SLAM Funk has been crowned best school group in the district on its first outing after clinching Whitstable Rotary Club's third Battle of the Bands contest at the Kings Hall, Herne Bay.

The 17-strong group, put together just five months ago at Simon Langton Girls Grammar School in Canterbury, beat nine other acts with soul songs Respect, I Just Want To Make Love To You and Lady Marmalade.

The group, which features five backing singers, a four-piece brass section, keyboards, bass, guitar and drums aged from 13 to 18, took home £250 cash and secured two paid slots at the Q Fest music festival at Quex Park, Birchington, in June supporting JLS.

Sixth-former Faustine Buttenshaw, 17, who fronts the band, was also voted best singer and won £100 of vouchers from Herne Bay music shop Music Bay.

She said: "It's just brilliant. We only formed in October. This was our first public performance."

The contest – renamed Kings 2010 this year –featured 10 acts. The Langton girls scored another success when Ari Scott, formerly with Covered in Ketchup, won the best original composition category.

More than 400 youngsters packed the Kings Hall for the battle on Saturday.

Organiser Rob Webb said: "I was pleased with the wider spread of music. It brought a better balance to the contest. We also heard more original songs than before. The standard was exceptional."

The rest of the line-up featured Midnight Carnival, The Bedlam, In Cold Blood, Dani Groombridge, Twisted Biscuit, quirky Atomic Penguins, hardcore Keep Method (who came second last year) and Sunset Leopard which won the audience vote.

Sunset finished third last year and now feature new vocalist Megan Caitling (ex-Rose Above Thorns).

The judges were Phil Hadler of FSC Music, Graham Harmsworth of Music Bay and Dan Dickey of Art Projects for Schools.

The winners - and what they won

Best band: Slam Funk - £250 cash plus two paid slots at the Q Fest music festival at Quex Park, Birchington, in June . Runners-up Keep Method - £150 of vouchers from Music bay;

Audience vote: Sunset Leopard - £250 cash;

Best vocalist: Faustine Buttenshaw (Slam Funk) - £100 vouchers from Music Bay;

Best guitarist: Thomas Ashby (The Bedlam) – guitar from FSC Music;

Best musician: Sam Bridgeford (In Cold Blood) - £100 vouchers from FSC Music;

Best original composition: Ari Scott - £100 of equipment vouchers. Atomic Penguin were highly commended.