LOCH Lomond's got talent... and we want to see it, is the message from the organisers of this year's Loch Lomond Folk Festival.

The 'Young Folk Star Search' will give under-18s across Dumbarton and the Vale the opportunity to prove their talent - singing, dancing, and music - in front of Irish band The Young Folk.

To add a bit of showbiz stardust to the event, the up and coming folk group will be flying over especially to judge the winners and also to perform.

The five-piece has been together for around two-and-a-half years, and performing under the name The Young Folk for a year, released their debut album earlier this year.

Anthony Fury, the lead singer of the band says the group is looking forward to playing to a different crowd. He told the Reporter: "The people will appreciate the music just as much as the people in Ireland will. We're one of the bands that are lucky in that we get to go to different places, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with Ireland but it's always good to see other countries that will appreciate what you're doing.

"We're not sure if we'll play more nights when we're over, we've been confirmed for the Cambridge Folk Festival which is the Sunday night, and we've also been asked to appear at a festival back home on the Saturday night.

"This is the first time that this has happened to us, we have been working hard for two and a half years and that's what it's all about."

Anthony says the experience of judging the talent show is one the band are looking forward to.

He added: "We're very excited about this, we don't now what to expect from it - Paul's a music teacher so he's done this kind of thing before.

"It's going to be very hard, I don't want to let anyone down, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm expecting to be surprised, in a good way."

There is a plethora of prizes available to the winners of the talent search competition depending on what category they fall under, including a chance to work with a vocal coach who has worked with Adele, a promo video made by students at Clydebank College, a recording studio voucher or a dance workshop with a leading choreographer.

A full lineup of the festival which begins on Friday, July 26 with the talent show and ends on Sunday, July 28 can be found on www.lomondfolkfestival.com Application forms for entering the 'Young Folk Star Search' will be available from the same website.