BALLARAT indie rock band Howl has won the coveted Triple J Unearthed best high school band competition.The six-piece band from Ballarat High School, made up of Daniel Marie, Galen Strachan, Michael Belsar, Jonathon Crawford, Tim Street and Lachlan Morrish, found out about their win early yesterday morning."I was listening to Triple J this morning and they said they were going to call the winners," lead singer Michael Belsar said."I was sitting by my phone and they started dialling on the radio and my phone didn't ring so I walked out of the room."Then all of a sudden I head Galen's voice on the radio."It was the last thing they were expecting, with Belsar admitting he didn't think their song was good enough to win."We were pretty much positive we were going to lose," he said."I didn't think our recording was that amazing, it was sort of a half-finished song."More than 700 bands entered the competition, with Howl making it into the top six, before being crowned the winners.Triple J music director Richard Kingsmill said the station was blown away by the talent and diversity of the high school bands."In the end though, Howl really stood out with their song Blackout," he said."They're super-tight, but they also have a craziness about them that's really infectious."We reckon these guys have got an exciting future ahead and we're looking forward to hearing them recorded here in our studios. "Early next month the band will be flown to Sydney to record their song in the Triple J studios, which will then be added to the station's rotation.A lunchtime gig will also be held at Ballarat High School, with a special performance from previous Unearthed success story Art vs Science, and hosted by Triple J's Breakfast team Robbie, Marieke and the Doctor.The band will also feature on Triple J TV with The Doctor.