Music scenes of the 90s remembering Rock Quest's battle of the Blackpool bands

Rock Quest in the 1990s - 23 scenes which show Blackpool bands battling it out in search of stardom

They were halcyon days – a time to dream big with hopes pinned on being the next big thing.

By Claire Lark

Published 1st Mar 2022, 15:45 BST

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The enthusiasm of the bands – all of them local – reverberated as they battled it out in The Gazette’s Rock Quest competition. Spanning a couple of decades with around 30 competitions in total, these photos from our archives show you what it was all about in the 1990s.

It was massive in its day and the very first competition attracted around 72 entries. That was in the 1980s at a time when you couldn’t move for live music venues or bumping into someone who was in a band.

There were decent prizes too. In fact £3,500 was handed out in prize money along the way.

Rock Quest was a real celebration of local musical talent, bands rocking their way through the heats, hoping to win and perhaps giving them the break they needed to navigate their way through the music industry. These photos bring a taste of Rock Quest. More galleries to follow…