A BOURNEMOUTH band has been nominated for a national competition two weeks after releasing their second single.

Skinny Knowledge, a four-piece band formed by full-time Bournemouth musician Andy Smooth, AGE, became a fully-fledged band amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite difficulties posed by the pandemic, the band's second single Keep Me Out Of It has seen great success.

The song has now been nominated for Classic Rock Magazine's 'Track of the Week'.

Andy said: "Our song was put forward for Track of the Week by our PR manager and was chosen out of over 500 entries. To be included in the list and to be acknowledged by a magazine is still surreal.

"It always goes through my head that 12 months ago it was just me sat in my bedroom writing some music. I never thought that a year later I would be sat in this position.

"We’ve never even done a gig, but it’s an exciting achievement, nonetheless. I’m not holding out for winning but just being included is awesome. Maybe the underdogs will win, who knows?"

Andy started writing music for the album prior to the pandemic, and even prior to forming the band.

He said: "In 2019 I was at a low point in my life. I was just going out and playing little bar gigs, not really looking forward to anything. I got to the point in late 2019 where I started to turn things around and I began writing my own music as a personal hobby to get some enjoyment out of music again.

"This carried on through to the beginning of 2020 and I was really enjoying it. At that point I started writing more and more songs, eventually putting an album together.

"Before the pandemic I was a full-time musician and I have been been playing in pubs since I was 13.

"Music is my life, so it’s been really tough not being able to perform each week. It has taken a hit on me, but that is one of the reasons why I put this band together as I knew it was a distraction from everything that’s going."

To find out more about Skinny Knowledge, visit: www.skinnyknowledge.co.uk