With this and other prizes (such as an AKG sponsorship deal and PA equipment worth £10,000) riding on how the bands perform at Koko on the night of the final, it's important that the competition judges have plenty of music-business experience.
Harman Pro UK's five choices fit the bill nicely: Jez Coad is a renowned film composer and record producer, with credits including movie smash Austin Powers and production duties on Simple Minds' last album; Independent A&R woman Kelly Maxwell runs her own events, band management and PR company; DJ Kris, enigmatically also known as The Werewolf, is a DJ best known for his savage nights of indie, rock and metal at London club nights for Rockscene, Lockdown and The Animosity Unit; Koko's own Daveid Phillips is a former booker for live acts at the Reading and Tribal Gathering festivals, and is now Koko's Head Of Music. And finally, AKG's Toni Scherrenberg has played in bands all over Europe and is now the microphone manufacturer's Director of European Sales.
(Jim Evans)
