Kill to Gain would kill to win this year's Battle of the Bands after reaching the finals last year.

The quartet were beaten by fellow Keighley metal merchants Eyesore Angels at Victoria Hall.

Now they're among more than 30 bands who've already signed up for the spring contest.

They'll be joined by local bands including Headstone, Inferi, Alt Track, Room to Move and Minus Jack.

Kill to Again return to the competition after playing 50 extra gigs, recording an EP and changing their line-up.

They've impressed Italian band Arcadia enough to be invited on its summer tour of the UK.

Before then there'll be a tour with fellow Battle of the Bands contestants Dead Message.

They also play tomorrow at Glusburn Institute with Indigo Crow and Broken on Departure.

Dead Message will perform with fellow Battle entrants Inferi, and The Last 43, at the "Electro Bash 2" tomorrow.

Inferi are a five-piece Keighley band playing electro, prog and rock music, currently busy gigging and working on their debut EP.

Dead Message, fresh from recording an EP in Reading, is a four-piece pop punk, metal and screamo band from Keighley.

Metal, rock and progressive music is offered by Keighley band The Last 43, described as "a new breed of musical unit to enlighten the darkest spirits".

Tomorrow's ticket-only concert is at 7.30pm in St Anne's Catholic Social Club, off North Street, Keighley.

Back at the Battle of the Bands, the contest has been expanded this year with four heats each for the junior and senior sections.

As well as venues in Keighley, Bradford, Shipley and Skipton, there'll be heats as far away as Todmorden and Sowerby Bridge.

This is reflected by Keighley Musicians Centre, the organisers, now having branches in Bradford and Hebden Bridge.

This year there'll be two semi-finals, on May 23 and June 27, at Victoria Hall, with the final on July 5 at the same venue.

There are still places in both the great junior and senior sections for bands who have not yet entered.

Headstone are a proudly-loud Keighley band that performs a stoner-metal groove sound.

Room to Move is a Cononley-based band performing indie, classic rock and Dutch pop.

Alt Track is an ambient, electronic and experimental two-piece with members from Skipton and Bradford.

The duo plays Trash, Leeds, on Saturday, Bradford's 1 in 12 Club on April 19, and tours this August with Escape Route.

Minus Jack describe themselves as a friendly bunch of lads who play Indie, power pop and pop punk.

Other entrants include The Frenetics, Bedroom Gymnastics, Cousin of the Funk Fix, Razorblade Picnic and Forbidden Groove.

Junior heats: 1 in 12 Club, Bradford, April 25; New Variety Club, Keighley, May 2; Todmorden Town Hall, 30; Skipton Town Hall, June 6.

Senior heats: PM Lounge, Shipley, May 9; Vine, Sowerby Bridge, 16; Beehive, Bradford, June 13; Hebden Bridge Trades Club, June 20.

Anyone interested in entering Battle of the Bands should contact 01535 603136 or www.musicianscentre.com.