EIGHT bands rocked a club to its core as they fought for victory in the second Fenland Battle of the Bands final.

A sell-out crowd at Childer’s in Whittlesey saw Rusty Gs narrowly win the potentially life-changing competition, a two-day recording session, two festival slots and a specially-designed website to kick-start their musical careers.

Rusty Gs - made up of James Finch, Tom Finch and Dan Lopez - was formed late in 2007. They have played 77 shows and recorded 3 EPs, completing their third EP ‘Lost Words’ in February this year.

After winning the competition, James said: “We have been trying so hard and putting everything into our music for so long, to win the Fenland BOTB was an amazing achievement for us.

“Playing against so many great bands we never expected to win. Now we have, we are still speechless. We hope that this will give us a boost of confidence that we need, and hope that winning will open new doors for us.”

The other bands in the final were Decades and Digital, Surviving Sunday, Vicodin, Red Cow Down, Samson’s Fire, Fuel for the Fire and The Limits.

Judges representing the sponsoring organisations Fenland District Council, Art and Soul Magazine and Grange Farm Studios of Emneth scored each of the bands on musical ability, crowd interaction and energy.

After all the bands gave fantastic performances, the judges said that it had been a tough decision to agree a winner.

Mel Elliott, editor of Art and Soul, said: “The standard of entries this year was very high and the top three bands performed exceptionally well.

“It was great to see Rusty Gs triumph in the competition after a particularly energetic and entertaining set. We have watched them work tirelessly to improve on their performances over the last few years and they truly deserve this acknowledgement.”