Music venue owners are offering more than £1,000 worth of studio time and support to the winners of a competition designed to unearth unsigned talent.

Twenty acts will battle for the chance to spend three days in a new recording studio opened at live venue The Brook through four qualifying evenings before a final at the end of August.

The winner will also get to spend time with a DJ who will remix a track, and it is hoped a professional photographer will be enlisted to take promotional images.

Thea and Andy Brook set up The Brook in a former tyre garage on Manor Road, Wallington two years ago, with the intention of running it as a live venue, but predominantly a recording studio.

Having first set up a cafe live music room, exhibition space, and cinema club, the recording studio was finally opened in November.

Mrs Brook said: "It was the last piece in the jigsaw. When we opened we were delighted that the community really responded by telling us what they wanted to see. Andy and I are both music artists, and Andy ran a studio in Denmark Street in London so when we opened we've had a lot of his customers coming down. Now we want to get the word out and give a band who wouldn't usually have the opportunity to spend some time in a studio."

Entrants to the competition must play a "stripped back" acoustic set, with the winner from each of the four first evenings progressing to the final on August 28.

Mrs Brook said: "The main thing is we didn't want to do a cliché battle of the bands where it's all about bringing down a big following and you don't really get best acts winning. We'll give every audience voter two votes so hopefully we'll get everyone voting for their friend, but then also the best act."

The venue has already received seven applications. To apply email admin@the-brook.co.uk or contact the venue through its facebook page