Virgin

This news’ll either have unsigned bands flocking to the Road To V contest or hitching their girlie skirts in fear and running for the hills. Libertines and Dirty Pretty Things person Carl Barat has been announced as the fifth judge on the Road To V panel in the UK. The Road To V comp gives the chance for two unsigned bands to open up the VFestival in the UK this August. Previous winners have been The Young Knives, Bombay Bicycle Club and that chap Sam Riley who played Ian Curtis in Control. The Holloways were also previous contenders and watch this space for news of last year’s brilliant winners Rosalita and The Brightlights. Hopeful bands have already been busy uploading tracks to the Road To V website - and now the gauntlet has well and truly been thrown down. The other four judges joining the right honourable Mr Barat are VFestival promoter Mags Revell, NME’s Mark Beaumont, A&R chap Sav Remzi and Crown Management’s Paul Samuels. So these are the bigwigs who will initially decide which bands will get to play the heats at London and Liverpool - then it’s over to us mere mortal punters to vote, vote, vote like Billy-O for the bands we want to open the UK VFestivals. More Road To V features coming up here very soon… check out armcurls’ Flickr photostream for more lovely Carl Barat pics.