SOME three years ago, a group of friends from North Devon organised their own private party in a shed so they could get drunk and watch each other's bands. Their party has since grown into North Devon's best underground indie festival, a bi-annual behemoth that has stayed fiercely loyal to its DIY roots while luring an ever more impressive selection of artists. It's name? Beta Fest. The latest instalment takes place over the next three evenings (February 16 to 18) at The Factory in Barnstaple.

So how has Beta Fest grown from its humble shed origins into a three night residency in one of Devon's best venues? Festival organiser Tobias Matthews – who you may also know as the frontman in The Dead Betas – is typically modest:

"If I'm honest, Beta Fest's rapid growth is down to a lot of luck. All the bands round here over the last couple of years have been fantastic. Chapters of Eden have been a huge help this year – Billy especially will be helping with sound on various days – as have other members of The Dead Betas – you will find Martron manning the monitors for a lot of the festival. I think we've just found a passion again in North Devon and everyone is doing what they can to get this area on the touring circuit.

"The Factory just made sense to me. I wanted the festival to get bigger and better, and though my promotional home will always be The Palladium, it's just not big enough for what I want to achieve with the festival. The Factory is the only place I know in the area that has the capacity and the facilities for Beta Fest's next level of evolvement. Plus, I am doing my music degree at Petroc and they have helped me out considerably with some of the elements of the festival."

In tune with the Beta Fest hallmark, you can expect a line up of some of the best underground rock, punk and indie music. But there are a few extra treats in store this time around, like InMe, who have been heavyweights on the UK's angry rock scene for the last ten years.

"When I decided that this year we were going to have an exciting headliner, I compiled a long list of bands that I, or people I knew wanted to hear. As InMe had been mentioned several times, they were added to the list. I knew as I had not worked with bigger bands before that my chances of getting one of these bands were slim. We had some offers, but due to the area we live in it was tough choosing who would sell and whether or not we could break even. Then InMe's agent e-mailed and after a little negotiation we agreed a good deal all round. I was over the moon, happy that Beta Fest can be taken to the next level."

It's a sizeable coup to have them in North Devon. You can catch them headlining Saturday night. But there are plenty of other bands too. Who does Tobias recommend?

"I am actually really excited about seeing Castrovalva for the first time. Also Scholars, one of my favourite bands of the past year and a great bunch of guys! I am really looking forward to Fighting Fiction too, I had a few friends see them on the lock-up stage at Reading and Leeds last year and I think they are set to go far."

Indeed, Fighting Fiction are about to record their second session for the Radio 1 Punk Show and release their self-titled debut album at the end of the month (February 27). They play early on Saturday evening.

Local bands on the line up include The Dead Betas, Jackdaws, The Confused, Dirty Colours, Anti Caste and All Friends Are Enemies. And for Tobias, mixing the best local talent with touring bands is what it's all about:

"I have crammed as many local bands as possible on to the line-up. If we keep going the way we are, local talent can go to promoters up country and say, 'we've played with all these big bands' and it could make the difference in getting them a booking. "I love music and I love the music scene in the area we live. If I can help in any way to make people across the country acknowledge what we have down here, then I will. Plus it'd be nice to see all the bands we like on our doorstep, rather than having to travel at least an hour on a work or school night."

For full line up information, point your internet to facebook.com/betafest Tickets are available from Beats Workin' or www.blackhole promotions.bigcartel.com.