Fibbers had its roof blown off in the second round of the Battle Of The Bands competition last night.

The second heat saw four bands turning their amps up to 11 in a bid to blast themselves towards a prize of £1,000 and a week in a recording studio.

The Stimulagos emerged victorious with the secret judge casting the deciding vote in a tight contest with Ironic, who may yet get through to the next round if future heats are not as close.

Fado Rock were the first to tread the boards, delivering an opening tune with a punchy guitar sound and vocal style from lead singer Tommy Olo, reminiscent of The Killers.

But they soon spread their wings, notably on one of the songs of the night, Did I Say Stop?, and showed a wider range of influences.

Their final effort, Eventually, was a thick, sludgy number, layered with some nice operatic-like touches on the keyboard. A rough diamond.

Next up were the victors, a group of musicians producing flashes of genius and moments of bizarre experimentation.

Lead singer Jon Stokes announced that the band would split up if they did not win.

With his slightly off-key warbling and some awesome guitar work, The Stimulagos proved their worth.

The highlight of the night was The Christmas Song, a sweeping melodic tune underpinned by their crunching rhythm section.

Awesome.

Runners-up Ironic, unfazed by the competition, got on stage and got on with business.

Delivering the best harmonies of the night thanks to the best vocalists of the night, Joe Smith and Mary Sayers, and showing a musical maturity beyond their years, they looked like they were in a hurry to hit the big time.

Tracks such as Angels Cry were a testament to their ear for a catchy tune.

This cool, street-fighting outfit could be going places.

Last up were the real heavyweights of the night, Kanuba, who in a different heat may well have gone through. Their funky brand of pounding metal got some of the crowd going and exposed them as super-heavy distortion junkies.

Singer Dan Matthews likes a good scream and the power the group could summon up between the four of them was quite something.

With Catchment, they displayed a slightly lighter touch and with Small Dark Places feet were tapping to their infectious groove.