Quantana’s quest

A SHETLAND rock band have taken a step towards to securing a place on the bill at this year’s Download Festival after storming to second place in a public vote.

Five-piece metal group Quantana – whose members are Dwayne Davies, Stuart Donald, Harley Gear, James Johnson and Lewis Murray – now have to wait until four judges pick 15 bands from the top 100 entries.

If successful they will go to London to make a video at festival sponsors Red Bull’s studio. Then the videos would be put to the public vote after which the top six, along with two “wild card” bands, will find themselves on the bill for one of the UK’s biggest rock music showcases.

Finishing second in the poll was a remarkable achievement given the band only entered on 14 April, giving them less than half the time most bands had to accumulate votes after the competition opened on 1 April.

The band members – who submitted a live video from their recent gig at the Pierhead Bar in Voe (see below) – feel it is testimony to Shetland’s power as a close-knit community.

Guitarist Donald said: “We couldn’t have gotten this far without everyone’s superb support.

“We just have to wait now until Friday night when four judges choose 15 bands from the top 100 to go to London to Redbull Studios to make a video there.

“We hope [the judges] recognise the rate that we stormed through the chart to reach the top ten all the way from 351st when we entered.”