AN Okehampton rock band won a prestigious ?battle of the bands? competition at Exeter?s Cavern Club recently, beating off stiff competition from more than 30 other bands from across the South West.
Okehampton-based three-piece Fosta comprises Jim Hanington who plays guitar and sings, Martyn Campbell who plays drums, and bassist Riki Drew. The band members met at Okehampton College and have been playing together since April.
Jim admitted he was somewhat surprised to have won. ?I didn?t think we would win, but it was good we did. We had a really great response from the audience,? he said.
Fosta were chosen as the best band in their heat and went through to the overall final with three other acts, where they played a well-received 20-minute set to be crowned the evening?s winners.
The rock band?s prize for winning the ?Singles Night? contest is the chance to record and release their own single. Jim said the band were hoping to go into the Old Mill studio near Exeter next month to make the record. He said the band members were all excited as the session would be overseen by the man who was sound engineer for the Teignmouth-based chart-toppers Muse.
Fosta have already played gigs in London and are hopeful this latest success will help them continue to build their profile.
There?s a chance to see what all the fuss is about when Fosta play a gig at the Bottleneck Inn at Sourton on December 20.
Over the years many now famous bands have used gigs at the Cavern as a stepping stone towards the big time, including Coldplay, Muse and the Cranberries.