AN energetic four-piece band from Oxford have beaten nearly 1,000 acts to make the final of a national battle of the bands.

Little Brother Eli, made up of Josh Rigal, Adam Stowe, Alex Grew and Mitch Weaving, formed in 2013 and are down to the final eight of Firestone’s Road to the Main Stage competition.

Their fate now lies in the general public’s hands, who will decide the overall winner by voting on firestone.roadtothemainstage.co.uk between October 30 and November 13.

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A judging panel featuring staff from Orange Amplification and Professional Music Technology already whittled 950 acts down to eight along with TV and radio presenter and official ambassador Abbie McCarthy.

The band have gained airtime on BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and BBC Introducing and have played at the O2 Academy in Oxford, as well as the Big Festival and the Great Escape Festival.

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They are now within touching distance of prizes including a top UK festival slot in 2020, a VW Transporter van for a year, in-store credit at a Professional Music Technology store, new gear from Orange Amplification and a contribution towards the creation of an EP.

Firestone’s Road to the Main Stage has been developed over five years to give artists a chance to shine, reaching out to more than 3,500 entrants.

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Little Brother Eli bassist Josh Rigal said: “It is really quite humbling to get this far and exciting to think that we could go on and win.

"We’ve been working hard for the last few years, so it is incredible to think that our sound has left an impression when so many acts entered at the outset of the competition.

"Oxford is such a vibrant place for music, making it quite easy to make a small amount of money from gigging. But it has never been harder to make a career from it, as there is so much competition out there and so much to pay for. Being an unsigned band is not always fun, but this competition gives us a chance to get to that next level."