Cumbria's biggest Battle of the Bands continues this weekend, with a fresh batch of bands competing for the £1,000 prize.

We have joined forces with Workington's Monroes Bar to bring this exciting competition to the stage, with the first heat taking place last month, and seeing Keswick band Water's Edge progress to the final.

The Grand Final takes place in January 2017, with the cash prize and also a place at Aspatria Music Festival up for grabs.

They will be judged by representatives from Raz White Entertainments, Cumbria Live, the Carnegie Theatre Trust and Aspatria Music Festival.

Heat Two, on Friday October 21, sees some of the region's heavier acts go head to head.

Fighting Bears

Lancashire post-hardcore outfit Fighting Bears are the first act from outside the county to appear at the Battle of the Bands so far, and will be looking to make a big impression on an unfamiliar audience.

With six years of experience behind them and support slots with a number of well-regarded names, they have played more shows outside of their home county this year, including their first appearances in Barrow and at Workington's Lounge 41.

Guitarist Liam Carroll says: "We entered this battle of the bands as we've fallen in love with the scene in the area after recent trips to Lounge 41 and The Derby, in Barrow.

"We've always had a great crowd whenever we've played in the area, plus it's our bassist Craig's hometown! We haven't played in a few months due to me having a pretty serious wrist injury so we can't wait to get back on-stage."

The four-piece, completed by bassist Craig Hodgson, vocalist/guitarist Ric Sweetman and drummer Jonathan Doyle, have metal and hardcore influences, but there's also a mellow side to their songs. With plenty of heavy riffs interspersed with soundscapes and ambient breaks, their sound has been compared to the likes of Biffy Clyro, Alexisonfire, and At The Drive-In.

Having stepped up their game this year, they intend to add the Battle of the Bands crown to their list of achievements in 2016.

"We've been fortunate to play some great shows as a band and made some wonderful friends on the way. We played at Greystone Avenue's EP launch in Barrow earlier this year to a packed out Derby with a fantastic crowd.

"We've got a self-produced EP coming up once we've got artwork and printing sorted out. We try to stay as DIY as possible with recording and video work.

"We put out the first single earlier this year, and we're aiming to get a video filmed at some point soon."

The Scumbrians

Anyone that's seen The Scumbrians in action will certainly have remembered the experience.

Their old school punk approach, coupled with some choice song titles - I Want More Drugs and The Jimmy Savile Song, for example - the Whitehaven act have made a name for themselves far beyond their hometown.

Still a relatively new act on the circuit, they've already supported some big names.

Drummer Ryan Hodgson says: "We've started getting gigs out of the county now, which is really good. Supporting 999 and Bad Manners was also really good.

"Getting to play with some really amazing local punk bands is definitely a highlight.

Luke Norman on vocals, Jake McAllister on guitar, and Kristie Mason on bass make up the rest of this young band, who are gearing up for their debut album release at the end of the month, and will be showcasing their sharp-tongued self-penned material on Friday night.

Anyone intrigued to find out what they can expect from a Scumbrians show can check out footage of their Border Riot gigs in Cumbria that have been shared far and wide.

"We've just finished our first album, it'll be out on the 29th of this month. "Other than that there's a live recording of a few songs in Lounge 41 on Youtube and a load of live videos from the Border Riot gigs courtesy of Steve from the MuffWigs.

"We applied for the battle of the bands simply to give it a shot, and with the prize money up for grabs that would get us some much-needed new equipment, so we thought it would definitely be worth a go."

Stand Up Arcade

Workington pop punk act Stand Up Arcade have become an established name on the local gig circuit, yet Friday night's show represents a first for the band.

"The reason we applied was actually because, prior to knowing about the competition, we'd enquired about playing in Monroes Bar, as it's somewhere we've not yet played but always wanted to," says Thomas McNichol, one of two vocalist/guitarists in the band.

"So when the comp was announced we applied right away."

This year alone, they've supported all manner of visiting acts and appeared on high-profile festival bills, with the recent Milecastle 66 in Carlisle and the summer's hugely successful Touch Down Festival among the highlights.

The summer also saw the release of their second EP, A Guide To Starting Over, which marked a big leap forwards for the four-piece - completed by fellow vocalist/guitarist Lee Sharp, bassist Kevin Johnston and drummer Ozzy Rumney.

Thomas continues: "Releasing our EP was definitely a big one, but playing to a packed out room at Touch Down Festival is definitely up there too.

"Those, along with playing places we hadn't previously, are highlights for sure.

"We'll most likely play the whole of our latest EP on Friday, along with the best of (first EP) Sunsets and Silhouettes, and we might even throw in a cover."

Friday's second heat will get under way at Monroes Bar, in Finkle Street, at 8pm, and entrance is payable on the door.