A BAND from Burnley is set to headline one of the stages at a two-day hard rock festival in the North West, it has been announced.

Highly-rated Exit State, who have toured with former Iron Maiden singer Blaze Bayley and original AC/DC vocalist Dave Evans, will top the acoustic bill at the SOS Festival in Radcliffe, near Bury, next month.

And the weekend of July 16 and 17 could prove hectic for the East Lancashire outfit, fronted by Roy Bright, as they are second headliners on Sunday’s main stage, behind veterans GUN.

Nearly 30 bands will appear at Radcliffe’s civic centre for SOS, which is designed as an inexpensive alternative to this summer’s music programme and is being promoted by Rocksector Records, the Burnley outfit’s label.

The announcement comes at the end of a successful early summer for the Burnley band.

It follows their return from a slot on the Hard Rock Hell tour in Ibiza.

Exit State’s second album, Black Veins, is also due to be released in September.

Lead singer Roy said: “We’ve been likened to Foo Fighters, Nickelback & Therapy but truthfully, although we’re proud of those comparisons, they don’t really cover it as we really are quite unique.”