WHEN the Spice Girls started out they were squeezed into a shared house in suburbia former Furness band Gear have gone one better in the Rock credential stakes.

Holed up in what the band themselves describe as "a squalid North London semi" Gear have launched themselves in the capital and with a new single in the offing - the chaps are on a roll.

The new release Crackwire - has just been named Ian Camfield's record of the week on XFM and has had more than its fair share of play on the radio station due to public demand.

Following their whirlwind arrival in the capital, Gear who are originally from Barrow and Coniston - have played successful gigs at 93 Ft East, Underworld and XFM's Barfly among others, signed to independent DirtE, started recording their debut album and shot their first two videos. Not bad going for a group of lads not long out of college.

Success may have come relatively suddenly for members of the indie/punk band but the boys already have years of shared history behind them.

Drummer Dominic Edward Godfrey Goodings III, bassist Pete Mills and classically trained guitarist Ross Matheson first played together as the rhythm section of local band Superfly, but swiftly recognised a special chemistry between the of them.

With Ross taking over lead vocals, by the time they left school they had built a reputation as the hottest band in a small town.

When they met guitarist Dan Colagiovanni at 6th form college they realised the jigsaw was now complete, with Dan providing the solidity and power to complement Ross's experimental streak.

Management interest from the big city lured them down to London in the summer of 2002, at the age of just 18 and recently things have begun to pick up a new momentum. Crackwire is now available in DirtE Records.