FRESH from two successive wins at Wangaratta's Battle of the Bands, The Dunners are preparing for another tilt at the title this October.

The group, comprising four mates who are year 11 and 12 students at Wangaratta High School, advanced to last January's grand final of the North East Battle of the Bands series following their performance at The Vine in late 2023.

In 2022, they were the winners of the Wangaratta battle's band category, earning them the chance to warm the stage for Mollyrocket and Suzi at the Beats Fest all ages gig held in the rural city.

Drummer Edan van Bergen said he and bandmates Josh Robertson (bass), Xav Zachariou (keys) and Ollie Chambers (guitar/vocals) were looking forward to another chance to perform in the competition, to be held on October 20 at The Vine.

"It's always fun to perform...we're probably a bit more relaxed this time," he said.

"In the first one, we went in super stressed and had practised heaps, and had scripted everything we were going to say between songs.

"We've won it twice, and we'd love to win it again, but now we just go out and have lots of fun."

Edan said the Battle of the Bands final held in Benalla in January had been a great opportunity to connect with other bands who suited their "vibe".

"We had a show with one of them in Melbourne," he said.

"Until the grand final, we didn't know many bands with a similar vibe to us in our area, other than solo acoustic artists, so it was great to get to know others."

Having performed over recent months in Benalla, Melbourne, Euroa and Wandiligong, The Dunners have also released three singles on Spotify, with a fourth unveiled late last week.

They will follow this with an EP out soon.

After two years of performing together, Edan said the band felt much more comfortable with its main set.

"Now we've got a full set of originals, but we also like to do some covers which are really fun to play - a few Sticky Fingers songs, and some from Beddy Rays and Great Gable," he said.

"It's still hard to define our music - we're not sticking to any particular genre.

"A lot of bands have one song that takes off and then they release an album where every song has the same sound, but we just like to play what sounds good."

A good number of artists have already signed up for the October 20 Wangaratta Battle of the Bands.

Entry to the competition is free, and open to local solo musicians, duos and bands of all genres aged between 12 and 25.

Artists must perform two or three songs per act, or for a maximum of 15 minutes, at the event, and performances must be appropriate for viewing by a young audience.

Songs do not have to be original, but a bonus point will be awarded for each original song.

Performers from the Rural City of Wangaratta, Mansfield, Benalla, Alpine, Indigo, Moira, Strathbogie, Towong and Albury shires are eligible to enter the competition, and other events which form part of the North East Battle of the Bands series.

Once a performer has won one of the events in the series, they cannot participate in others, as they will have already advanced to the final.

To sign up for the Wangaratta Battle of the Bands, visit https://forms.office.com/r/QqTG6A8mgn