They were taken on by music guru Paul Harris, the man who signed Leeds chart-toppers Kaiser Chiefs, and who is now heading his own label under the umbrella of music giant Sony.

On July 31 they became the first band to sign a contract in Sony's brand new headquarters in Kensington, London. Now they are label mates with stars including Michael Jackson.

They hope to have their as-yet unnamed debut album out in January and are currently in France recording their second single, So Called Summer.

And they have just announced a major 25-date British tour which ends where it all began at Preston's 53 Degrees on October 30.

The band – singer Fred Davis, keyboard player and guitarist Nathan Standlee, DJ and sampler Ruggero Lorenzini (known as Ruggi) and drummer Lex Dunne – are relieved to have finally signed on the dotted line.

Speaking just before headlining the second stage at Kendal Calling Festival on Sunday, Fred, from Bilsborrow, said: "It's great, it really feels good - and it's a really big relief, to be honest!

"Paul Harris is a legend! He's amazing and he was one of the first people that we talked to when we first started around a year ago."

The four-piece, who formed last July, have been at the centre of an record label frenzy since their very first gig in November at Preston's 53 Degrees, after they were made Featured Artist of the Week on MySpace.

For more see Thursday's Evening Post.

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