IT’S going to be a battle between the finest bands in the Bishop’s Waltham area – and it’s being organised by the Church.

The E-vn recording their video at Swanmore School

Youngsters will be urged to hit the high notes and show off their best moves at a Pop Idol-style event between now and February. The prize for the best band will be the chance to record in a professional studio.

And it’s being organised by the Church of England’s youth co-ordinator in the Bishop’s Waltham area, the Rev Stuart Holt. The event is part of his long-term strategy to get unchurched teenagers more interested in Christianity.

Fifteen bands have already signed up for the Battle of the Bands contest, which is only open to bands from the Bishop’s Waltham area. The deadline to register interest is December 3, after which they will compete in local heats.

The best will be selected to appear in the final, at the Jubilee Hall, Bishop’s Waltham, on February 5 next year. Among the celebrity judges will be the producer behind acts from Sting to Right Said Fred.

Virtually all the tickets for the 300-seater hall have already been snapped up by local pupils and youth groups. Because it has already proved so popular, organisers are thinking of making it a regular event.

The February gig will also feature up and coming boy band The E-vn as the headline act. They play retro 1960s-style pop songs, and confirmed their local popularity by filming the video for their next single at Swanmore School recently. Two hundred pupils were encouraged to dress in psychedelic clothes or mini-skirts and dance in the background.

Stuart, who is also vicar of Holy Trinity, Newtown, and St Peter’s, Soberton, said: “We wanted to do something that was a cross between Pop Idol and Fame Academy, to try to get young people in this rural area excited about cultural, creative and spiritual issues.

“It will be part of our strategy to encourage youngsters to look at our faith as being counter-cultural – we may urge bands to write anti-consumerism songs or investigate spirituality on our youth camps.”

A special website has also been created at www.bwdyouth.org.uk with more information about both the Battle of the Bands event and next year’s summer camps. Limited numbers of tickets are still available for the gig, which starts at 7pm on February 5. Ticket-holders will be asked to pay just £1 at the door. For more details, contact Stuart Holt on 01489-877400 or revstuartholt@aol.com