Each year the SoundStorm team eagerly await BandStorm in early spring, and for good reason – each year we are so impressed – not only by the skill and creativity we see and hear, but the bravery and comradery shown by young musicians at the very start of their journey, many of whom have never performed in front of an audience before.

The process started in the new year, with prospective bands sending in video auditions, followed by a round of ‘heats’ (or auditions), held at Absolute Music’s Room 15 performance studio, in front of three judges and a small contingent of family and friends. We knew at that point we had an exciting competition underway, as it was very hard for the judges to whittle bands down to a final 6.

This year, the final was in early March. It’s a long (but exciting) day for our bands, coming straight to the venue from school, meeting the other bands for the first time, straight into sound check and then the show! Once again, our panel of professional musicians were absolutely blown away by the talent and level of musicianship on display. In the end, we saw Eaker take the BandStorm 2025 Winners’ title at the Old Fire Station in Bournemouth.

Check out the photos for snapshots of the whole process from audition to final and the video below, which captures the electric atmosphere of the final event brilliantly!

Congratulations to ALL bands involved and thanks again to our partners Absolute Music, Old Fire Station and Bournemouth University.