Widnes four-piece, The Racket, believe opportunities would be ‘endless’ if they won music competition, Bandzai.

Voting for the final opens at 8pm this evening, Monday, for 24 hours, with the victorious act winning £10,000, a three-day recording session at Parr Street Studios and the chance to feature in Scotts menswear’s Christmas campaign.

The Racket’s lead singer, Callum Codd, states coming away with the top prize would be a significant boost to the band’s fortunes.

He said: “It’d be like winning the lottery for us. When we put a single out, we don’t have any budget, all we have is effort and energy within ourselves. What we could do with this prize is endless. We could spend the money on marketing to spread our music beyond Widnes.

“It would be mega to win because it’s the biggest kickstart to a career that anyone could ask for, I’d say it’s the equivalent of getting a major record deal. It’s exactly what we are missing and is what we need.”

Over 1000 musicians entered the competition, with only four now remaining.

Codd is delighted with the support the band have received from within Widnes.

“It’s all about who can rally the most troops and we have got the spirit going, all the fans are onto it and are helping us out. It’s shows we have a loyal fan base, which might not be massive but has got us this far. Even if we don’t win, it’s enough to know the people got behind us," he said.

“I think when you are from a small town, there is a collective energy where everyone shares stuff. Even people I don’t really know have been getting behind us, which you only really get in a place like this, because in cities you’re a small fish in a big pond.”

Codd says entering Bandzai was a no brainer and will do everything they can to spread the word right until Tuesday night.

“We are always sending out emails, so we saw this and thought it’d be a good opportunity to see how far we could go. All the bands are at the same level, no one is massive, everyone is just starting out.

“We won’t be nervous, but we will be promoting it all day. If we win, there will be a huge party with the champagne going.”