After 12 months of laying down their material in the recording studio, the band will be turning their attention to securing more gigs across the country from this summer.

At the moment, four members – drummer Jack Harris, 18, vocalist Leo Runswick, 18, guitarist Oli Swan, 18, and fellow guitarist and keyboard-player Chris Parker, 18 – are finishing off their A-levels at County Upper School, Bury, while bassist Harry Wreathall, 18, is completing his first year at Writtle College, in Essex.

All members are planning to take a year out with the hope of leading the band into the big time.

Oli said: "We all have back-up careers but this is what we want to do full-time. We're taking the year out because we want to do this properly. We're putting in a lot of commitment and hopefully it will make a difference."

The band describe their sound as psychedelic, ambient rock and list The Verve, Radiohead and Portishead among their inspirations.

All five had previously played in different bands, all now disbanded, and came together about a year ago. So far, they have completed three demos and are about to head into the studio – the Ravenwing managed by Derek Langley – to record their fourth.

Although they are yet to hit the gig scene hard, they have already played before 3,000 people at Manchester Hippodrome after winning an East Anglian local bands competition just weeks after forming.

Chris said: "We don't really have a following at the moment, but we've had a good reaction from people who have heard us. It's nice when people you don't really know come up to you and say how much they like your music."

The band will kickstart their summer in Amsterdam, where they will be playing an all-day live event on August 2. From next month, they will also be setting-up a regular Sunday slot at The Gaff, in Bury, hoping to play alongside local DJs.

For more information or to listen to their tracks, visit www.myspace.com/theretronics