TAVISTOCK's rising young rock band Ten Zero One is hitting the competition scene in a big way once again, having reached the finals of a new national music competition.

Ten Zero One, which comprises Tavistock College students Max Williams, Gary Lawrence-James, Jack Rawlings and Charlie Smith, last year reached the finals of the Live and Unsigned talent competition, performing live at the O2 stadium.

The band play both original material and rock covers and has now made it to the UK finals of the School Jam competition and been invited to perform at The Garage in Islington, London on February 16.

The competition has been running in Germany and America for some years — this is the first time it has taken place in the UK.

Eight bands have been selected to play in the final — the winning group will win £1,000 worth of musical equipment for their school and have the opportunity to play at the international final held in Frankfurt, Germany in March.

Kathryn Williams, Max's mother, said the boys' achievement was fantastic, particularly since they were all only 14 years old.

'I can't really believe it,' she said. 'The competition is for bands aged 21 and under, so there would have been people from music schools or university going for it — you could have knocked me down with a feather when we found out!

'They'll go and obviously hope to win, but it's great experience and it's great to have achieved it at such a young age.'

Tavistock College music teacher Sarah Pappin said: 'Obviously we are very proud of the boys and their continued success, they seem to be going from strength to strength at a phenomenal rate.

'The band are now performing at some very high profile events and getting recognition from some famous names.

'All of the members are very talented in their own right. The band stands out from other bands their age because they actually write a lot of their own material, which is a skill normally only much older bands acquire.'

Miss Pappin said Ten Zero One were 'a great role model for students at the college, proving that opportunities can be had for those who were prepared to work hard.

She added: 'The chance that the band could win some equipment for the department is very exciting and much needed. We are backing the band 100% and know that they can go all the way.'