Eight-piece reggae band Reo triumphed in a tightly-fought Otago University Students' Association Battle of the Bands final at the weekend.
The band was among 32 to enter the competition, which was in its 25th year, and beat eight other bands in the final at ReFuel on Saturday.
OUSA events co-ordinator Rachel Enright said the judges had a ''tough job on their hands'' picking a winner, with high-calibre acts from a range of genres including metal, rock and gypsy rock competing for top honours.
The band won $400 cash, a $500 advertising campaign from Radio One, Reo T-shirts from Konstruct, a polished recording package from the University of Otago music department and a music video shot and produced by Moi Moi Productions.
Reo keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter Tearoha Enoka, originally from the Cook Islands, said the band was ''really happy'' with the win. He described the band's music as Pacific Island-influenced reggae, with many of the band's members hailing from the islands.
During the competition, the band, which had been together for 10 months, worked hard to get as many people as possible on to the dance-floor, he said.
Iron Tusk was second while Thoughtful and the Mighty Heart was third.
