On Saturday 10 December 2016, Trappers and Seekers were announced the winners of Rock the South 2016. Rock the South 2016 featured among a number of local musical events which took place all over Luxembourg last Saturday. The contest, organised by the Service national de la Jeunesse (SNJ) and, for the second time in a row, 7FM, is for amateur rock music bands and newcomers on the Luxembourgish music scene. This year’s Rock the South included a line-up of five groups who competed for the title of “Best Newcomer of the Year 2016”. The groups were, in order of appearance, Rat October, Trappers, The Choppy Bumpy Peaches, Shadows of November, and Seekers. Finally, after much deliberation, the jury chose Trappers and Seekers as the two winners of the competition. The first is a young rock group with rockabilly influences. The jury admired the maturity they showed for their age and their potential to move directly to recording in a studio. The group were awarded a prize worth 1,000 made up of Rocklab training and recording sessions in the Rockhalstudio. The second winners, Seekers, performed at the festival “On Stéitsch” thanks to the SNJ. Moreover, the rock/indie group The Kooters, winners of last year’s competition, made a stage appearance at the end of the show.
Each band had a maximum of 25 minutes to give an impressive performance to convince the jury to choose them as the winners. The criteria for choosing the winners included the originality of the songs, charisma and presentation, musical talent, contact and interaction with the public, and promotion ahead of the event.
