NECESSARY Elvis are jetting off to Florida this summer for a two-week mini tour of the southern United States, thanks to a new collaboration of bands in the Burnley and Pendle area.

The Burnley band's lead singer JP Keenan said the policy of pooling resources and contacts had paid dividends for them.

He said "My brother Lee, who drums with Uncowboy, knew a promoter called Alan who lives on Daytona Beach, in Florida.

"He visits the area quite often and we joked with him about putting a tour on for us."

To the surprise of the group, whose sound is based on Seattle grunge, he came back with a six or seven-date tour which includes a show in New Orleans.

Necessary Elvis join seven other acts from Burnley and Pendle - with styles covering the full spectrum of musical tastes - who are collaborating together over the next 12 months in a bid to kick-start the music scene in their area.

The idea, which was born out of the frustration of close friends Bruce Thomas, frontman for The Rubbish, and Damien Manville, best known for his work with Syndicate. The pair had become disillusioned with the lacklustre attitude towards the local scene, which they believe is packed with talented acts who never get the chance perform on the right stage. Bruce said "We want to use the project as a vehicle for local bands to get better-known, both within the area and further afield.

"There is a wealth of technology available for bands today and we want to use it."

With the use of the internet, Bruce plans to spread the message of the collaboration both in this country and throughout the world, giving people the chance to sample sounds online.

The project will have a website which will then give the user access to individual pages featuring each band. The artists involved are The Rubbish, Uncowboy, Walter Mitty's Head, Gecho, Sage, John Turner, Zoe Manville and Necessary Elvis.

Bruce added: "Most of the groups know each other well and are good friends anyway.

"We want to enjoy the music and have a good time together." Necessary Elvis singer JP Keenan confirmed this.

He said: "We were in a bit of a drunken state in the pub when we first heard about the idea but we thought it was brilliant. It is something that the area needed."

The strategy for the as-yet-unnamed project is for the bands to do regular gigs together as either two or three-act shows, with any profits then being pooled. The proceeds will then fund a CD containing material from each of the artists and a mini festival later in the year.

It's the diversity of styles that Bruce hopes will catch the imagination of the area's gig-goers.

He said: "People can go to a show and enjoy dance, indie and grunge all in one show. The potential for the project is massive."

By CLIVE LAWRENCE

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