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Last night (31 March) ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1's Zane Lowe revealed the names of the first 10 unsigned acts who have the chance to perform in front of crowds of hundreds on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage at this year's Radio 1's Big Weekend (14/15 May) in Carlisle.

The stage, which is a firmly established fixture at Radio 1's annual flagship event, showcases the best in unsigned, undiscovered and under-the-radar musicians and will include acts from Carlisle and its surrounding area across the weekend, as well as acts that have featured or will feature on the Radio 1 playlist.

´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing is a multi-platform initiative across ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1, ´óÏó´«Ã½ 6 Music, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1Xtra, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Asian Network, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Switch, 40 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Local Radio stations and bbc.co.uk/introducing – all working together to provide an internal network dedicated to supporting the hottest new talent from across the UK.

Artists who have previously appeared on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage like Pulled Apart By Horses, Wretch 32, Two Door Cinema Club, Everything Everything and The Joy Formidable are on the In New Music We Trust Stage this year, showing the importance of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage as a vital platform for new talent.

Zane Lowe says: "The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage is where the early stages of greatness are nurtured. It's where dedicated new music fans gather and bands are made. This year Radio 1's Big Weekend line-up on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage is full of exciting music and loads of potential."

Jason Carter, Editor, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing, adds: "We're delighted to kick start ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing's festival season once again at Radio 1's Big Weekend. We have a fantastic line-up of artists who have uploaded tracks, and as a result received coveted introducing playlist slots on Radio 1, coupled with some superb local acts soon to announced."

The first 10 acts confirmed to appear on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage are as follows:

Saturday 14 May: Friends Electric, Luke Bingham, Rizzle Kicks, Saturday Night Gym Club and Yaaks.

Sunday 15 May: Among Brothers, Linc, Masters in France, MOPP and Myelectrik.

More acts including those from Cumbria and surrounding areas, plus all the fringe activity in the week leading up to the weekend will be announced in ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1's Nations shows on Sunday 17 April.

A truly multi-platform experience, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1's Big Weekend will be broadcast on Radio 1, with a major interactive presence online at bbc.co.uk/radio1 and many live performances available to watch on demand. There will be highlights on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Three and extended performances can be seen via the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Red Button on digital TV during the weekend.

´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1's Big Weekend is the UK's biggest free ticketed festival and 40,000 lucky music fans will be able to enjoy performances across four stages at Carlisle Airfield where the event is taking place – the Main Stage; the In New Music We Trust Stage; the Outdoor Stage and the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing Stage – with the majority of free tickets going to the residents of Carlisle and the surrounding area.

It was announced by Radio 1 on Wednesday (30 March) that Lady Gaga and Foo Fighters will headline the event.

Tickets for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 1's Big Weekend are free and registration for tickets closes at 7pm on Thursday 7 April at bbc.co.uk/radio1.

Notes to Editors

Since January 2011, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing has been part of the Radio 1 playlist, each week, an artist sourced via the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing network gets four to five plays across the daytime schedule.

For more information on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Introducing visit bbc.co.uk/introducing.

JM5