A popular community singing contest will return to town tonight.

Band Wars, hosted in partnership with Braintree TV and Halstead’s Empire Theatre Trust, will return for a long-awaited competition final.

The showcase will give a chance for bands and solo artists to sing and show their talent to the public in a heated conclusion.

Performances will include a mixture of both groups and solo artists, with the final being broadcast on Braintree TV, a community online television station.

All the groups and bands entered in the competition were required to go through a preliminary heat stage.

The best seven performances were decided on through an email public voting system and will now proceed to a showstopping final at the Empire Theatre in Halstead.

In the final, artists and groups will be judged by a panel which will be announced by Halstead’s Empire Theatre Trust in the coming weeks.

In addition to the publicity and community fame the groups will receive, the winning artists will have the chance to spend a whole day in a recording studio.

The triumphant group will also receive an official Band Wars trophy.

Mike George, vice-chairman of the Empire Theatre committee said: “It will be a fun packed, entertaining evening in what will be, simply put, one of the biggest events of the year.

“There will be loads of different groups, loads of potential artists and we want to act as a springboard for them all.

“This is the place for aspiring and upcoming artists both to get noticed and perform in front of the community, and what we want to do is discover the next big thing.

“Band Wars is perfect for incubating new artists including groups, as it allows people to go public, or find a new hobby in singing or playing in a group.

“Our competition started last year and this year’s final will be bigger and better than ever, and we’re looking forward to working in partnership with Braintree TV.

“We’re looking to discover talent and have fun along the way.”