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Amongst the most promising is Orphan Boy, a spiky trio who shaped their sound in the far-flung coastal town of Grimsby before arriving here a year or so ago.

Since then, they’ve built up something of a name for themselves with a combination of riotous shows and killer tunes, though lead singer Bobby Cross says the band still have plenty to do to succeed.

Orphan Boy (c) Shirlaine Forrest

"Pop stars just don’t come from Grimsby. We’ve never had any illusions. There’s no magic thread running through all this; it’s all random. People often talk about us like our name is on the cup or whatever but they don’t realise what we’re up against.

"We arrived in Manchester light years behind all the rest in so many ways. We just kept climbing the leagues, like a dark horse, and we’re still climbing.

"These days, I think we’re miles ahead of most bands musically but still behind them in terms of success. But it’s not really that difficult to deal with. Struggling musicians are the finest people on Earth, and it’s a privilege to be one."

'Bands are not groceries'

That struggle might just get easier with the release of their debut album, ‘Shop Local’, a sparking collection of energetic punk and anthemic choruses that, interestingly enough, has a name that deals with the issue of where acts are from, as Bobby explains.

Bobby Cross (c) Shirlaine Forrest

"People pick their bands like they do their supermarkets. They follow everyone else out to the retail parks; they won’t visit the corner shop because it’s not convenient enough and they don’t see any brands they recognise.

"That makes sense maybe, but bands are not groceries – music is important. I reckon music fans should trust their ears, not the media, and find new music.

"They should support it; it’s free and some of it’s probably on your doorstep. And you can get to the bar easily at the gigs.

"Forget the Kooks, that’s what your mum puts on when she does the ironing."

It’s that sort of observation that makes Orphan Boy’s songs so exhilarating. And simple observation is exactly what it is. Bobby says the band’s tunes are definitely not social commentary, as some seem to think they are.

Orphan Boy (c) Shirlaine Forrest

"We’re often getting compared to writers like Paul Weller, Billy Bragg and Alex Turner. People’s first reaction to us is that we’re normal lads with guitars, so they think that we write about kitchen-sink stuff and miners’ strikes and everything.

"This is not the case. Shop Local is a real p off record, full of spirit and ideas; we hit our guitars very hard and don’t know or care who our audience is. There are two more songs to come from the Shop Local era and then you won’t hear us making music like this again. We’ve made our point and moved on.

"Modern indie bands are the scum of the earth, aren’t they? Safe, repetitive yes men. If we ever get like that, I’ll jack this in and get into gardening or something."

A class of their own

Backing up the idea that Orphan Boy are simply writing the world as they say it, rather than trying to instigate social change, Bobby’s quick to jump onÌý any reference to class, particularly the view that the band’s punk attitude somehow makes them instantly working class.

Orphan Boy (c) Shirlaine Forrest

"It’s not important at all. Honestly, we couldn’t give a **** about class. It doesn’t exist anyway. If there is a working class and a middle class it’s all relative. We might seem working class compared to say Foals, for example, but we wouldn’t last ten minutes in Wythenshawe on a Friday night. Not with our skinny jeans."

There’s that honesty again. And it doesn’t just apply to their lyrics. On 'Shop Local', there’s a myriad of unusual influences and inspirations at work, shown most vibrantly on 'The Salesman', which unexpectedly includes a nod to 90s dance pioneers S-Express.

Bobby says it shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, as the trio "like bands that you can dance too - Pulp, Primal Scream, Stone Roses. Bands that were heavily influenced by dance music but brought the depth of rock music to it."

"I had to study it at university and it stuck in my head. This bearded loon comes wandering up to three fellas walking by the sea and starts telling them his story. I never finished reading it though because it began to bore me, so I re-wrote the ending."

Believe the hype?

Bobby’s understandably pleased with the resulting song, as he is with the rest of the collection – "I think Shop Local is a great album" – but even taking into account the support the band has had from the likes of Steve Lamacq, he’s under no illusions about what its release will mean to the trio.

"We keep hearing about so-called hype but in truth, we don’t have any big corporations behind us, so it’s hard to win support from the media.

"But time will tell. You might not read too much about Shop Local but it is out there, winning people over. It’s left home in good spirits and maybe it’ll return one day, with a beard and an eye-patch and an army of supporters wearing council pop clothes."

The addition of apparel might be stretching it, but chances are high that given the quality of 'Shop Local', it could return home with a battalion or two of fans behind it.

'Shop Local' is out on Monday 7 April on Concrete Recordings. Orphan Boy play Joshua Brooks on Saturday 12 April