The finalists were announced today for the Shropshire Star’s £6,000 Battle of the Bands competition.

Nine bands will play two gigs at Shrewsbury Buttermarket this Sunday and on March 30.

And tickets for the gigs have gone on sale at Salop Music Centre, in Shrewsbury, and Telford Shopping Centre, priced at £5 in advance. Tickets will also be available on the night.

Bands playing this Sunday from 6pm until 9pm are indie trio Fakie 180, rock band Pocket Rocket, rhythm and blues combo Rhythm Zoo and electronic maestro Cold Train.

The bands playing on March 30 will be indie band Small Time Crooks, rockers Madison, ska group Fight The Bear, alt-rockers Dezima and acoustic duo Enter/Exit.

The groups will be battling it out for a share of a £6,000 prize pool, which includes instruments, equipment, studio time, CDs, mentoring advice and a photo shoot.

One band will also get to play live at Shrewsbury’s The Quarry park in July during a day-long indie festival.

Competition sponsor Rob Mulliner, from Salop Music Centre, said: “We’d urge people to get into the shop and buy tickets now. This is an exceptional showcase of local talent and there are a number of top flight bands.

“We want live music fans to show their support by turning up in big numbers on March 23 and 30. Tickets are only a fiver, it’ll be a brilliant night out.”

Competition spokesman James Shaw added: “We’re down to the really exciting stage of Battle of the Bands.

“The two finals nights will be great fun. We’ve also got a guest compere for March 30, the Telford FM DJ Paul Shuttleworth, and there will be DJs on March 23.

“The bands and our sponsors have gone to great lengths to make this competition a success. More than 2,000 Shropshire Star readers also took part in an online poll to vote for their favourites.”

The competition is being sponsored by Salop Music Centre, Soundscape Studios, Wolf At Your Door Records, Telford FM and Shrewsbury’s Buttermarket.

By Andy Richardson