Bury St Edmunds rock band Outbound win BurySOUND’s third heat

What’s that sound? Well, it’s only the third heat of a music competition showcasing new and local talent coming out of the county.

BurySOUND 2023 is in full swing with Outbound, Luke Askew, Loome, Ronan and Slughouse rocking the Hunter Club tonight in Bury St Edmunds.

Headliner Huntar, originally from Newmarket, delivered an explosive finish to the night before the heat 3 winners were announced: Outbound

Front man Joel Thompson said: “It feels so incredible to win - totally surreal.

"We heard our name and we just couldn't believe it.

“We're so excited for the final - it's going to best gig of our lives."

Bury teens Outbound opened the night with indie rock grooves as if The Strokes and Royal Blood had a psychedelic baby.

The band’s set was full of intricate guitar parts and deliciously catchy hooks - note to self: keep an eye on Outbound.

Luke Askew and his band brought some refreshing jazz-inspired RnB to the competition.

The insanely tight band members gave Luke’s expressive vocal chops a welcome backdrop of neo-soul flavour.

Next up was an emotionally charged performance from Loome who gave a professional set of highly produced guitar-driven pop tracks.

The moving performance hypnotised the crowd leaving us all wanting more.

Ronan delivered a lovely set of some covers interlaced with his own promising originals of hooky pop melodies.

The Hunter Club stage can be a scary place to be when you’re up there on your own - but Ronan absolutely smashed it.

Heat three’s competition concluded with math-rock powerhouse Slughouse straight out of West Suffolk College.

The trio’s performance was an exciting splash of distorted chaos, radical transitions and haunting screams - yep, you read that right, screams! I loved every second.

As the judges decided the next finalist, 2011 BurySOUND winner Huntar, formerly known as Lewis Mokler, finished the night as the only solo artist to ever win the competition in the 25 years it's been running.

Outbound will join Bluefeed and EV for the grand final at The Apex on Friday, April 14.

If you couldn’t make the gig tonight, click below to listen to our BurySOUND 2023 Spotify playlist featuring recent singles and popular tracks from this year’s competitors.

The next heat will be on Friday, March 24 and will see Chloe, Emse Emerson, Ikarus, The Moochers and Rascade perform with Men of Munga headlining.

Each heat costs £5 and to book your tickets, click here.

Who is your favourite in this year’s competition? Send me an email to sam.harrison@iliffepublishing.co.uk.