VODAFONE : BIG TOP 40 GIVES UNSIGNED PORTSMOUTH BAND ITS BIG BREAK

Portsmouth based band, Coax, are celebrating after being named the next Vodafone Future Breakers winner. This gives the four bandmates, Andy Muscat, Ben Kennedy, Brian Flack and James Stephens a fantastic opportunity to launch their budding music career. The Vodafone Future Breakers initiative, launched as part of the Vodafone Big Top 40 partnership with Global, has given Coax the money-can't-buy chance to record and produce their song 'Heal and Deliver' with industry professionals, as well as their live studio session broadcast online with the Big Top 40.

Coax formed around eight months ago after Portsmouth session artists, Andy and Ben, began writing songs together. They later joined up with fellow session artists James and Brian after realising they all shared the same passion for music. Since then, the guitar-based band have focused on gigging across the UK, including many festivals, whilst working towards releasing their first EP.

Taking inspiration from the likes of One Republic and Kings of Leon, Coax think they can bring something new to the music scene with their infectious blend of pop, indie and rock. The band now hopes this big break will be the stepping stone to something bigger, including releasing their EP soon.

On their experience with Vodafone Future Breakers, Coax commented: 'Being a Vodafone Future Breaker has given us a huge platform to showcase our music. Writing and performing our own songs gives us such a buzz, so getting to record and perform one of our songs in the studio has been amazing. We can't wait to write more and hopefully one day we'll have people singing back to us!'

Fronted by the Vodafone Big Top 40's very own Marvin Humes, Vodafone Future Breakers is continuing the search for the very best unsigned talent from across the UK to uncover the next big thing in music. Listeners, budding artists, DJs and band members can still get involved and enter their tracks or videos through the dedicated hub where they could win a recording studio session with a top industry producer!

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Notes to editors:

About The Big Top 40:

The Vodafone Big Top 40 is the UK's number 1 chart show with 2.4 million listeners every week. It is presented by Marvin Humes and Kat Shoob, and produced by Global, the media & entertainment group. The chart is the UK's first real time chart show with the top 10 taken live from iTunes during the show. Listeners across the UK can tune in on Sundays from 4pm across 130 radio stations, online at bigtop40.com and through the Big Top 40 app.

• Find out more about Vodafone Future Breakers and the Vodafone Big Top 40 here:

http://promo.bigtop40.com/breakers/home/

• Hi res images and logos available on request.
• Follow up interview with Coax available on request.
• Coax's SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/coaxuk

About Vodafone UK

Vodafone is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies and provides a range of services including voice, messaging, data and fixed communications. Vodafone has mobile operations in 26 countries, partners with mobile networks in 49 more, and fixed broadband operations in 17 markets. As of 30 September 2016, Vodafone had 470 million mobile customers and 14 million fixed broadband customers. For more information, please visit: www.vodafone.com.

Vodafone UK partners with businesses of all sizes - from start-ups and small businesses to the largest corporates and the public sector. The company has worked with UK businesses for over 30 years, starting out as a mobile provider and becoming one of the UK's leading total communications partners. It provides a range of voice and data services, secure communications infrastructure, fixed and call centre capability, unified communications and was the first mobile phone operator to offer a truly converged service for fixed and mobile.

Vodafone is currently spending around £1 billion on its network and services across the UK following a similar amount spent last year. This includes £200 million on its network in London, the introduction of its 4G service to more than 918 cities and towns, as well as thousands of smaller communities whilst also making network improvements across its UK 3G network. Meanwhile, The Vodafone Rural Open Sure Signal programme is also aiming to bring 3G coverage for the first time to 100 remote communities across the UK.

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