A surf-punk trio has won a competition run by EBU Member and public service broadcaster Czech Radio to promote promising contemporary non-mainstream Czech musicians abroad.

‘Wild Tides’ formed in 2011 after lead singer Jakub Kaifosz launched a search for like-minded musicians by recording and posting two tunes on the internet. Interest from Michal Dovec (drums) and Jan Táborský aka Vegy (guitar) led to the formation of the band.

Within a short space of time the band had attracted interest outside the Czech Republic, playing to audiences in Slovakia, Holland and Germany. Two EPs, a single and last year’s debut album ‘Hung Loose’ attracted the attention of contest organizers Czeching 2014.

The six-member jury of music journalists, programmers, promoters and publishers identified Wild Tides as the outstanding talent from a field of six nominated contestants demonstrating the greatest potential to make it onto the playlists of radio stations abroad.

Czech Radio invited the band to record a set of five songs at its professional studios and have subsequently offered the music to EBU Members to broadcast.  The band’s route to success has been documented as part of the Čajovna (Tea Room) show on Czech Radio Vltava.

Jakub Kaifosz says the band draws inspiration from the energy that comes of performing live.  

“When Michal and I are writing a song, we really want to get it over with, which has reached such extremes that we don’t rehearse at all and the songs that were only finished in the studio are played by all of us together on stage for the first time,” Mr Kaifosz said. “Poor Vegy sometimes gets to know the songs in this way: I record a ´tutorial´ on the guitar using a webcam and send it to him by email; he conjures something up and that’s it. We simply can’t rehearse, but we can play gigs,“ – an insight into where this Czech group finds its authentic energy.

Listeners may still register their vote for their favourite song on www.czechradio.cz .