THE youngest band so far progressed to the final of Okehampton?s Battle of the Bands last week ? a competition which music fans say is bringing a sense of pride back to the town. Okehampton duo Shockwave Generators were the judges? choice for first place in the second heat which took place last Thursday in the Charter Hall. But the second spot in the grand final was grabbed by Tavistock-based Imij, whose fresh-faced members consist of two 12-year-olds and a 15-year-old. Organiser Richard Appleby of Millennium Music said: ?I feel that was probably the best night we have had; the best in terms of the quality of the bands.? Richard said the event had again been well attended, with the hall packed to capacity for much of the evening. He added: ?After the show, I spoke to one concert-goer who had lived in Okehampton all his life and he sensed over the years the town had lost a bit of its individuality, but he really thought, the Battle of the Bands gave people in Okehampton something they can be proud of. I hope other people share that feeling.? Winners Shockwave Generators booked their place at the final in Simmons Park after a night where the visual aspect of live music was to the fore. Richard said: ?They had an incredible full-on presentation. People were flying flags and banners through the crowd. ?Sezrah looked amazing, like a cross between Miss Haversham and the Bride of Dracula. ?Every aspect of their show had been carefully worked out. They had strong original songs too.? Richard said perhaps the most memorable part of their performance was when singer Sezrah threw down her guitar and produced a whip which she proceeded to crack over her instrument discarded on the stage floor. Richard said another striking image from the show came from the band Imij. ?Their lead guitarist was playing his guitar behind his head like he was a great nephew of Jimi Hendrix or something. ?They demanded the attention of the audience. They were obviously tightly rehearsed and a lot of hard work had gone into their show,? said Richard, of the band which has a combined age of just 39! Beggars Belief rushed into the hall and quickly flew onto the stage to kick off proceedings in a lively style. The band from the Hatherleigh area delivered a fine set of interesting cover material. Paradox played in the heats of last year?s final while still an instrumental band, but this year were boosted by the addition of singer Connie. Richard said the new singer had ?revolutionised the band and brought them into focus?. In joint third place were The Others, an experienced band who looked relaxed on stage. Richard said the judges particularly enjoyed the band?s ?quality vocal harmonies?. They were joined in third by The Devil Riders from Plymouth, who took to the stage in some extraordinary and rather frightening make-up! Richard described their sound as ?psycho-rockabilly? and said if he had one criticism, he would have liked to have heard more of the band?s excellent original compositions as opposed to their hugely imaginative takes on familiar tunes such as Mad World, popularised by the Donnie Darko soundtrack. Something very different was brought to the occasion by the Seti Project, a solo keyboard player who treated the audience to the modern sound of Goyan trance. Crediton-based band Backlash brought a strong following with them despite having only been together for a short period. Richard described the heavy metal outfit as a cross between Judas Priest and Metalica. The last places in the final which will take place on August 13, will be secured at the third and final heat tonight, (Thursday). The music gets underway at 6.30pm in the Charter Hall. Waiting backstage for their chance to shine will be: Felix, The Ledge, Southpaw Jinx, Reduced, T-Style, Mendez, Barton and The John Fuller Blues Band.