Hard Rock Rising

Forget the talent-show clichés. Hard Rock Rising is putting Valencia’s emerging musicians on stage and offering something considerably more useful than a trophy: a genuine shot at going global.

The global Hard Rock Rising competition arrives in the city this month, bringing four nights of live music, competition and audience voting as local bands battle for the chance to represent Valencia on an international stage. And this isn't going to be a quiet evening of polite musical networking.

The first round kicks off on 2 September with Nohe, Sita Rizzi and Jhay Onex. Then, on 9 September, Moscow, City Of Fury and Horrorwolf take over. Protocol Shift, Santonegro and Reprise follow on 16 September, before everything comes down to the Final Brawl on 23 September.

Nine acts. Four rounds. One local winner. May the most memorable, original, technically accomplished and impossible-to-ignore artist win. Because this is where things get interesting: the audience is the jury.

Fans will vote in real time using a mobile app, scoring the artists on Musicianship, Fan Support, Vocal Talent, Originality and Stage Presence. So if your friend's band is playing, don't just stand at the back and watch. Get involved. Your vote could help send them through.

And unlike the usual battle-of-the-bands circuit, where victory can mean little more than bragging rights and another poster on Instagram, Hard Rock Rising has some serious international muscle behind it. The competition is being staged across 34 countries and 64 Hard Rock Cafes, with Hard Rock International and Coca-Cola joining forces to search for emerging singer-songwriters, bands and DJs. The Valencia winner progresses to the global round, where the recorded performances of all 64 local champions will be judged by the Coke Studio team.

The global winner gets a professional recording session at Coke Studio L.A. Live, with flights and accommodation included, plus music distribution across major streaming platforms. Then comes a performance at Hard Rock Orlando, a two-night stay at Hard Rock Hotel Orlando, passes to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, a $10,000 cash prize and an assortment of Marshall amplifiers and accessories.

The recording opportunity could be particularly significant. Rather than simply handing the winner a cheque and sending them home, the competition connects them with Coke Studio's professional recording operation, led by multi-platinum, GRAMMY- and Juno-nominated executive producer Rob Rettberg. That's a serious platform for an artist who might currently be recording in a bedroom and wondering when the wider world is finally going to take notice.

For Hard Rock Cafe Valencia, meanwhile, there's an obvious sense of pride in putting local talent under the spotlight. “Hard Rock Rising gives us the opportunity to showcase the incredible musical talent right here in Valencia,” says Vittorio Dugarte, Sales & Marketing Manager at Hard Rock Cafe Valencia, describing it as a genuine opportunity for local artists to be discovered on a global stage.And that's ultimately what makes the whole thing worth watching.

Valencia has musicians everywhere. Bands rehearsing in garages, bedrooms and borrowed spaces; singers writing songs nobody has heard yet; DJs building sets and audiences one night at a time. The difficult part isn't necessarily making music. It's getting people to listen. Hard Rock Rising at least gives artists a serious opportunity to do exactly that.

There will be a stage. There will be an audience. There will be competition. There will be votes. And, for one Valencia act, there will be a route into the global final. The surrounding celebration is suitably Hard Rock, too, with a limited-time menu, Coca-Cola cocktails, collectible merchandise and a limited-edition Hard Rock Rising collaboration with streetwear label Cult of Individuality.

But none of that matters when the lights go down. What matters is what happens when the first band walks out. Who owns the room? Who has the songs? Who can really play? Who looks completely at home on stage? And who leaves you thinking, “Where did they come from?”

That's the beauty of live music. You can polish a Spotify profile. You can build a social-media following. You can spend hours perfecting your online presence. You can't fake a room reacting to a great band. So Valencia, pay attention. Four nights. Nine acts. One winner. And somewhere inside that line-up could be the next artist Valencia starts claiming it discovered first.

For more information: Hard Rock Cafe Valencia

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