Auckland rock band Payola has won the Jim Beam Rock Search and will be opening the Jim Beam Rock Stage at Vodafone Homegrown on April 26.
The genre-hopping foursome will easily hold their own ahead of the stella lineup which includes Elemeno-P, The Feelers, Goodnight Nurse, Opshop, Kora, Pluto and Shihad.
Not short on rockstar confidence they describe their sound as "styled sci-fi funk fused with alt-country gospel tunes and furious guitar fuelled metal soul all wrapped up in a sound so live and vital it'll pin you to the back wall, steal your cigarettes and waltz off with whoever you had your eye on".
Forming in 2005 Payola has recently released a limited edition E.P entitled 'Dirt and Stars' which caught the judge’s ears. The Rock's judge Riccardo Ball explains "We had a huge response with over a couple hundred bands and we were blown away with the quality. Payola just had that bit extra, that little something different; their song 'Oscillator' just sounds like it should be on a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack".
Lead singer Solomon Cole is suitably excited about the Jim Beam prize pack which includes flights, accommodation, and Jim Beam VIP backstage action; "Absolutely superb opportunity for Payola, and all credit to The Rock and Jim Beam for recognising the merits of "Oscillator", we look forward to bringing a very big and very loud opening to the festival".
Vodafone Homegrown takes over the Wellington Waterfront with five stages and 32 acts on April 26th from 1 to 11pm. Tickets are only $75 and selling fast from Ticketek, for more information visit www.homegrown.net.nz