Saturday 30th May saw Exodus Lisburn hosting a night that anyone who was there will find hard to forget, as the biggest ever Unsigned Heats were held here and in Coleraine.

We had sound guys and bands arriving from well before 5pm, getting everything ready for the doors opening.  At 8pm the doors were opened and people started to make their way inside.  What followed was one of the best nights we've seen in Exodus Lisburn during its short lifetime.

Kicking the night off in Freedom then were indie/alternative outfit Toy Boats in the Street.  The four-piece band lead by main man Trevor got us off to a good start, with a really tidy performance that set the bar for the rest of the night.

Following on then was Tom McConnell and his band.  Last time we saw him in Exodus he was flying solo but the former Wednesday Adams man showed great flexibility, switching between guitar and keys and peforming his two best known pieces 'Sugar Rush' and 'Ever the Optimist'.  A perfomance that judge and Lowly Knight Craig Skene described as 'perfect for Radio 2' really upped the tempo of the night.

The 3rd act up and the last of the first group was the popular Exodus based band Capture Crossfire.  The boys produced the goods on the night in what was possibly their tidiest and most confident performance in the venue to date.  Jonny and the guys did themselves proud and put themselves right in there with a shout.

After a brief 15 minute interval we were right back into it with the singer/songwriter section.  First up here was Luke williams, joined by his sister for his first song.  Luke is a newby to our venue but continued the high standard of the evening, with his guitar playing in particular impressing the judges.

The other singer/songwriter on the night was Craig McConnell.  Craig has headlined an Unplugged Night on the Lounge stage in the not too distant past and his professional performances continue to impress.  He looks like he was born behind a microphone and this didn't go unnoticed by the judges in their comments.  'Old Tree' is a cracking tune and one that really sticks in the old head for days to come as well.

Another pause, this time briefer, and we were into our 3rd and final group of bands, the real rockin' section.  And leading this section was new outfit More than Conquerors.  Fronted by Exodus favorite Kris Platt and including 3 members of former Unsigned Finalists Six Days Later, this band was thrown together at the last minute, literally with 2 weeks to go.  To be honest you couldn't have known.  The guys put on an awesome display; tidy, skilled, passionate and loud!  Anyone expecting the acoustic Kris Platt to show up couldn't have been more of the mark.  Full credit to the guys who impressed judges and public alike and who demonstrated massive potential.

Following this was a scene beyond belief.  Urban Clearway took to the stage and Freedom was invaded by the Newtownbreda Massive.  With the venue bunged to absolute capacity the guys got up and belted out a high energy set that the Breda guys went nuts for.  Simon and the guys have quite the following and they really gave it stacks in their set.

The final band of the night was metal band Dokime.  Suited up and looking as if they were going to sound like Frank Sinatra, in Craig's mind, The guys put in a hard rocking performance with some great guitar riffs from Mark.  A powerful performance completed a spectacular night of music and left it to the judges to make their decision.

They went away, deliberated and returned and put through More than Conquerers, Tom McConnell and Band and Craig McConnell.

The last place went to a crowd vote and went down to wire between Capture Crossfire and Urban Clearway.  It was to be heartbreak for the Lisburners though as Urban Clearway clinhed the 4th spot.

A massive thank you goes to all the bands who took part and everyone who attended.  Particular mention to Dokime and Capture Crossfire for the provision of the backline and to Alan and Steven for the work on the sound.  Also to our three judges, Ben Steen, Stephen McGloughlin and Craig Skene.  We hope you enjoyed the night as much as we did!