Exhumed 2013

Hosted by James Valentine, Exhumed is a band competition with a difference. It’s not for the has-beens, it’s not for the wannabes, it’s not for the never-weres. It’s for people who play music for the sheer love of it.

In June 2013, ABC Local Radio launched a nation-wide search for enthusiastic amateur bands that are unsigned, unrecorded, unrecognised, and until now unwanted.

Over 1,400 entries flooded in from every corner of the country, from Broome to Ballarat and every place in between. From Hard Rock to Reggae, Country to Metal, every genre was covered, along with a few Paul Kelly tunes thrown into the mix.

ABC Local Radio stations across Australia rifled through their entries picking their favourites to chat with and play on air. Eventually they selected one ‘Local Winner’, each announced at an event in their town. Throughout August over 6,200 people attended local events. The spirit of amateur music was alive and well.

From those 44 Local Winners, six were chosen to compete as finalists in the Exhumed TV series, culminating in a heart pumping Grand Final live on ABC1 at the Rooty Hill RSL in Western Sydney.

Exhumed, the album features two tracks from each of the six finalists and is a fitting representation of their journey.