TWO Lowestoft bands are hoping to take a big step towards achieving their dream of securing a professional recording contract when they take the stage Essex tomorrow (Saturday, May 22).

TWO Lowestoft bands are hoping to take a big step towards achieving their dream of securing a professional recording contract when they take the stage Essex tomorrow (Saturday, May 22).

My Sweet Surrender and Crumbs For Comfort sailed through the regional final of Live and Unsigned, in Ipswich, and now they are heading for the area final of the national competition with the dream of securing an exclusive place in the grand final.

My Sweet Surrender are a punk rock band from Carlton Colville. They formed in 2006 and together 15-year-olds Will Catling, Tom Annis, Chris D'amore and Alex Massey dream of playing the biggest stages in the country and America.

They are influenced by Green Day, Snow Patrol, The Blackout, My Chemical Romance and The Kings of Leon, but covered The Undertones classic Teenage Kicks in their regional final.

Tom said: 'It was absolutely brilliant. We've never played on such a big space, but there was some much space to jump around.'

The students from Kirkley High, St Felix and Sir John Leman schools also write their own material. Their song Distortion of Disloyal Rights, which is about late teenagers disagreeing with the government rules, helped them qualify for the next round.

Crumbs for Comfort are a six-piece indie-folk-rock band. Alex Brown, Ben Chenery, Jamie Scott, Robert Vincent, Richard Thompson and Liam Brown specialise in writing songs that relate to the history and beauty of the East Anglian coastline.

In the regional final they performed Lowestoft Bay, a song they have written about the downfall of the town's fishing industry. They also sang Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill. Since then they have performed live in session on BBC Radio Suffolk.

'Whilst on air we discussed the idea that, if successful, there is a chance that we could give something back to the local community by promoting the Lowestoft tourist and perhaps even the fishing industry plight,' said Ben Chenery.

Tomorrow both bands will travel to Towngate Theatre in Basildon to perform for a place in the final at the indigO2 in London.

Here they will get the chance to perform in front of judges including Noddy Holder, Greg James, Shola Ama and Gail Porter, with the hope of securing a recording and management contract with Future Music and a share of the prize pool worth over �75,000.

For more information on the competition visit www.LiveandUnsigned.UK.com

Band Name:

My Sweet Surrender

Band Members:

Alex Massey - lead singer and rhythm guitar

Chris D'amore - lead guitar and backing singer

Tom Annis - drummer and backing vocals

Will Catling - bass and backing vocals

Genre:

Punk-rock

Regional final songs:

Distortion of Disloyal Rights and Teenage Kicks

Website:

www.mysweetsurrender.webs.com

Band Name:

Crumbs for Comfort

Band Members:

Alex Brown - lead vocals and guitar

Ben Chenery - lead guitar and vocals

Jamie Scott - bass

Robert Vincent - keyboard

Richard Thompson - drums

Liam Brown - keyboard

Genre:

Indie-folk-rock

Regional final songs:

Lowestoft Bay and Running Up That Hill

Website:

www.crumbsforcomfort.com