MACCLESFIELD band The Couch Gurus have been picked as a supporting act to Britpop rockers Ocean Colour Scene.

Having mustered up an enthusiastic following in the north west, with their blend of acoustic folk, jazz and rock, The Couch Gurus are now preparing for their biggest performance yet - in front of an audience of 2,000.

Singer and songwriter James 'Jed' Milroy, who fronts five others in the Gurus, was enthusiastic about the Margate gig, seeing it as a platform to bigger things.

He said: "It's a great platform for us. We love to play to as many people as possible, and if we can win over even a handful of OCS's fans, then we'll have done our job.

"Besides, who can argue with a trip to Margate in the Winter?"

The band has already tasted success with other support slots. They have played with Starsailor, Deacon Blue's Ricky Ross, and Evan Dando of Lemonheads fame.

And it all had to start somewhere. Jed, who is working on the band's first album, confesses he played his first concert at the age of 15 in a Bollington pub.

During a warm-up pint before a performance at Macclesfield's Bar Cuba last week, he described his first step in entertainment.

"It was a great gig. We had a lively crowd, and it was a real good atmosphere," he said.