A group of Granite City rockers are to crank up the volume in a national battle of the bands competition, fresh from a support slot with The Bluetones.
Aberdeen four-piece The Cliftons were treading the hallowed boards of the Lemon Tree last night and will head to Dundee for the Buskers bar competition on Saturday.
Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist James Will, said supporting the big name indie group had been “a dream come true”.
“I remember the days when we were e-mailing venues and begging for slots,” he said.
“It’s strange now playing somewhere as iconic as the Lemon Tree and being asked ‘do you want to support The Bluetones?'”
He said the group are one of the only bands from Aberdeen taking part in the competition, with 32 acts being whittled down to 16 for the semi-final.
Up for grabs is a support slot at Dundee’s West Fest and the chance to cut a record at a studio in the City of Discovery too.
The Cliftons released their self-titled debut EP in July last year, with a second record in the pipeline.
Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Andrew Joseph, bass guitarist Keir Smith and drummer and percussionist Bilal Benzahia form the rest of the band.
The group pull in influences from the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Catfish and the Bottlemen and the Stone Roses.
Tonight they will be performing at The Tunnels in Aberdeen with Man Made – including frontman Nile Marr, son of famous Smiths guitarist Jonny.
To hear more from The Cliftons go www.facebook.com/TheCliftonsUK/
