Battle of the Band grand finale

Here is his review - Down to the Marr's Bar for the grand finale of this year's Battle of the Bands hosted by the legend that is the ex-36 Stone Finger Robbie Turner.

You don't catch many theatrical outfits nowadays but Worcester's Da Vinci have made it this far on sheer flair power, with showman Declan Sharma fronting their unashamedly retro - and I'm talking 1970s prog rock here - blend of Genesis, Rush and dare I say it Greenslade-ish ditties. There's a story to each song like How It Ends and Light Me, the quieter moments of which were complemented by various mobile tones.

For me Show Me The Money stands up to Take The KASH by Wreckless Eric - and that's meant as a compliment. Eccentricities continued right to the end with a shirtful of flashing lights and an Ian Anderson twirl of the flute to a cover of Baba O'Reilly.

It is tricky not to think Francis Rossi when Animotoso hit the stage - and the Pictures of Matchstick Men twiddles don't help matters at all. The half-Redditch metallers' strength is two lead guitars who swap contrasting vocals. The set's a bit formulaic in places but there's some inspired guitar work and a great finishing number.

One thing's for certain - I'd like to see most of the 16 bands who started in this showcase event again, especially Blackout, The Capital, Girls on Film, Nine Dart Finish, Hard Shoulder and Will Dance For Chocolate.

But there had to be a winner and Da Vinci triumphed.

The band win £1,000 worth of gear, a day in a recoding studio and a live set on BBC Hereford and Worcester' Friday Session.