Finally, Preston once again has a battle of the bands to show off its diverse music scene. In this battle each band has just 20 minute to show why they are worthy of getting in to the next round. They also play in front of a daunting crowd and three judges who decide the outcome.

First up were local veterans HEAVY FLUID ADDICTS (HFA). HFA took to the stage in army camo and war paint which gave the signal that the battle was about to commence. From the opening chant of ‘let’s get naked’ HFA dominated the stage with four songs that proved a constant threat to the opposition. Variation was the name of the game for HFA with songs such as ‘George You’re Confusing Me’ defying genre classifications and restrictions.

The next act was Manchester's appropriately named VISITOR. Visitor played, arguably, the heaviest set of the night with a mix of Death Metal and Modern metal which wasn’t a million miles from bands like Soilwork. The band had an arsenal of memorable breakdowns and impressive guitar work which converted a large proportion of the crowd.

Third up came some Heavy Metal thunder from WITHOUT MOTIVE. Without Motive were the most technical of tonight’s bands and provided an excellent combination of True Metal and Prog while remaining incredibly tight. The vocals provided by Liam Armstead suited the music perfectly and the band as a whole was reminiscent of such greats as Iron Maiden and Saxon. Without a doubt one of the highlights of the night.

Closing the night were BY ANY MEANS. The female vocals of Rachael made the band stand out from the rest of the competition and carried heavy amounts of charisma which won over the now mostly intoxicated crowd. The band played through songs such as ‘Infected’ with extreme determination and were ruthless throughout.

With the first round of the battle over, it is up to Heavy Fluid Addicts and By Any means to prove why they were championed.