VIDEO: backstage at the Live and Unsigned 2011 auditions

Lockin rock the Dewsbury auditions
Lockin rock the Dewsbury auditions

The MusicRadar-sponsored Live and Unsigned 2011 competition is now well underway. Hundreds of acts have auditioned, all hoping for a place in the regional finals which kick-off in Basildon, UK, at the end of February.

While we await further news and ticket details about the Showcase Tour and it's headliners (including Canadian punks Cancer Bats), you can check out the videos above and below for a taste of the backstage atmosphere in Salford and Hayes.

And to see and hear the hopefuls in action, check out the Live and Unsigned YouTube channel for 30 second clips of all the auditions.

Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).