Teen rock band showcasing talents

A teenage Cannock rock band have turned promoters by securing funding for a gig featuring local talent.

Young Minded hunted out opportunities for themselves and other school-age groups after struggling to find suitable venues.

Now, they have been awarded £1,700 to put on a showcase event at the Prince Of Wales Centre in front of up to 430 people. The band approached Cannock Chase Council Arts Development last year and were guided on how to get their idea of a music event off the ground.

Their successful application to the Youth Bank award scheme, via Staffordshire County Council's Youth Service, now means a series of local bands with members from Cannock Chase, Kingsmead, Blake and Cardinal Griffin high schools will perform to a much wider audience.

Guitarist Matt Smith, aged 17, and bass player Curt Molloy, 14, were driven by the fact that they and other young bands were disappointed with the lack of local opportunities for young people to perform outside their own schools.

Young Minded, completed by singer and lead guitarist Luke Carter, 13, and drummer Matthew Dobson, 15, say they have had fantastic opportunities to perform at local pubs but wanted to perform to their own age group.

Matt said: "We are delighted to have got this funding to get the project off the ground but we don't want it to be just a one-off event. We would like to make this sustainable and will be putting profits into staging more concerts."

The band will host the Chase Rocks event, also featuring Behind Closed Doors, Evil Empire and Stage Exit, on July 2. Award winning Young Minded will headline.

Young people can purchase tickets costing £3.50 from Cannock Youth Centre, Prince of Wales Centre and at the reception at Blake, Kingsmead and Cardinal Griffin schools.

The event, supported by the council's Arts Development service, Staffordshire Youth Service, Staffordshire Police and council street wardens, they Arts Development Officer Lisa Shephard said "I'm very proud of them, as this award will mean that all the profit made on ticket sales and merchandise will go to organising another event next year."