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Plucked from thousands of hopefuls, a Tyneside band has won the chance to play on one of the main stages at Glastonbury.

Newcastle-based Bridie Jackson & the Arbour were whittled down from around 8,000 acts from across the country to make it into the final eight to battle it out in the live final of the Glastonbury Emerging contest in Somerset.

Following a day of performances, a panel of industry expert judges selected the four-piece, fronted by Bridie Jackson, as the overall winner meaning the group will go on to play on one of the iconic main stages in June.

They could be in with a chance of performing on the iconic Pyramid Stage at the 177,000-capacity festival which has seen the likes of David Bowie, The Who, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead and even Jay-Z play there over the years.

Bridie, from Heaton, says the prospect of joining such an established list of artists is one that hasn’t yet sunk in.

She said: “It doesn’t seem real at the moment, but I’m sure it will sink in eventually and hopefully before we actually go on stage.”

Long-time Glastonbury-goer Jenny Nendik, cellist in the band, entered the group into the online competition at the beginning of the year and after impressing with their folk-inspired music they made it through the initial stages before being invited to the final.

Held at Pilton Working Men’s Club in Somerset, just up the road from the famed festival site, Bridie Jackson & the Arbour had to perform alongside the other seven finalists in front of judges.

Bridie said: “The day was surprisingly relaxed and the team were lovely, as were the other contestants. It felt more like a party than a competition.

“The other bands were phenomenal, and very musically diverse, which kept it really interesting.

“It was revealed by the compere at 11pm at the end of the night that we’d won and we were completely shocked, elated and a bit tipsy.”

There was more than one thing to toast on the night as Bridie was also celebrating her 30th birthday on the same day. She added: “It was certainly one of my more memorable birthdays.”

Glastonbury Emerging Competition judge Nick Dewey, who is also married to festival organiser Emily Eavis, praised the band’s unique sound.

He said: “They travelled a long way to play at the Working Men’s Club in Pilton and had the challenge of going on first but were deserved winners of this year’s contest.

“They were quite unlike anyone else playing on the night and with an inspired harmony-led sound it was a pleasure to watch them play. Happy birthday Bridie.”

The exact details of what day, time and which main stage they will play on at the festival, which has been going since 1970, is yet to be revealed so the group are concentrating on perfecting their live set in the run up to the festival which runs from June 26-30.