HOTS are a band that have achieved what many deride as impossible - having emerged from Chichester to taste national success, become music press favourites and sign a deal with one of the major labels. Their achievements can be seen as testimony to the quality of the music emerging from the south coast and as inspiration to all independent artists. Yet it seems they have been missed by the mainstream local media, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to review their debut CD.

HOTS met and formed in the city, several having been students at ChiTech College, in 2001 they played to a sell out Oxmarket and the following year headlined a Fringe Festival event at the Venue. Prior to these dates they recorded this 8 track demo CD in Ealing, and it was the avant garde sounds within that attracted management interest and initiated their rapid ascent. HOTS are a modern band that defy traditional convention, they deal in sweeping soundscapes, an ambient post rock. Songs tend to meander, drawing you toward them in a beguiling fashion.

The opener is the striking acoustic sci-fi of 'American Revolution'. Next up come Herlihy's cracked & tired vocals that drip with civil war imagery. Throughout the CD they capture a fragile atmosphere, the songs seemingly hanging by a thread. There is a lot going on but there are no histrionics, its an thoughtful, chilled stance - in a live setting the their visual backdrop is just as important as the performance itself. The potential and distinctive nature of the music is apparent, they have been likened to Radiohead but perhaps Godspeed You Black Emperor or the melancholic guitar symphonies of Mogwai are closer to the mark.

At times it is a little self indulgent and ideas are not always fully focused, but their individualist stance, that moves from the alt-country blues twang of 'Ballad of Fred Olsen' to the minimalist acoustic strings of 'From the Pines of Maine...', has allowed them to stand out from the crowd.

This year alone they have received rapturous NME reviews and support slots with Starsailor and Polyphonic Spree, released a limited edition debut single 'Black Dollar Bills' which sold out within a week and toured Britain and Europe. Most recently they have signed a album deal with a major multinational and played the Glastonbury festival. With another chart bound single and an ambitious debut album on the way, the future, it would seem, is theirs?

UNKNOWN PROMOTIONS REVIEW

Despite the absence of Rox, there's been plenty going on the music scene, from big name bands and big crowds at the Real Ale & Jazz, new music nights, Reform parties and so many people coming to our Monday night open mic at the Bull that we've now gone weekly, with Mr Fox hosting 'Subversive Undersound' on the alternate weeks...