The Lines are the ones to watch

There are those among us who think the promoters at Wolverhampton's Wulfrun Hall got it wrong when they asked The Lines to play as Pete Doherty's special guest on Tuesday,

. It should have been the other way around.

The Lines are rising fast on a wave of infectious rock tunes, indie riffery and swashes of Chemical Brothers-esque dance. Oh, yes, and then there's singer Alex's euphoric vocals.

Make no mistake, in a contest between The Lines and the more-famous one-time Libertines frontman, there's only one winner.

The Lines also supported Doherty last Saturday and will play alongside the wild man of rock'n'roll tonight at Brixton Academy in London.

Alex, the band's singer, says: "It's great to be playing these shows at big venues. We're really taking things up a level."

Although The Lines have already released an album, they remain fare game for our regular look at unsigned bands.

"We're presently considering a number of offers," says Alex.

"There are a number of deals on the table, but we have to look at what's right for the band in the long term."

The long term is looking pretty rosy. In addition to the likes of Doherty, Wolverhampton's The Lines have supported indie big hitters like Ocean Colour Scene, The Charlatans and many more.

"We played with Ocean Colour Scene in Birmingham and Scotland, which was ace," says Alex.

"We followed them as kids when we were at school. Then we got a phone call asking if we wanted to play with them, that was in February. The next thing we knew we were off to Glasgow Barrowlands and the Academy in Birmingham.

"Our bass player, Danny, was hanging out with Simon Fowler (OCS vocalist) in Glasgow. They were talking about Danny's dad, because he does a Rod Stewart tribute."

The Lines learn from their more-established peers during such engagements.

In coming years, the lessons will no doubt prove important, for the city's finest are destined to follow in their footsteps. They've won praise in numerous quarters, with Kidderminster's rock'n'roll legend Robert Plant saying: "There aren't really many good bands coming out of Wolverhampton, just one great band called the Lines."

Other taste makers have been similarly effusive. BBC Radio's renowned talent spotter Steve Lamacq played their tunes on his show, telling listeners they were making a big noise and blasting out of Wolverhampton.

"It was funny when Lamacq played us," says Alex. "We were all in the pub in Sedgley and our phones started buzzing. Our mates were sending us messages saying they'd just heard us on Radio One. It was slightly surreal."

Expect more dates and more recorded output from Wolverhampton's most-likely-lads soon.

For now, however, content yourself with the majesty of their hard-rockin' indie tunes at www.myspace.com/wearethelines