THE ANNUAL Ludlow battle of the bands has come to an exciting conclusion.

The contest has been held over the last month in Ludlow Assembly rooms, with the final round taking place on November 13.

Each round saw two bands performing for both an audience and a panel of judges to see who will come out on top. The bands are judged in various categories including preparation, audience engagement, originality and the quality of their performance.

The winners of the previous sessions, Hereford psych rock band Mudlarker and the traditional black country folk outfit the Rotundas, both performed over the course of the night hoping to wow the judges and take home the victory.

A spokesperson for the Ludlow Assembly rooms said it was a close competition despite the contrasting genres, with Mudlarker delivering a high-energy performance that rocked the audience.

The Rotundas changed the pace and were praised by the judges for their interesting lyrics about local history, near-faultless performance and incredible stage presence.

The evening was topped by a performance from the folk-rock band Red Madog, who sat on the judges panel.

Chris Perry, another local musician, was also on the panel in place of Adam from Kotonic, the previous battle of the band winners, who was unable to attend.

At the end of the night, the Rotundas were declared the overall winners and will be playing a gig at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms next year.