Introducing

Photo: Lisa Hogarth

Opening with a cover of Arctic Monkeys' I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor, the four pupils of County Upper School were quick to catch the attention of the audience at the BurySOUND final held in the Corn Exchange.

The rest of the set, which guitarist Ollie Pearson described as their best yet, was good enough to keep the crowd entertained whilst convincing the judges that they were the Best In Show.

Six months later and Student are still on a high.

"We didn't really hope to get through the first round - we just wanted to raise awareness that the band was still going," Ollie says. "Student was originally three mates and by the time we entered BurySOUND we didn't have a bassist.

"We only had one month to practice once we had Hanna so we just had to go for it."

Their success in the competition which is organised by St Edmundsbury Borough and looks to highlight the young, local talent earned Student £500 and time in a recording studio. The resulting CD is being released to coincide with the launch of BurySOUND 2008.

"We'd done some bedroom recordings as a hobby but this was the most professional thing we've done. It sounds a lot better than when we play it in the bedroom or on stage.

"We asked the producer, Andy Guy, what he thought would sound better and we ended up putting synth on the tracks as well."

Ollie says each member of Student brings a different influence to the band - with Radiohead, Bloc Party and Lost Prophets quoted as key mentors.

But the introduction of synths in the studio has steered them in the direction of the dancefloor.

"We play indie/rock but try to incoporate a bit of disco rock into it - a bit like The Automatic did. There's not many bands in Bury who use synths to make dancefloor-friendly music.

"We want to do something in Bury which hasn't been done yet but on a grander scale people are still going to want to listen to it.

"People just like to have a dance rather than going out to stand around."

This is hardcore

Being able to contact promoters with the tag of BurySOUND winners tied around their necks has helped Student land gigs around the town and slightly further afield. However, it hasn't helped overcome the fact that most venues aren't geared up for bands still in school.

"We have problems where events will only let over 18s in the audience, or they won't let under 18s bands play.

"It doesn't really allow us to get out and play gigs where we could be spotted. We've played at venues such Studio 3, which is the main focal point for bands at the moment, but it's been over 18s only in the audience only.

Photo: Lisa Hogarth

"Some people in the crowd see us 16-year-olds on stage and are put off before we even start playing."

Yet Ollie says there are plenty of young bands in Bury who should be given a chance.

"Hardcore bands such as The Brawlers, Nevermind Tomorrow, This Is Colour and A Fear Most Fatal are popular, as are indie bands such as Manza and My Little Red Door which other people go see.

"There's definitely a clear divide of people who go to the gigs.

"But most bands who have a big following are hardcore bands. There's no one band who stands out above the rest but the hardcore bands definitely get more of an audience."

Student's Robot EP will be on sale from May 2008. Ollie hopes the 500 CDs will raise the band's profile whilst also generating enough money for them to return to the studio.

For now the band members will continue to balance their school work with time as Student, but they're already looking forward to making the latter a full time job.

"We've decided to take a year out after Sixth Form to work hard and see if we can make something of it.

"If everything looks good after that year we'll carry on otherwise we'll look at doing other things."