Wolverhampton Unsigned band The Icon make grand final
They've had to wait for their chance, but when it came on Sunday young rockers The Icon grabbed it with both hands.
The group, whose members hail from Wolverhampton, Penkridge and Kingswinford, have reached the grand final of the Soundwaves Music Competition after the snow which struck earlier this month postponed the original regional final date.
The action happened at Liverpool's O2 Academy - where the boys are now based - and they are now one step closer to reaching their goal of becoming a high profile touring band.
Frontman Tom Harrison, aged 19, from Penkridge, said: "It was great to see all the fans that came up to support us in Liverpool. There was some great competition and we’re very grateful for the opportunity and very pleased to have made it through to the final.
"We hope to see you in Birmingham, message the band for tickets!"
To compete in the competition The Icon, who recently appeared as the Unsigned band of the week in The Ticket, had to endure several audition stages and a tough video stage.
Previous competition winners include As Sirens Fall, who won in 2016 and then went on to perform at Download Festival twice, and Sam Lavery – who then went on to finish in the top few acts on The X Factor in 2016.
A spokesman for Soundwaves said: "The show, which included industry presence from Parr Street Studios in Liverpool and record companies, was a huge success packed with screaming music fans of all ages to support their favourite new music.
"The judges said The Icon were amazing and scored them very highly. At the end of the O2 Academy Liverpool show The Icon were crowned the winner out of the top 12 acts and they won a slot to compete in the new national finale in Birmingham for the chance to win management and a full UK Tour, plus an array of huge prizes.
"The Icon celebrated in style after the show and said on social media that they can’t wait to perform in the national final and compete against all the other winners across the UK."
At the moment, the grand final in Birmingham's O2 Academy is pencilled in for June 9. When the date is confirmed, tickets will go on sale. Follow the band on Facebook @theicon222 for ticket information updates.
