Norfolk's hope in BBC Children In Need's Be The Band competition has been ousted by a Suffolk group. Lowestoft's Crush Deluxe have quashed Norwich band Carmody's attempt to win the contest. Crush Deluxe, who feature The Darkness' Ed Graham's brother Andy on bass, were chosen by the judges because of their upbeat song entry which complemented the celebratory mood of Children In Need's 25th anniversary. The band have clinched the star prize of performing Are You Ready For The Weekend to up to a million BBC1 viewers in the east on Friday 19 November. Their set will be part of a string of charity events to take place at The Forum in Norwich. The judges - Look East weather presenter Julie Reinger, TV and radio presenter Big George and Children In Need East producer Ben Debuse - plumped for Crush Deluxe after listening to six entries from Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Northamptonshire and Three Counties. This followed a public telephone vote where people had to pick their favourite song from each county, which raised around £1,300. Carmody's track Find Yourself Tomorrow came top in Norfolk's poll which also featured songs by Cutback, Powley, Pride Of Dunbar and Trilogy. Ben Debuse said Carmody failed to take the first prize because of their song's melancholy feel. "Carmody have written a well-structured, thoughtful song that feels like a journey from sadness to hope," said Ben. "While Find Yourself Tomorrow reflects the thoughts of many young people, the mood of their song was not felt to reflect the spirit of celebrating 25 years of BBC Children In Need," he added. However, the decision to whittle down the bands was a hard one due to the quality of entries. "Although there can only be one winner, all six bands have displayed exceptional standards of singing and song-writing," said Ben. "In the end we had to weigh up whether the song reflected the hopes and aspirations of young people, if it was a quality song in its own right and finally if it felt like it celebrated 25 years of Children In Need." Carmody's guitarist Scott Lindsay said they were disappointed to lose to Crush Deluxe. "They're a decent band - it's not really our sort of music - but good luck to them. It would have been good to win and have the gig at The Forum because it would be great to get the exposure on national television," he said. "However, it was good to be part of the competition and have the exposure from being on the radio and local television. People recognise us a lot more now and it's definitely generated more interest in the band," he added. | 
