The biggest ever Bury St Edmunds battle of the bands will take place this year, after a surge in entrants for 2017.

The organisers of BurySOUND, the annual music showcase which has been running since 1998, have had to introduce extra dates for 2017 in order to fit every act into their lineup.

The bumper schedule will see 25 new East Anglian artists compete for the title of the best local band, while five guest acts will headline across the heats and finals.

Seymour Quigley, from BurySOUND, said: “We’re very, very, excited indeed to announce the line-up for this year’s BurySOUND Music Competition.

“BurySOUND was launched in 1998 as a way to discover, nurture and promote local musical talent. This year saw the biggest response the competition has ever seen, and we’ve had to add extra dates to accommodate all the artists wishing to play.

“As a result, the 19th BurySOUND will feature 25 new East Anglian artists and five guest headliners playing across five heats during January and February.

“All heats will be held at The Hunter Club in Bury, with the final taking place at The Apex on Friday, March 3.”

BurySOUND has become a regular feature on the music calendar in west Suffolk and is one of the longest running events of its type in East Anglia. It has formed a key part of the growing music and arts scene in Bury.

Each year dozens of bands and artists have been able to showcase their talents to a live audience and industry judges.

The final will be headlined by last year’s winners Suburban Minds and tickets for all dates are £5 in advance from www.whatsonwestsuffolk.co.uk

PANEL HEATS AND DATES: The heats will all take place between 6pm and 11pm at the Hunter Club, on St Andrews Street South on the following dates:

Heat One, January 20, will feature Asbestos, Blue Mean Eyes, The Fifths, In My Disguise, Tundra plus guest headliner Fern Teather

Heat Two, January 27, will feature The Catch, Code of Conduct, Goldblume, In and Out of Sleep, Pet Needs plus guest Horse Party

Heat Three, February 3, featuring Atorc, Maverick, Paper Mountains, Siah, Zinc plus guest F.O.X

Heat Four, February 10, featuring Fix, Iris, Kyanos, Stretch, Soul Gang, Televised plus guest headliner Kayzee

Heat Five, February 17, featuring Final Transmission, Salfteen, Saps, Tropic of Xhao, Ugly plus guest A Horse Called War

The Final, March 3, at The Apex, with guest Suburban Minds plus finalists

For more information go to www.burysound.com