THE TUNES from one of the hottest new groups in the country could, not very long ago, be heard drifting down Railway Road in Leigh. Four-piece band Starsailor are on the brink of stardom after forming when they all met at the Leigh campus of Wigan and Leigh College. The band have already been featured in the New Musical Express as one of the most exciting groups to emerge this year and are having their debut single Fever played by Radio One DJs Mark Radcliffe, Jo Whiley and Steve Lamacq.

They have also built up a big following across Europe after supporting bands like The Beautiful South and The Doves. And after just signing a record deal with EMI, they could soon be storming up the charts with their debut single, Fever, out on February 5. The band is centred around the song writing talent of singer and guitarist Jim Walsh. The 20-year-old met two members of the band -- James Stelfox (bass guitar) and Ben Byrne (drums) -- while studying for a BTEC in performing arts at Leigh. Keyboardist Barry Westhead joined at the start of last year.