By Erin Engelson

Music lovers will be rocking out for free Friday night at afterHOURS, taking in the sounds of the six finalists in Northeastern’s Battle of the Bands.

The finals will begin at 9 p.m. and will pit six bands against each other for prizes including cash and gift certificates.

Three judges, including Adam 12 from WBCN, will rate each band on the quality of performance and award first, second and third prize.

The bands featured in the finals are Project 1.9, The Futon Police, Logan, Animal Suit Driveby, Bullfrog Tribute and Brilliant Misstake.

“It’s going to be a really good show. All the bands are going to be amazing, and they all have different sounds so it will keep the pace of the show going,” said Jess Peterson, Council for University Programs (CUP) showcase chair.

The field of six was narrowed down from 10 bands in the preliminary round held on Oct. 9.

Also appearing in the contest were four bands not advancing including The Sex and Murder, Speak Easy, Kelley Square and The Scouches.

Project 1.9 has four members, two of which are from the New York City area. They have been playing all over the northeast, including gigs at the Knitting Factory in New York City, the Middle East in Cambridge and Harper’s Ferry in Allston, according to their Web site (www.onepointnine.net).

Bullfrog Tribute, like Project 1.9, performs all over the northeast and has appeared on the show Cold Pizza on ESPN2.

The band has six members, but because of the rule that 50 percent of a band must be NU students, only two band members are playing on Friday.

“We’re going to try our best to put on a good show, even though there will only be two of us,” said singer Nulty White. “We’re going to spice it up a bit.”

White compares Bullfrog Tribute’s sound to that of Dave Matthews, Dispatch and early Led Zeppelin. He said they try to form their own unique sound of eclectic acoustic rock.

In contrast, Animal Suit Driveby has a somewhat harder sound. Drummer Jeremy Yehle compares his band to groups like Coheed and Cambria, Atreyu and Thrice.

The band has been playing together for over two years. They met in high school in Camden, Maine and continue to play shows in their home state as well as New Hampshire and here in Massachusetts.

Yehle expects a good performance from his band this time around.

“We’re going to practice a lot before Friday. Last time, we weren’t very well prepared. We’re just going to do our best and hope that it all turns out well,” he said.

Following Animal Suit Driveby are The Futon Police, who got together in 2001 at Boston Latin School. Although they are not as musically tight as some of the other bands in the competition, guitarist Jared Egan expects them to do well.

“Our strong point is that we write good songs. Even though we may not be as good musically, we keep the audience in it with the songs,” he said.

The Futon Police has a sound that is tough to place, Egan said. They sound like Weezer at times, but generally, they are all over the board. They have played gigs all around Boston, including the Midway Caf