IT WAS billed as the anti-Pop Idol, but what claims to be the world’s largest live music competition felt more like a rock Eurovision. The Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) is a new contest which aims to uncover the best new musical talent from around the globe. Since the start of the year, heats have taken place in 16 countries and, this week, the winners of each appeared at the first grand final in London to compete for a $100,000 cash prize.

But if the format was based on the world’s campest music contest — GBOB is set to become an annual event, with a final taking place in a different country each year — the acts were a cut above Eurovision’s usual batch of boring balladeers and (with the exception of some shouty Ukrainians, who wore a mix of Eastern silks and glam rock gear) oddballs in traditional costume hoping to become one-hit wonders.

Within the first hour, a slick Spanish outfit called Second — with a tall, skinny singer (J. A. Frutos) who had styled himself on both Ian Curtis and Bono — were being tipped to win after a two-song set of slightly too perfect pop-rock. They were certainly ahead of a funky, young Scottish trio called Fuzzylogic who lacked the Spaniards’ good looks, and Iceland’s Lights on the Highway, whose dreamy, atmospheric rock had an experimental edge that was headache-inducing.

There was soon stiff competition, however, in the shape of Salvador, a Russian quartet who played folk songs like a punk band. Fronted by a skinhead with a tattooed neck who began the set shouting “Fight, fight”, Salvador were a revelation. Their songs were like Cossack dance numbers performed by PiL and their fast-paced playing and on-stage antics made for what was clearly the night’s best entertainment.

The next couple of hours included a handful of acts who shouldn’t have strayed from the pub circuit — Norway’s Domi who did an average Green Day impersonation, Swedish grunge peddlers Stardog Champion and Ireland’s Raggedly Soul, whose gruff-voiced blues singer was superb, but whose songs sounded like a medley of Led Zeppelin hits — and several bands with obvious commercial potential. Welshmen Audiocalm had big, melodic rock songs with singalong choruses that could make them next year’s Keane; the Netherlands’ Snatchin’ Jenny mixed the Stooges and the Hives to excellent effect; and South Africa’s Wonderboom showed why their ska-funk-punk is already huge at home.

Four hours after the show started, Spain were named winners, with Wales and Russia among the runners-up. The audience booed the predictable decision, but GBOB had been a roaring success.