ACT six-piece rock band proves all you need is true love

Six-piece ACT progressive rock outfit My Own True Love clashed with 15 other bands at the Evan Theatre in Penrith on Sunday.

Each band performed two songs for judges, who were looking for superior stagecraft, skill with instruments and presence.

First place went to Sydney pop-rockers Paintbox City and Tamworth roots, rock and reggae band Blake Saban 3 came in third.

Back-up singer and newly appointed spokeswoman for My Own True Love, Lauree Stuart, 28, of Isaacs, said, ''We didn't think we'd get through because the standard of bands was so high.

''When they called our names, we literally jumped up and squealed, we were so excited.''

Having secured a good result, the band is busy getting ready for the Australasian finals, planned for March in Sydney.

Should they do well there too, the next stop will be the world finals in Romania, where an overall winner will receive $100,000.

My Own True Love only formed as a band last year. It is made up of frontwoman and vocalist Ally Cowell, Stuart, guitarist Michael Walsh, George Pass on keyboards, Adam Brown on bass and Adrian Tonkovic on drums.

Stuart is a Canberra Hospital nurse and the others work a variety of jobs, from retail to full-time musician.

Their plans for the coming year are to expand on their self-titled EP with some more recordings.

Stuart said she was happy that My Own True Love, with its two females, and Paintbox City, which also has a frontwoman, did well in the contest because they were the only women competing.

''It's nice to see, because a lot of women in rock music get overlooked.''