Chrissy Symmons catches up with the region’s best unsigned acts and meets the musical stars of tomorrow.

Indie and dance is not a genre often mixed together but that is exactly what this week’s Ones to Watch have done.

Wolverhampton’s The Sharabangs say their unpredictable moody sounds are the creation of an adventurous, sonic exploration.

They boast that their music is both raw and vibrant and offers something that reaches to the mainstream and beyond.

The five piece indie/rock band began its musical life in 2010 and has been touring around the country stopping off at venues including The Cavern Club, The Slade Rooms, Wulfrun Hall, O2 Academy and the HMV Institute.

Band members Elliot Rollason aged 17, Joel Rollason, 18, Dan Beckett, 20, Dan Rose, 24, and Sam Weekes, 17, say musical influences include chart-topping artists The Arctic Monkeys, Foals and Joy Division.

Dan says: “I think what makes us different is that we fuse together two different genres of music, such as indie and dance, and make it something that works and sounds strong.

“This makes us a lot more appealing to the main stream and the minorities.

“We don’t just want to be a generic guitar band. We want to make our music different and stand out from the rest.”

The musicians have set up gig dates in Birmingham and Wolverhampton in a bid to spread their music to new audiences and are also working on a new EP.

Another performance venue in their sights is The Morton Stanley Park Festival in Birmingham which they hope to play later this year.

For more information about the band visit their facebook page at www.facebook.com/thesharabangs or the myspace www.myspace.com/thesharabangs

Telford songstress Rachel Kennedy writes all her own music

Telford songstress Rachel Kennedy is another musician to keep an ear open for.

Her music is acoustic folk and since her beginnings in 2008 she has not been afraid to experiment with different genres to bring an edge to her style and help set her apart from others.

She also entertains by adding a portion of humour to her lyrics to help keep her tunes in the minds of the audiences

She said: “I would say I’m different from other bands because it’s just me, my guitar and my piano. Almost everything I do is what I’ve written myself.”

She states influences as Sheryl Crow, Jeff Buckley, Mumford and Sons and The Kooks. For the time being she is concentrating on writing more songs and gigging when she can.

And band Arcade Parade, which has featured in a Ones to Watch in the past, have revealed their talented members are going from strength to strength.

They have been touring a number of festivals including Osfest in Shropshire. They were also invited to play at Shrewsbury’s West Midlands showground last weekend in aid of Air Ambulance.