A BAND who were given the chance to play on the bill of the Stockton Weekender after winning a competition are well on the road to success after releasing their first CD and embarking on a UK tour.

Hartlepool four-piece Shoot the Poet was given the chance to perform alongside rock superstars Primal Scream after winning last year’s contest, organised by North-East housing group Vela and Tees Music Alliance, in order to give one of the region’s unsigned bands a helping hand in the music business.

Recent success also includes Shoot the Poet’s single, Little by Little, being used as the kick-off song for League Two football team Hartlepool United, with the band – Dom Hansford, 20, Adam Morgan, 22, Peter Aves, 22, and 23-year-old Craig Gilbraith – now set to embark on a second UK tour later this year.

Frontman Dom said: “Since the festival, support for us has rocketed, and we’ve had a fair bit of interest from promoters and labels. We’ve even being mentioned on BBC 6 music, which was amazing.”

The band’s success comes as Thirteen Group, which Vela is now part of, has announced it is set to become a sponsor of the Stockton Weekender, which takes place on July 26 and 27, with headliners including Happy Mondays, Shed Seven, Public Enemy and Peter Hook and The Light.