplay are winners of Lift Off @ The Music Show

Shadowplay are the winners of the Lift Off @ The Music Show competition. The band triumphed in a race which saw almost 1,000 acts competing and they will now join the star-studded line-up for the live stage at the show over the weekend, which includes Bressie, Lisa Hannigan, Bell X1, Aslan, The Minutes, Royseven, Jerry Fish, Wallis Bird and many more.

Shadowplay play The Music Show on Saturday February 25.

The band, which was formed in 2012 by three Maynooth NUI music students – Andrew Dempsey (bass, guitar, keyboards, vocal), Eoghan Johnston (lead guitar) and Emmet Farrell (drums, vocals) – will then go on to record an album which will be funded and marketed by Shamrock Solutions, who are behind the latest releases by Sinéad O'Connor, The Cranberries, Marilyn Manson, Andrea Corr, Death In Vegas, The Crystal Fighters, Bob Geldof and Vintage Trouble, among others.

"The competition really was fierce," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said. "There are so many great artists and bands in Ireland right now, across every genre of contemporary music. When it came down to the final shortlist of ten in particular, there were very, very difficult decisions to be made. But there is a wonderful freshness and originality about what Shadowplay do. They have the musicianship, the songs, the attitude and most of all the potential to become huge. Winning this competition is a really huge step in that direction. I think we can expect great things from them."

The Lift Off @ The Music Show competition was run in association with Shamrock Solutions and is supported by Litton Lane Studios.