A TALENTED bunch of Ulverston schoolchildren are causing a ‘tweenage rampage’ with the release of their debut single.

In just a few months since forming, Pesky have gained local and national radio play, been offered a main stage festival spot, and signed up to Fierce Panda Records.

Now the 11 and 12-year-olds are celebrating the start of the summer holidays by releasing their debut EP, ‘Smells Like Tween Spirit’.

The band consists of Megan Cooper (vocals), Niamh Angell (vocals), Patsy Gillam (bass), Kate Stamp (guitar /vocals), Joseph Jackson (guitar), Jessica Webster (keyboards) and Harry Angell (drums).

Pesky started as an off-shoot from Croftlands Junior School Guitar Club - an after-school club to teach guitar basics to children ranging from 7 to 11 years old.

Eschewing the traditional school classics ('She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain', 'Lily The Pink') the kids started learning classics by The Beatles and Beastie Boys.

Although this caused the odd raised eyebrow at the school summer concert and sent some of the younger children home crying it definitely fuelled the kids' enthusiasm for more of the same.

As their confidence and skills developed, it became apparent that something special was slowly but surely bubbling to the service.

It began with singer Megan, who brought her first attempts at songwriting to the group where it transpired she had a real talent for squeezing a marvellous melody out of a couple of simple chords.

Spurred on by this, both guitarist Kate and co-vocalist Niamh started writing and bringing songs to the table as well, and the seed of the band was starting to germinate.

Featuring six self-penned tracks, the EP is available from Friday on London-based Fierce Panda Records, who featured lead single ‘Keep Me’ on its 21st anniversary compilation.

Described as a ‘lovely blizzard of shoe gazing guitars, twinkling keys and sweet vocals’ the track has been played by Steve Lamacq on BBC 6 Music, Huw Stephens on Radio 1, and featured in The Guardian’s Weekly Playlist earlier this month.

“Our teacher Simon Cross sent our stuff to Fierce Panda Records and they liked it so we get a record deal,” said bassist Patsy Gillam.

“We got our first radio play a few weeks ago so a lot has happened in a short space of time.

“It’s exciting but strange – we definitely didn’t expect it. I just thought we were a small guitar group.”