TWO talented school friends have got through to the semi-finals of a music contest.

Laura Hand and Bex Hayzelden, who both go to the School of St Helen and St Katharine in Abingdon, battled it out against 10,000 singers and bands to get through to the next stage in the national competition Live and Unsigned.

The 15-year-olds wowed judges with their acoustic version of a song called Night Time, written by Bex.

They will now go on to compete against 15 other hopefuls for a place in the finals on Sunday, March 16. The overall adult winner will get a recording and management contract with Future Music, with an investment of up to £20,000 to release a single.

Laura, who lives in Radley, said: "I thought that we wouldn't get through. It was a bit of a shock as everyone else was quite good.

"I think we stand a fair chance."

It has always been the friends' dream to form a band and six months ago the New Rioters were born, with Laura on electric guitar and Bex singing.

Bex, from Streatley, said: "We were friends and we loved making music. We wanted to do some of our own music, so we formed the band."