Girls Aloud star to judge Battle of the Bands

Young musicians were set to compete in a music contest judged by Girls Aloud's Nicola Roberts on day two of the Royal Norfolk Show.

Acts in the Battle of the Bands competition will be judged by a panel of industry experts, including Roberts and vocal coach Mark De-Lisser.

Across the two-day event, the Norfolk and Suffolk Music Hub were running four stages, which were set to feature more than 5,000 performers in total.

The hub's strategic development manager, Tim Brain, said: "I think it's such an uplifting experience for young people."

The Royal Norfolk Show is the county's biggest two-day agricultural event, and it was expected to attract around 85,000 people.

A variety of acts were on the lineup for the second day, including school choirs, students from Access to Music College, and local, independent bands.

The Battle of the Bands competition, which started at last year's show, was part of the New Noise initiative to give young people the opportunity to play on a stage.

Despite the name, the showcase is not just for bands, but for any local rock or music act with members aged between 12 and 25.

"We try and give young people a real-life performance opportunity with sound and lighting engineers," Mr Brain said.

"I think it's such an uplifting experience for young people... That's what the music hub is all about."

De-Lisser and Roberts will provide feedback to all of this year's performers.

When picking the panel, Mr Brain said it was important to them to get someone with experience of being a touring performer.

"We're looking for someone that the young people will aspire to, someone that they'll know," he said.

"It's so they get the criticism from someone who's got real-life experience of what it's like being on the road."

He added: "The critique that we get is always really inspirational."

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