The Hot Sprockets and In Their Thousands Take Play On The Day Regional Titles

After a night of fierce rock'n'roll action in Dublin and Belfast, The Hot Sprockets and In Their Thousands have progressed to the final of the Guinness Play On The Day competition, run in association with Hot Press and RTÉ 2fm.

The East final took place at Whelan's, Dublin tonight and proved to be a tight call for the judges.

Meanwhile, in The Limelight, Belfast, the Donegal band In Their Thousand fended off stiff competition from Triggerman, Suzanne Savage and Peter McVeigh to take the North section of what is the biggest band competition ever in Ireland.

"They really are a bit special," Mark Hogan of Hot Press said afterwards. "They have already carved out a big reputation for themselves, but their performance tonight was confirmation that they are a band with the potential to go all the way."

The third Regional Final takes place tomorrow night in Limerick, when four acts will battle it out in the West / Mid-West face-off, with the South region final taking place next week.

"The line-up for the final is taking powerful shape," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes commented. "It is going to be an extraordinary showdown! In the meantime, the gigs in Limerick and Cork will be essential viewing. Anyone looking for a rock'n'roll night to remember should be there!"

To get tickets for the remaining regional finals just go to [link]www.playontheday.com[/link]