Worldpop

Who the hell are Glitterbug?
Four London fellas, your honest-to-goodness four-piece rock outfit. Singing, drumming, bassing and, what's the other thing, oh yes, guitaring. It all began when singer Leighton Carter bumped into basser Tim Smyth on a jumbo - a 747, although the thought of meeting someone while riding an elephant would certainly be a rock and roll first. Enlisting guitarist Richie Bennett through a small ad that read 'cool young stars needed', the foursome was completed with the addition of former Watford reserve goalie turned drummer Steve Grainger.

Why all the fuss? Slowly but surely they're building a reputation as your very own indoor whirlwind. In other words, they're a rather effective live act with their infectious brew of pop seasoned to taste with just enough rock.

Listen out for: Their debut single, Today, Tonight, Tomorrow, which kicks off sounding like something out of Seventies prog rock heaven where rumbling chunky chords chug in a 3 Colours Red stylee while the vocal is kinda halfway between James Dean Bradfield and Brett Anderson.

Seventies prog rock? Go ask your dad about Rush. And although that's not exactly what the 'Bug are all about, their mix of glamour and stadium-style riffin' is sure of a place on one of the rungs somewhere below the likes of Rush on the ladder of rawk.

The new: Depends on who you listen to really. The Who, The Clash are Steve's favourite bands, Suede and any country and western is what Leighton plumps for, Radiohead, The Clash, Red Hot Chili Peppers is Tim's pleasure while we must salute Richie for his love of T-Rex, Hanoi Rocks and Jellyfish. Somewhere in between all that comes Glitterbug. Any help? Thought not.

Can you believe: They were spotted busking at Tufnell Green tube station? Nah, us neither. Still, it makes for a good story.

They say: Richie: 'We knew that this was the band that would get us a great deal, allow us to make music, and have a good time without having to
worry about where the next meal is coming from. Well, it certainly saved us from a life of 9 to 5.'

Richie: 'Some people get confused with the Glitter part of our name, and think we're '70s revivalists, but we wanna take a little bit of the glam, add a little bit of punk, pop and rock, whack it in a blender and paint the town with the result.'

Richie: 'The first time I saw photos of Kiss and Hanoi Rocks when I was 13, I thought Wow! That's what I wanna do, but hey, that was a few years ago.'

We say: If you're near The Monarch in Camden, London at around, say, 9.30 on 1 April, pop and check 'em out for yourself. It's no joke. Hur hur. NEIL MASON