The inaugural Friends of Mine Festival at Capesthorne Hall is a rock coup for Cheshire. And it’s also a potential career-maker for the best grassroots talent and bands on the cusp of something big.

Later this month, they’ll share a green room with the likes of the Charlatans, Howard Marks and one of Macclesfield’s best-known signed exports, The VirginMarys.

Charlotte Cox is looking at the local acts planning to rock your socks off. This week it’s Rough Twist, Hugo Kensdale and the brilliantly-named Konkoma Maximum Love Garden Orchestra.

WHO: Rough Twist.

LINE-UP: Singer Ben Jackson, 24, bassist Ross Massey, 34, lead guitar Dewi Chapel, 20, drummer Dion Osbaldeston, 26, tenor sax Ben Ward, 24, alto sax Tom Scragg.

THEIR SOUND: "I suppose groove rock. If you like the Chilis, you’ll like us."

CATCH THEM: On Friday night in Ronnie’s Tent.

Formed three years ago, Rough Twist are genuine Macclesfield, with all its players bona fide home-grown rock material and the Ronnie’s Bar resident band.

Friends since they were schoolboys, Dewi and Ben were at Henbury High together, Ben was at Ryles Park and Tom went to All Hallows.

Singer Ben Jackson, who lives on Chester Road, Macclesfield, with Ross and ‘his missus’, said: "It will be the biggest festival we’ve ever done and we're getting very excited now."

Ben is also a huge fan of star names Charlatans and Badly Drawn Boy.

"It’s going to be cool to bump into all these people – Howard Marks will be great."

And sax-player Ben Ward has another vested interest in Macclesfield's music scene – he is the new landlord of the King’s Head.

Rough Twist are recording their second album in August – their first, In The Doghouse, came out in March last year.

WHO: Hugo Kensdale

HIS SOUND: "Slightly Elvis Costello, a bit Dovesy, a little like the Shins – rock, pop, folksy, acoustic set. But I’m getting a band together so this set will be different to what you hear on Myspace."

CATCH HIM: Saturday night on the acoustic stage.

Half-French singer/songwriter Hugo, 31, also hails from Chester Road, Macclesfield. He now lives in Manchester where he records his own stuff and started out 10 years ago in a band with Jake Evans from Bad Lieutenant.

He said: "It’s going to be an acoustic set, so different to what I usually do.

"But it will be pretty surreal – especially as it’s my first festival."

Hugo, who works in a craft shop by day, has been writing his own stuff for three years.

WHO: Konkoma Maximum Love Garden Orchestra, an international eight-piece on trombone, sax, trumpet, percussion, guitars.

THEIR SOUND: "A Latin clutch of Nigerian folk tunes that we turn into Western songs with a Brazilian flavour."

CATCH THEM: Friday night at the Lakeside Tent.

Bass guitarist Alan Davies, 43 – AKA Fats – is from Roe Street, Macclesfield. His fellow Maxonians include drummers Neil Marshall and Jamie Muncaster, who teach drums at local schools and guitarist Philip Hill, a King’s School teacher.

Alan said: "We’re from all over – Holland, Edinburgh, Brighton, Birmingham Konkoma is Nigerian for rhythm."

The group started off in Afflecks Palace, where they all worked, 23 years ago.