BANDS from schools across York - and their fans - are set to raise the roof again at the Barbican tomorrow night.

The Best of the Bands contest will feature 12 talented school-based bands, competing for a raft of awards including best live band, best presentation, best original song, best cover version and best individual performer.

Last year's winners of the best live band award were Meniscus, from St Peter's School - but St Peter's has not entered a band this year.

Tarquin and the Miracle Men, from All Saints' sixth form, who won the best presentation and best team effort awards last year, have entered again this year, though, under the shorter name of Tarquin. Schools are allowed to enter two bands if they have a sixth form and this year also sees an entry from Performing Arts Centre 2 - its band has members from different schools.

The event is organised by City of York Council's Arts Service.

Tickets are available through the Barbican, tel 01904 656688, and are priced at £3.50 for seated and £2.50 standing.

The bands, schools and musicians involved are listed here.

Salvador Gnarlie (Bootham School): Louis Bamber, Josh Parkin, Robbie Smith, Oli Brandon-Davies, Alex Brandon-Davies.

Broken Down Household Appliances (Millthorpe School): Jack Holdstock, Daniel Barton, Jack Jewers, Chris Jenkins, James Varney, Andrew Page.

Battery Powered Dolls (The Mount School): Kate Elvy, Beth Ashton, Alida Jinnah.

"TBA" (Huntington School): James Owen, John Pybus, Bryan Meers, Richard Watehorn, Chris Sykes.

The Plums (Oaklands School): Chris Steggall, Mike Reading, Dave Boothroyd, Dan Gott.

Tarquin (All Saints' RC School): Dom Breffit, Alex Moore, Adam Allen, Ben Wall, Nicola Fowler, Rich McCusker.

The Sam Jackson Project (Bootham School): Laurie Ralph, Oliver Brandon-Davies, Johnny Herbert, Sam Jackson, Sam Miller, Tom Marvin, Jamie Donaldson, Hannah Spiers, Danny Gough, Ben Burnett.

Nymph (Huntington School): Ian Wilson, Lewis Porylo, Joss Widdowson.

Usually Fixed (Canon Lee School): Tamsin Winstanley, Anna Thompson, Matthew Linley, Matthew Buckley, Craig Partington.

Conflux (Performing Arts Centre 2): Laurence Olsen, Laurie Pitt, Gemma Page, Myriam Burr, Jack Holdstock, Danny Barton, Tom Fenech, Sam Meacock.

Konspiracy (All Saints' RC School): Andrew Fitzgerald, Tish Longworth, Mary Sayers

Sigmunde - York College: Neil Card, Dan Buckley, J-P Marley, Ashley Smith, Ben Crawshaw.

Updated: 09:52 Wednesday, June 19, 2002