An invite pinged into my inbox from a renowned London based PR company, inviting me to spend an evening at The Hard Rock Cafe where they were showcasing four bands who were to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival. It was on a Wednesday night and as my calendar was clear, I decided to take the underground to Green Park and venture down to see what was going on.

Opening the evening was a super talented Liverpool based singer songwriter called JOE SLATER, performing with his acoustic guitar, he belted out some stunning self-penned tracks including “Lost in Time” which sounded immense in the back-room bar at the Hard Rock Cafe. His classic playing style was enhanced greatly by his bluesy, whiskey-soaked and gravel toned vocals which were enough to guarantee him his slot on the Hard Rock stage on Sunday 24th June.

Up next were brother/sister combo Matty and Jules from Melbourne in Australia who go by the name BELLE ROSCOE, their blend of new wave and indie rock echoed around the room and pleased the souls of everyone in attendance. It was as if they were in perfect sync, being siblings, I guess they have had plenty of practise in getting it right and they seem to have perfected it! Every track from their set was a pure joy to listen to, all thriller and no filler! Bella Roscoe will be appearing on the Hard Rock stage on Friday 22nd June

Think back to the time when MTV used to take bands, strip them right back to bare acoustics and stick them in a studio with a couple of hundred people, this is EXACTLY what the next act were mimicking. KILLIT are a five piece London based rock act who have already had their fair share of UK festival glory including stunning performances at Ramblin' Man Fair, Hard Rock Hell and have played sold out shows at Camden’s Underworld. Likened to the output of heavy hitters such as Alter Bridge, this is a MUST SEE band if you’re attending the IOW Festival. They play the Hard Rock stage on Friday 22nd June.

The band that closed the curtain on tonight’s showcase was BAD DAY BLUES BAND, a four piece act that effortlessly fused rock, blues and soul and put on a stunning live show for the room. They recently recorded their new EP at Abbey Road Studios and despite not being able to lay claim to recording in the same room as The Beatles did in the 60’s, I can tell you that it sounds every bit as polished and professional as any Beatles track did back in the day. With their singing bass player, a harmonica player that could show The Rolling Stones a trick or two, an immensely tight drummer  and a super cool guitarist, what’s NOT to like about this bunch? You can catch these guys on the Hard Rock stage on Sunday 24th June.

For more information about the Isle of Wight Festival and the Hard Rock stage, click HERE