FRESH from winning kmfm’s hard-fought Battle of the Bands contest, Tenterden indie act D-finitive are on a roll.

Vying against some of the hottest unsigned music talent in the county proved a tough challenge for them, but one they immensely enjoyed.

"That was awesome, we were a bit shocked to have won it as we were not expecting to get so far with it - were so many good bands taking part," explained their down-to-earth frontman Jacob Howard-Almond, whose bold, expressive vocals convinced competition judges.

Inspired by 90s Britrock, Snow Patrol and the likes of funky-edged grooves of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, they have come a long way in just a year.

Their battle of the bands prize included three days worth of recording time, a prestigious London gig and playing in front more-than 8,000 at Hop Farm’s fireworks display.

"We’ve never played to such a big crowd before but we treated it like any other gig, as if we were doing it for 100 or 200. We all love playing music and you just can’t beat the feeling you get from interaction with audiences."

With only two venues to play Tenterden, only one of which having a sound engineer, it’s no surprise that they’ve had to graft hard to find the right environment to develop their live performances.

But a steady stream of gigs around the county and in London has honed their sound. Their ambitious, self-penned material is rapidly falling into place and have already produced an eight-track demo, Just For Charlotte.

According to the 21 year-old singer, his fellow band-mates including brother Caleb on guitars, Matt Biggar on drums and bassist Mike Swann are a well-balanced outfit.

Surprisingly, their progress has not been marred by any classic sibling rock n’ roll rivalry. "People often say 'oh you must argue a lot as brothers in the band', but my brother’s been my best friend since we were really young.We’re really happy with our recording, but we are aware there is a lot of hard work to be done."

In light of interest from national music promotors SJM Concerts, it may not be too long before they swop their day jobs in supermarkets and retail for the dream of hitting the rock limelight.

D-finitive play Fleet Leisure Club on Wednesday, December 27. Tickets £7. and the Forum in Tunbridge Wells on January 8.