Newbury teens win Battle of the Bands

Newbury band Minor Inconvenience has won Rising Music’s Battle of the Bands competition and will now headline a summer music festival in Hampshire.

The group of four Park House School students performed in the competition final on Sunday (June 1), when they went up against other young bands from across Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey. Their 20-minute high-energy set list at the Phoenix Arts Centre, in Bordon, Hampshire, included rock classics and their own music.

Minor Inconvenience - Ant Wilkin (guitar and singer), Mason Velvick (lead guitar), James McDermott (bass guitar) and Ollie Smith (drums) - will now headline the weekend-long Rising Music Festival, playing the coveted Saturday night slot on 21 June.

Ollie Smith, Minor Inconvenience’s drummer, said: “There was some great competition in the final and we had a few technical issues in our performance, so we were chuffed to be announced as winners on the night. We can’t wait for the festival, and we have a couple of private gigs over the summer too. At the moment, we’re just enjoying the ride.”

To follow Minor Inconvenience on Instagram, search for minor_inconvenience.band