Entering the charts at number 36 might be seen as a disaster for the likes of Geri Halliwell or Gareth Gates but for Derby's Stuart Faulkner it's the culmination of years of hard work and determination. Stuart learned on Sunday that his band Pink Grease had made their top 40 debut with new single, Strip. The 25-year-old from Allestree plays bass guitar in the glam-rock group, who are based in Sheffield.
 | | Pink Grease (photo by Cally Begg) |
The band have toured all over the world and have a big following in Australia and Germany. Now it looks like they're making waves in their home country. Stuart said: "We're keeping the Allestree sound in the charts - doing it for the Derby style!" From their over-the-top stage act to their eye-hurting multi-coloured website, Pink Grease scream out for attention and so far it seems to be working. Stuart said: "We've bought ourselves a big old Cliff Richard-style 1966 Routemaster Double-Decker bus. It's been sprayed pink by an international graffiti artist extraordinaire. "It's got a top-speed of 55mph and we've been given a piece in Vintage Transport Magazine. They're truly behind us!" Now the band are bona fide chart stars, a Top of the Pops appearance could be on the cards. Stuart said: "Yeah, that'd be great - even though Top of the Pops has really gone downhill. It'll be good with us on it though." But the band don't have too much time to celebrate, preparations are already underway for the release of their next single, Peaches. The band are due to film a video for it shortly with the aim of getting their first top 20 hit. And next on the agenda is a gig in Russia for MTV. He said: "We're doing a special in Moscow on the 19th, bringing back communism, toppling the whole regime! It'll be a big show for all the tsars out there!" | 
