The Electric City are supporting Orson on their UK tour, which arrives at Newcastle University on Tuesday, December 11.

They have been taken on by Supervision Management, who look after the likes of Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and Mumm-Ra.

Their sound has been described by one critic as "dirtier than a student's weekend trip to Amsterdam", and that's even before their debut single Dark Skies is released on January 14.

Their story began in Ibiza, where frontman Andy Taylor met fellow Londoner James Cantone and found their musical vibes collided.

Back home they began looking for bandmates, who they found in bass player Jonny Bullitt and Oxford-born drummer Dan Laithwaite.

Songs gradually took shape, and they began to develop a sound which mixes Muse with Death From Above 1979.

Andy says: "Every time we write a new track it goes slightly more electro, or dirtier, or a bit more of a stomper - it just happens by accident."

Their live shows have drawn music fans to their MySpace site like moths to a flame, and it has now had more than 100,000 plays.

Their songs have been playlisted on XFM radio, and they have supported We Are Scientists, The Futureheads, Patrick Wolf, and even The Who.

But they're not get-rich-quick merchants, as Taylor points out: "We're doing it because we love it.

"No one in this band is committed to anything else except being in The Electric City."

* Tickets for the Orson gig at Newcastle University, with The Electric City supporting, are £15 from 239 3926.