Getting breaks down to a tee

Two years ago, Glasgow-based five-piece Attic Lights found themselves at this point in a process that would, two months later, see them play the legendary T Break Stage at T in the Park itself.

"Bizarrely we didn't get to play at King Tut's - we ended up through in Edinburgh at the Liquidroom," recalls lead singer and guitarist Kevin Sherry. "We didn't bring a massive posse from Glasgow. We were really hoping to win people over and the place was jumping by the end of the night. We were really drained from all the adrenalin, but it was a great night."

After this year's showcases, the 16 best bands will get to play at Scotland's largest open-air festival. In 2006, when Attic Lights were performing, there were only 12 slots up for grabs. Not that there was any animosity between the bands at the showcases, explains Sherry. "There was a lot of good feeling and Good luck for when you go on, guys' and that sort of thing - no overt competition between anyone. The atmosphere was great and there were a lot of industry folk there who were really good with their advice too. It was a nerve-wracking night, but I loved it. When we got off, we knew we'd given ourselves as good a chance as we could."

This confidence served Attic Lights well, both at the showcases and when it came to initially submitting their demos. Before entering T Break, the band took time to build a profile on the local gig circuit, radio and online. This three-pronged, multimedia approach was also adopted by many of the acts playing showcases this year and, in many ways, unsigned bands have never had it so good. Sherry agrees that having a distinctive profile definitely helped Attic Lights' entry stand out.

"I guess we were pretty confident that our demo was good enough to get us to the showcases - we'd done a few recordings and played loads of gigs in the build up to T Break, so we felt we'd done quite a lot of ground-work," he says. "We were hoping that some of the judges might have heard of what we'd been doing anyway, and I think that helped. So we were reasonably confident, but there's always the fear at the back of your mind that it might just get thrown on the pile."

One of the stand-out entrants of 2006, there was little danger of Attic Lights being forgotten and, having impressed industry experts with their demo, then again with their live performance of cheery, Teenage Fanclub-inspired rock at the Liquidroom, they were selected to play the T Break stage in Balado. Confident or not, it was hard for Sherry to contain his delight.

"I actually got the call when I was on a bus. When the girl told me we were going to T in the Park, I wanted to punch the air, but couldn't because the bus was so packed."

Although the band had played live extensively since forming in 2005, they knew that the T Break stage represented a significant step up. "It probably was our greatest gig," says Sherry. "The way it filled up was fantastic; when bigger bands have finished and the crowd is dispersing, you see them walking by, but when they realise that you're a local band, they get right behind you. We were a bit nervous beforehand, but we got to go backstage to get a flavour of how the professionals do it."

Attic Lights are now professionals themselves, having signed a deal with Island Records and quit their day jobs last year. With a new single, God, out tomorrow, and tour and festival dates booked throughout the summer, their stock is very much on the rise. So where did T Break feature in this success?

"It definitely helped with the record company initially. They really liked the fact that we'd got through to the T Break stage," says Sherry. "There was an attraction for them that the band was hard-working and had the kudos of getting through to play T in the Park. I can't really speak highly of it enough, to be honest, I think it's a great thing."

Attic Lights are the third band in as many years to cite T Break as a major factor in their securing a record deal: in 2005 Ayrshire-based Drive By Argument enjoyed success, while last year saw the rise of Edinburgh's Broken Records.

As Sherry says: "The organisers seem keen to push new Scottish bands to help themselves. A lot of the A&R guys I spoke to initially said that they pay a lot of attention to this sort of thing."

This improved recognition and hopeful success is what the organisers have been aiming for since the initiative's inception in 1996.

"We have been proud to help support and stimulate new music talent in Scotland," says George Kyle, Head of Sponsorship at Tennent's Lager.

"T Break gives unsigned musicians something to aspire to as we facilitate introductions to those who can genuinely help them make a career out of their passion, as well as a unique opportunity to share a line-up with the best international and homegrown talent at T in the Park. All of us at Tennent's Lager are looking forward to catching the freshest unsigned talent at the showcases this May." And so should you.

*Attic Lights' new single, God, is out on Monday.

The T Break Showcases 2008 take place at The Liquidroom, Edinburgh from tonight until Wednesday and King Tut's, Glasgow from May 11-14. Tickets are available from the venues and you can hear all the bands' demos - and get details of the T Break journalism and photography competition - at www.tbreak.co.uk