A BAND of school friends are on the verge of hitting the big time after being named Britain's most promising act.

Maupa, whose members are from Clayton-le-Moors, beat competition from nine bands to take the title in the contest run by internet giant Freeserve.

The lads, who went to St Augustine's RC High School, Billington, polled the most votes in the on-line competition where people could listen to each groups' music to decide who they liked best.

Now Maupa, named after the Polish word for monkey, have gone through to the European final against bands from France, Spain and Holland for another on-line head-to-head.

On May 15, they are to play a huge arena in Montpellier, France, when the winner will be announced.

A big star will headline the gig, but their identity has not yet been revealed.

Bass player Matthew Smithson, 25, is hoping the success is a springboard to success for the band with their first album 'Minor Highs, Major Lows' being released by independent label Necessary Records next month.

He is working as a barman, as are other members of the band, to make ends meet.

Matthew said: "Everybody wants to make it big, but it would be nice to make a comfortable living out of it and get our music across to people.

"We haven't got any money at the moment because everything is going into the band, but things seem to be going pretty well. It has been building up over a number of months, but this has been the biggest thing yet."

Maupa's break came earlier in the year when their first single 'Helpless' was put on the playlist of London's influential independent radio station XFM. This was after music journal NME labelled the single, which was a limited-edition with just 1,000 copies being produced, "one step away from genius."

Bosses at XFM compiled the list of the 10 most promising bands in the country for Freeserve.

Maupa, who honed their skills by practising upstairs at Clayton-le-Moors pub The Albion before it changed hands recently, are hoping their melodic brand of rock goes down well with the European audience.

Matthew added: "It is very difficult to describe our style.

"It is like falling out of a plane, floating about for a bit and landing safely, wondering what happened to you!

"It will be the biggest gig we have ever done. We have just finished a tour and played to 1,000 people in London -- that was the biggest.

"It was a really good experience. It was a bit nerve racking but that kind of thing is what it is all about. It felt like we were getting somewhere."

As well as Matthew, Maupa comprises singer David Boon, percussionist Adam Bishop, guitarists Patrick McKeown and Lorcan Moriarty and drummer Anthony Gibbons.