Black Country's finest bands set to do battle

The Black Country's finest up-and-coming bands will fight it out to be crowned winners of the Battle Of The Bands 2010.

Five acts, all dreaming of stardom, will go head-to-head on Saturday to see who will win the coveted crown. Finalists Fused, Facade, Heresy, Shades and The Nova Fives will take to the stage at Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall.

The bands will be judged on seven criteria including presentation and delivery, songwriting, originality, vibe and audience reaction.

They will also gain extra points for every 10 tickets they sell. Heats began in January, when music lovers started flocking to new venue The Slade Rooms, in Broad Street, to select their favourite bands.

The overall winners will bag £1,000, a free recording session at M2 studio, a photo shoot with a professional photographer and a bespoke website designed and hosted by Surge Music.

Civic Hall spokesman Jonn Penney said that this year's contest had proved more popular than ever.

"It's been a long hard fight since January but at last the grand final looms large for the five bands who have battled their way to the climax of the most popular Battle Of The Bands competition we have ever hosted at our venues," he said.

"This year's competition has attracted record attendances at our brand new Little Civic venue in Broad Street — it seems that the new venue is proving popular with bands and audiences alike."

Organiser Maggie Phillips urged people to turn out and show their support for the region's emerging talent.

"We're expecting about 600 people, possibly more, as most bands are bringing around 100 to 150 people each so it's going to be big."