SHOPPERS in Blackburn received a Morning Call to back the town’s latest up-and-coming band this morning.

Four-piece guitar and keyboard group Morning Call played an hour-long set in HMV on King William Street, to mark the release of their debut single, ‘A Little Late’.

Established in 2006, school and college friends Tony Sharples, 25, Andy Macauley, 25, Carl Elmer, 25, and Kip Dickinson, 26 released the song on their own record label, Hello Operator.

Lead singer Tony from Blackburn said: “Record companies have been interested in us, but they wanted us to move to London.

“That’s like saying that people in London are more worthy of new music, but that’s not fair.

“We’re fighting against that attitude, and we need the people of Blackburn to get behind us.”

The band say that growing up in Blackburn and Darwen has inspired their work.

One lyric in the debut single is ‘there's nothing in my town’ but the band says that is not a criticism of Blackburn.

Tony said: “When we sing that there isn’t anything in the town, we’re not saying there’s nothing in Blackburn, we’re talking about experiences of towns in general.

“And at the end of the song we’re saying that there is something in this town - us - and we need people to come and get behind us.”

Andy, who works as an orchestral manager for the Royal Northern College of Music, said their style of music was hard to define.

He said: “There have been so many comparisons from the Stone Roses to the Editors, to the Killers and Morrissey.

“But we all come from different musical backgrounds and it comes together in a mixing pot really.”

The foursome, who all work full-time, have played in The Cavern in Liverpool, around Manchester and Liverpool, and are playing on the pitch at Ewood Park next Saturday.

The band’s version of The Wild Rover is played as teams run out ahead of every Blackburn home game after they asked the football club to get behind them.

Jacqueline Hayes from Wilpshire went to see the performance in HMV today.

She said: “My sons are always telling me how good they are and to go and see them.

“I think they did really well today, especially as they didn’t have a drum kit or microphones."