PULSE - music and more, with Simon Donohue

HE BURST on to the scene with a single that made him the British equivalent of Vanilla Ice.

But now the man known as MC Tunes has dropped his tongue-in-cheek nickname to front one of the coolest British bands of the moment.

As Tunes, he was the embarrassing face of the otherwise chronically-hip 808 State and collaborated with them for the single The Only Rhyme That Bites.

It was a rap song which might more aptly have been used for a hot dog advert at the cinema.

But his new incarnation as leader of the Dust Junkys forces Pulse to forgive his former sins.

Besides, Tunes - aka Nicky Lockett - has a pretty good excuse . . . for his name any way.

"Tunes wasn't a title that I thought of just for that single," he said.

"It's been my nickname from way back. When I started rapping I became MC Tunes.

"And, to be honest, I didn't drop Tunes. My record label did."

After a gap of more than three years, Nicky now finds himself as leader, singer and writer with the most promising North West band in ages.

The Dust Junkys' debut single, Living In The Pocket Of A Drug Queen, was a gritty piece of funk-driven, urban music based on experience.

"Living In The Pocket was about a girl I used to know," said Nicky, who now finds himself in the company of class musicians like Sam Brox, son of blues legend Victor.

"We had a really good time together when I was quite a bit younger. She wasn't a dealer or anything like that but we did things together." Their next slice of pop, the soon-to-be released Nonstopoperation, isn't quite as cool or slick but still carries the band forward.

On November 22 they will support fellow Mancunians Black Grape for a home-town bash at the Manchester Apollo.

But their bad-ass sound has already been tested on the people of Blackburn, where they recently performed at Jazzy Kex.

The warehouse parties favoured by people in East Lancashire have also been a testing ground for the Dust Junkys' sound, as have support tours with the likes of Fun Lovin' Criminals, Red Snapper and Alabama 3.

Nicky, who plays on his streetwise image and punctuates phrases with expletives, said: "They were brilliant.

"Blackburn was really up for it.

"But then they always were a good crowd in Lancashire.

"They proved they knew how to party during the acid house era."

Scooter boys are Itching for fame

MOD rockers The Itch are leading the revival of the scooter scene across East Lancashire.

The quirky Lambretta and Vespa bikes made famous in the '50s, '60s and '70s are enjoying a revival as the favourite form of transport for modern celebrities like Oasis and Chris Evans.

And according to The Itch, the music that accompanies the putt-putt sound of the scooter engine could make them the faces of the future.

The Itch will perform a number of warm-up dates in their home town before gracing the stage at the Great North West Scooter Rally in Morecambe next Saturday.

They have dates at the Queen's Arms, Accrington, tonight; Baggy's, Great Harwood, Saturday, November 22, and the 100 Club, London, January 2.

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