'We didn't expect to get this far!'

COMPETITION Cavan band reach last four in All Ireland music contest

A Cavan duo have been crowned the Ulster winners in a music competition and now compete in the last four of an All Ireland showdown.

More than 300 entries from all corners of Ireland have been whittled down to just four acts in the Star Nation 2020 competition with Face of the Earth - aka Fabian Gillick and Siobhan Denton - scooping the Ulster title.

The four regional winners will each receive a recording session at the famous Windmill Lane Recording Studios in Dublin. They will now compete online for this year’s new People’s Choice award, before taking part in the grand final at The Roisin Dubh in Galway on September 12 to win the overall title and a top prize of €3,000 of musical equipment.

Having won the provincial title, Face of the Earth, have refocused their sights on scooping the overall Star Nation 2020.

Star Nation 2020 Ulster provincial winner - Face of the Earth (County Cavan)

Face of the Earth are a ‘high energy rock’ two-piece, featuring Fabian from Ballyhaise on bass and vocals and Siobhan from Belturbet on drums. Having begun their musical journey many years ago the two came together in spring of 2016 and have since gone from strength to strength. They describe their sound as ‘rock music you can dance to’ and released their self-titled debut EP in May of 2018 followed by a single 'Naked', the same song that has seen them progress into the Star Nation 2020 final.

“We decided to enter the competition because the prizes on offer were fantastic,” said Fabian. “It was no brainer really. It's been a great experience so far to be involved, especially in the middle of Covid, and we are really excited about the next stage of the competition - because we didn't expect to get this far!”

The Cavan two-piece are facing three other talented acts Connacht winners Classic Yellow from Galway, Leinster winner Rachel Grace from Wexford and Munster winner Cormac Looby from Tipperary.

This year’s competition will also see them compete on social media for the new ‘People’s Choice’ award in which the public will vote for one of the four finalists to perform at the prestigious Ruby Sessions in Dublin, which has hosted the likes of Ed Sheeran, Damien Rice, Paul Brady, Hozier and many more.

Voting for the People’s Choice Award will start on Monday (August 3) at 5pm on Four Star Pizza’s Facebook and Instagram (@fourstarpizza) pages and will run until midday on August 17.