Twelve of York's talented school-based rock bands will be performing at what promises to be a particularly gripping City of York Council 'Best of the Bands' contest on Thursday (June 20).

The concert, at the Barbican and starting at 7pm, is an annual event organised by City of York Council's Arts Service and aims to support and encourage local school bands by giving them recording experience, performance opportunity and the chance to appreciate each other's work.

A top panel of judges will have the difficult task of choosing the bands for the award categories, which include best live band, best presentation, best original song, best cover version and best individual performer.

The event is sponsored by the council's Arts Service, Scheerers Music, Nestle, Audio Technica, Michael White Music, Mor Music, Cube Media, Pig Hut Studios, JSH Music, Fibbers, Walthamstow Music and Learning City as part of the Learning Festival due to commence on Saturday (June 22). All the sponsors have generously gifted the prizes for the event.

David Ashworth, Arts Service music consultant, said, "The Best of the Bands gig at the Barbican will be an enjoyable, exciting and exhilarating event. It celebrates the wealth of talent in the city of York. Previous performers have gone on to bigger events and some have even made this their chosen career."

Tickets are available through the Barbican on 01904 656688 and are priced £3.50 for seated and £2.50 standing.

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Programme

MC Dave Mitchell DJ - Tom Smith

Salvador Gnarlie - Bootham School Louis Bamber (Lead Guitar/Vocals), Josh Parkin (Bass Guitar), Robbie Smith (Keyboard), Oli Brandon-Davies (Drums), Alex Brandon-Davies (Vocals) Songs: Toxic Evenings (Original - Louis Bamber), Play That Funky Music White Boy (Cover - KC & The Sunshine Band)

Broken Down Household Appliances - Millthorpe School Jack Holdstock (Guitar), Daniel Barton (Guitar), Jack Jewers (Keyboard/Vocals), Chris Jenkins (Drums), James Varney (Trombone), Andrew Page (Bass) Songs: To be announced on the night

Battery Powered Dolls - The Mount School Kate Elvy (Drums), Beth Ashton (Vocals/Bass), Alida Jinnah (Lead Guitar/Vocals) Songs: Smells Like Teen Spirit (Cover - Nirvana), Sugarhigh (Cover - Jade Anderson)

"TBA" - Huntington School James Owen (Vocals), John Pybus (Guitar/Vocals), Bryan Meers (Guitar/Vocals), Richard Watehorn (Bass), Chris Sykes (Drums) Songs: I Believe (Original - John Pybus), She Loves You (Cover - Beatles)

The Plums - Oaklands School Chris Steggall (Guitar/Vocals), Mike Reading (Bass Guitar/Vocal), Dave Boothroyd (Drums), Dan Gott (Dancer) Songs: It All Remains The Same (Original), Eggnog (Original), Going Nowhere (Original)

Tarquin - All Saints RC School Dom Breffit (Drums), Alex Moore (Guitar 1), Adam Allen (Bass), Ben Wall (Guitar 2), Nicola Fowler (Vocals), Rich McCusker (Roadie) Songs: I Spot A Liar (Original - A. Moore, D. Breffit, B. Wall), It's Over (Original - A. Moore, D. Breffit, B. Wall), 6 months (Original - D. Breffit, A. Moore) The Sam Jackson Project - Bootham School Laurie Ralph (Drums), Oliver Brandon-Davies (Keyboards), Johnny Herbert (Guitar), Sam Jackson (Bass), Sam Miller (Keyboards), Tom Marvin (Trumpet), Jamie Donaldson (Trumpet), Hannah Spiers (Tenor Sax), Danny Gough (Trumpet), Ben Burnett (Trombone) Songs: Bungle In The Jungle (Original - Danny Gough), Get This Party Started (Cover - Pink)

Nymph - Huntington School Ian Wilson (Guitar/Vocals), Lewis Porylo (Bass), Joss Widdowson (Drums) Songs: Untitled (Original), Hide Out (Original)

Usually Fixed - Canon Lee School Tamsin Winstanley (Voice), Anna Thompson (Bass), Matthew Linley (Keyboard), Matthew Buckley (Guitar), Craig Partington (Drums) Songs: Bohemian Like You (Cover - Danny Warhols), S.O.S (Cover - ABBA)

Conflux - Performing Arts Centre 2 Laurence Olsen (Vocals), Laurie Pitt (Drums), Gemma Page (Bass), Myriam Burr (Keyboards), Jack Holdstock (Guitar), Danny Barton (Guitar), Tom Fenech (Trumpet), Sam Meacock (Sax) Songs: Trapped (Cover - The Living End), Baggy Trousers (Cover - Madness)

Konspiracy - All Saints RC School Andrew Fitzgerald (Guitar), Tish Longworth (Drums), Mary Sayers (Guitar/Vocals) Songs: We Can't Rewind (Cover - Feeder), Smile (Original)

Sigmunde - York College Neil Card (Guitar/Vocals), Dan Buckley (Vocals), J-P Marley (Bass), Ashley Smith (Drums), Ben Crawshaw (Synth/Sequencer/Sampler) Songs: Ronsonofaction (Original - Sigmunde), Iguana (Original - Sigmunde)