Eight acts from the likes of Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Colchester and Norwich have successfully bid for 'apply to play' slots for this year's two day Sound City Ipswich Festival.

More than 90 acts applied for the prestigious slots for Sound City Ipswich – the two-day festival and conference on October 1 and 2 which will showcase Ipswich as a destination for touring artists.

The successful acts also announced include: Ayo; Bug Teeth; Floral Image; Fraulein; Georgie; Kyanos; Our Quiet Friends; and She's In Parties.

Marcus Neal, co-director and programmer for Sound City Ipswich, said: "We were staggered at the response and the quality of the artists who applied.

"It was an incredibly difficult job to whittle them down to just the eight we have chosen and I wish we could accommodate more but our selection reflects the breadth and depth of the applications.

"Giving new up-and-coming bands the opportunity to play alongside established touring acts is an essential part of Sound City Ipswich.

"We want to give them the experience of playing to new audiences – and to give those audiences the chance to discover new music they may not otherwise hear."

The eight acts include top local talent, with rapper Ayo and soul singer Georgie both hailing from Ipswich, while Bury St Edmunds-based Kyanos have already made waves locally.

Meanwhile singer-songwriter Poppy Johnson, who performs under the stage name Bug Teeth, psychedelic pop outfit Floral Image and Our Quiet Friends have roots in Norwich, with She's In Parties coming from Colchester.

Georgie said: "I'm really excited to have been chosen for Sound City Ipswich. There's a great music scene in Ipswich at the moment, but I don't think people necessarily get to hear about it too much.

"The festival will hopefully shed some light on the talent we have here and help Ipswich artists to really expand their audience."

The festival will feature an industry conference on the Friday to showcase what Ipswich has to offer, before music kicks off that evening and continues on Saturday.

Five stages will host more than 40 artists across the two days, including a free outdoor stage on the Cornhill hosted by BBC Introducing.

The Smokehouse and Corn Exchange will also return from the inaugural sold-out event in 2019, and two more stages still to be announced.

Top touring acts already confirmed include Working Men's Club, BC Camplight, Porridge Radio, The Goon Squad and TrueMendous.

The festival debuted in 2019 with backing from the sister Sound City Liverpool team and Arts Council England support, and returns for 2021 after Covid-19 forced last year's event to be cancelled.

To find out more, get involved or purchase tickets, visit the website at www.soundcityipswich.co.uk