Hot Juice! Jersey-founded band seeks help to play at Isle of Wight Festival

Wednesday 22 March 2023

A Brighton-based band founded in Jersey is calling on fans to help it play in front of thousands of people at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival.

Hot Juice, which is fronted by Jersey guitarist and singer Shay Barker, with fellow Old Hautlian Elliot Coll on rhythm guitar, is in the running to perform in Newport in June – but the five-piece needs to win various qualification stages beforehand.

The first is to win an online poll. If the outfit gets over that hurdle, it will then face a live ‘battle of the bands’, which consist of several quarter-finals, semi-finals and grand-finals.

Ultimately, two acts will be given a slot to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival 2023, which this year will be headlined by Pulp, George Ezra, The Chemical Brothers and Robbie Williams.

29-year-old Mr Barker said any boost that islanders could give the band would be greatly appreciated.

“We were a little late to the competition because we were still getting organised, but the online poll gives us an opportunity to get back in the game,” he said.

Pictured: Hot Juice are currently Shay Barker (front) and (left to right) Joseph Butler (bass), Alex Searle (drums) and Elliot Coll (guitar). Jude James joins next month.

“We’ve been given a wildcard, which I hope our fans will help us play.”

Hot Juice was founded in Jersey as a four-piece at the end of 2017. Mr Barker, a former Les Quennevais student, is the only original member and even Mr Coll (25), who is also a successful YouTuber as The Retro Future, only joined the band once it had moved across to the UK.

The other members are Alex Searle and Joseph Butler, with Jude James joining next month.

Always fronted by Mr Barker, Hot Juice played numerous venues in Jersey before the move last May to Brighton, where he is now a student at WaterBear College of Music.

The band gigged in the Troubadour, Horse and Hound, Kitty O’Shea’s, the Blue Note and Chambers. It also featured in one of the Sunset Concerts at Grantez and closed the Jersey stage at the Weekender.

Hot Juice’s innovative rock n roll / punk style also took the band to Guernsey and the UK.

Watch: Hot Juice's video for its release Good Times.

“Gigs in the UK were costing us a fortune and we would play one venue but not be able return for another month, so we were losing that continuity,” said Mr Barker. “It was why a permanent move was the obvious next step.”

Anyone wishing to support Hot Juice’s efforts to make it to the Isle of Wight Festival can vote for them here.