Airdate: Exhumed

Never mind about the hottest young wanna-be getting a record deal -what about the “never weres?”

That’s where Exhumed steps in, ABC1’s search for the best has-been garage and amateur bands in the country.

The 5 part series featuring the ‘Best Bands You’ve Never Heard Of’, is hosted by James Valentine and features three judges: Julia Zemiro, Tim Rogers and Clare Bowditch.

It begins mid November and wraps with a live Grand Final on December 12.

Exhumed is a band competition with a difference. It’s not for has-beens, it’s not for wannabes, it’s for the never-weres. It’s for people who play music for the sheer love of it.

In June 2013, ABC Local Radio launched a nation-wide search for amateur bands that are unsigned, unrecorded, unrecognised, and until now unwanted. Over 1400 entries flooded in from every corner of the country, from Broome to Ballarat and every place in between.

ABC Local Radio stations across the country rifled through their entries picking their favourites to chat to and play on air. Eventually they selected one ‘Local Winner’ each announced at an event in their town. From those 44 Local Winners, 6 have been chosen to compete as finalists in the Exhumed TV series, culminating in a heart-pumping Grand Final broadcast live on ABC1 from the Rooty Hill RSL in Western Sydney.

This five-part TV series follows the EXHUMED competition. It tells personal stories about what it’s like to be passionate about music – when music is your favourite thing to do but not your job. When you’ve played music all your life, and you don’t want to be a star, but you’d like someone to notice that your band is pretty good.

It’s a competition full of heart, humour, highs and lows – but ultimately only one band will take home the title ‘Exhumed Winner 2013’.

Thursday November 14 at 8pm on ABC1.