START practising your Bohemian Rhapsody because top Queen tribute band ?Gaga? are ready to rock Simmons Park on Saturday after the ?mouthwatering? Battle of the Bands final. Gaga, who have been given the seal of approval from Queen guitarist Brian May himself, will provide a spectacular finale to the competition which has seen 24 bands battle it out in three heats in the Charter Hall. Last Thursday jazz rockers Conrad Harpham band and beatbox duo Vocal Evolution secured their place in the six-act final which will also see 20-minute sets from young punk rockers Output, psychobilly rock and rollers the Devil Riders, pirate-clad folk band the Pyrates and funk metal act Subliminal Army. The three anonymous judges, who are all professional musicians from a wide variety of musical backgrounds, will have a hard task choosing one band, given the complexity of styles, according to the event organiser Richard Appleby. He said: ?It?s a mouthwatering recipe for the final ? we have six great bands but purely by chance they are all totally different from each other. ?One of the bands in the last heat was given 45 points out of 45 by one of the judges, they were so impressed.? Mr Appleby, who is staging his fourth battle of the bands this year, said the popularity increases all the time and he was hoping for a large crowd in the park on Saturday. ?Last year we had 2,500 people in the park for the final, one of the reasons being we had the Animals as special guests,? he said. ?But the great thing about holding the event in the park is that there is a real family atmosphere. It?s not just for the kids but the grannies and grandads as well.? There will be plenty of stalls, refreshments and other entertainment such as a bouncy castle and bucking bronto. The Battle of the Bands final, which is free to the public, starts at 6pm. All the finalists will win a prize with recording packages, guitars and a vocal training course up for grabs.
