THE judges were left with little to choose from in a tight Battle of the Bands third round heat - but pre-competition favourites Sixty 6 sneaked home by a guitar string.

At this late stage of the contest the competition should be close, and Sixty 6 were run close by acoustic-funk oddbods Filthy Sanchez, who look likely to make the semi-finals as one of the highest scoring runners-up.

Nu-punk kids Lights Out were left completely in the dark after a spirited performance failed to stop them trailing in third.

Filthy Sanchez took the tricky opening slot, but refused to be fazed by it, frontman Jim Flanagan exhibiting his freaky dancing flanked by excellent guitarists Paul Teasdale and Stewart King.

There were times when the York band's music threatened to turn into a clap-along-with-Jesus, but always stopped just short and instead resembled Turin Brakes with charisma.

They won't win the competition, but should secure future slots at York summer festivals. Full marks to them for being brave enough to attempt - successfully - to get some participation out of the notoriously reticent Fibbers crowd.

Next came Lights Out, a throwback to Battle of the Bands from a couple of years ago when the competition suffered from too many groups of black-shirted teenagers snarling tunelessly into microphones.

The Tadcaster band, Lights Out, followed the tried-and-tested formula, but threw real energy into their set and it was clear that all the band members can get a tune out of their instruments, rather than battering noise from them.

Frontman Benjamin Myers is excellent and has the pained expressions crucial to this sort of music off to a tee, but while the kids still seem to like this genre, its time is surely waning.

Lights Out have the talent to come back with more, the question is whether or not they have the flexibility.

And so to the highly-rated Sixty 6, who seemed to take first place on grounds of musicianship alone, while passion and originality take a back seat.

A tight, well-rehearsed and technically-excellent three-piece, Sixty 6 fall down over their lack of imagination. Their safe indie tunes have all been done before and sound like a washed-up version of Feeder.

The York band's skill and commitment are not in doubt, and there is certainly potential there, but if the material showcased last night was enough to get Sixty 6 that pre-tournament favourites tag, then the local music scene is in a very sorry state indeed.