Blog: Oscar Pollock

I have a vivid memory of a Wednesday winter evening when I was 16, when I took a deep breath and uploaded an old demo of ours on to the BBC Introducing website.

Within the week I received an email from Linda Serck at BBC Berkshire telling us that our song was going to be judged by a panel on the coming Sunday evening. We waited with baited breath for the result. Our track won! I jumped up and accidentally smashed a glass in my euphoria.

BBC Intro has been amazing for us. We played on its introducing stage at Reading Festival the following year to a home crowd. Huw Stephens has been an incredible supporter, playing all our new music when it comes out. We played and recorded a session at the BBC Maida Vale studio for Huw and two weeks ago I spoke to him live when he filled in for Annie Mac and premiered our new single Vivienne as the Hottest Record in the World on Radio One.

With the support from BBC Introducing, plus a lot of blood, sweat and tears, we are now a signed band and are able to do what we love full time. We have just come back from recording our debut album in Berlin, followed by a pretty heavy tour with The Wombats. We have been home for about a week and are heading straight back into the thick of it, supporting Circa Waves for a few of their UK shows and then, come the end of the month, our headline tour starts kicking off in Glasgow.

It’s very surreal to think back to those early moments. It’s hard for bands and artists to break through these days as there is just so much music online due to bedroom studios, etc. It’s very easy to record a song and wack it up online. However, what I would say is no matter how cluttered the musical landscape of today gets, if you keep writing good songs, eventually the talent will prevail. I would encourage every young and hungry unsigned band or artist who wants a break to send their tracks into BBC Introducing. We are thankful to it and the amazing folk over at Radio One.

Sundara Karma’s EPII is out 6 Nov. They play 22 Oct, Oporto, Leeds, 24 Oct, Soup Kitchen, Manchester and 4 Nov, The Magnet, Liverpool