A YOUNG band described as an ‘inspiration to the younger generation’ are in the running for a Tele Community Champion Award.
Indie rock band Slix is formed of Robbie Peden on vocals, Niven Lowrie on guitar, Harvey Todd on bass, Paul Greenan on guitar and Cameron Hyslop on drums.
Cameron, Robbie, Niven and Paul attended a music business class at West College Scotland where they met their now manager Erin Kelly.
It was Erin’s mum Margaret Kelly who put the band – who have only been together for a year – up for the live music award after seeing how far they have come.
She said: “I nominated them because they have truly come from nothing.
“It started out as a couple of kids jamming out and playing their favourite songs and they have now started playing in Glasgow with some of the best young punk bands on the scene at the moment.”
The band are set to release their first single, with their EP following next month.
Margaret admires their determination to succeed and says their songs shine a light on important issues.
She said: “The majority of the songs are based on mental health issues, which highlights a huge problem in the younger generation.
“Their work has hopefully shown young kids that you don’t need to have everything in the world to do what you love and make a career out of it.
“The boys are only at the beginning and they’re showing the young kids that they can choose music and succeed.”
The lads are delighted at being nominated for a Community Champion Award.
Niven said: “We didn’t have a clue who put us forward but we’re all really happy and buzzing about it.
“We have never actively set out to highlight mental health issues, we just always wrote about what we had heard and saw. They are real life issues in the world around us so this issue just comes naturally to use as we’ve dealt with it and know people who have too.”
Manager Erin, who only joined the band about six months ago and is working to take them to the top, said: “It’s amazing, I am so proud of them and everything they have achieved. Being nominated isn’t something we thought would ever happen so they are delighted. We can’t wait to see where things go from here.”