Today this the 16th day of December 2013 marks the opening to the public of the voting for MTV’s Brand New for 2014. Now on its sixth annual outing, ten acts have been nominated for next year’s award. Most of this year’s shortlist of acts will come as no great surprise, manifesting itself as a perennial reflection of what is the more anodyne, commercially mainstream nature of this award; ergo we have Banks, Ella Eyre, Elyar Fox, Joel Compass, Kwabs, Marie Naffah, Sam Smith and The Vamps amongst the roll call of next year’s hopefuls .
But this year also sees the inclusion of two relative curveballs in the form of first, George Ezra – pictured earlier this year in the Holy Trinity Church, as part of the Live at Leeds festival, where he put in a suitably ethereal performance and second, Brighton’s dynamic duo Royal Blood – captured here at this year’s Beacons Festival in the midst of what was one of their typically muscular shows.
Following two live showcases on the 29th and 30th of January, voting for MTV’s Brand New for 2014 closes the next day with the winner of the award announced in early February.
