Unsigned Wolverhampton band The Icon share their inspirations

Called The Icon, they are on a mission to 'bring rock 'n' roll back with a modern feel', and this weekend they get the chance to do just that in the musical Mecca of Liverpool.

Fanatical about The Beatles, the four-piece from Dudley, Wolverhampton and Staffordshire have nearly all relocated to the Merseyside city to make a name for themselves in the very same place The Fab Four did all those years ago.

"I love their look, the way they dress has always appealed to me," says frontman and rhythm guitarist Tom Harrison, 19, from Penkridge, who has started studying at Liverpool's John Moores University to be rooted in the scene.

"The Icon started with our passion for The Beatles, we all have that same passion. As well as covering all the songs of the 60s we do our own material based on those 60s vibes."

And they met in a more unusual manner too. All four starred in local musical theatre, the two Toms – Harrison and Withers – and Ben Evans with West Bromwich Operatic Society, while they met Stephen Lengyel through Bilston Operatic Society.

Starting in 2011, between them they have performed the likes of Les Miserables, Our House and Miss Saigon on local stages.

"I saw Tom and Ben perform 500 Miles (The Proclaimers' smash hit) in a show and I liked what they were doing and wanted some," says Tom H. "We started to put some practice in and did some open mic nights as an acoustic trio. That's how it started."

But given their fanaticism for all things Beatlemania, the West Midlands wasn't going to confine them for long.

"Liverpool has always had a good music scene. The nightlife is good and there is always something going on like at The Cavern Club," Tom H adds.

The majority of the band followed him. Lead guitarist Tom Withers, from Kingswinford, and bassist Ben, of Wolverhampton, both 16, are studying in the city at LIPA - the music college founded by Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.

And finishing off The Icon, drummer Stephen, 18, still lives in Wolves and attends the newly renamed Haberdashers' Adams grammar school in Newport, Shropshire.

And Liverpool has been a good platform for them so far. Last year, they secured a slot at the International Beatle Week festival in the city, performing every day between August 23 and 29.

"We gained lots of new fans who saw us play and they were all buying our CDs, which was great," Tom H reminisces. "We sold our three singles we had released at the time.

"It was our first festival but we hope to branch out and play more. Not just Beatles festivals either, we want to play the biggest and best festivals.

"We got some nice praise. John Lennon's sister Julia Baird recommended us on stage during one of her talks and said we reminded her of a young Beatles. There was talk of maybe doing something with her further down the line but we'd have to get in contact with her again to see."

And particularly pleasing for Liverpool FC-mad frontman Tom, they were also picked to perform before the mighty Reds played at their Anfield home as part of the match-day experience. Unfortunately (and slightly unfairly perhaps) they weren't allowed to stay for the game. But Tom H loved it nonetheless.

"We performed in one of the fanzones at Anfield. We slipped in a few originals but played mostly the covers to please the crowd. We had a great reception. We played the Liverpool FC anthem You'll Never Walk Alone (by Gerry & The Pacemakers) and the whole crowd were singing along. It was amazing."

They've had more success too. They got involved with the 2017 SoundWaves UK competition and have progressed to the regional finals where they face a tough night of competing against the north west's best talent tomorrow night at Liverpool's O2 Academy.

Success there will see them progress to the grand final to be held in London later this year. It's something the band have enjoyed thus far.

"We auditioned here because we're based here now," says Tom H. "There were interviews and live rounds in front of the judges and all that came after having to send our music in first. We then had to do a live gig and a video blog saying why we thought we would be good for the competition."

It's helped them progress as a group.

"We've used it as a chance to show off our personality on stage. We don't just play music we like to laugh with each other and the audience and get a bit of banter going. It's not just music, we don't want people thinking we're boring. We want to entertain and interact with the crowd."

And having enjoyed success at International Beatle Week with their previous releases, they are hoping progressing all the way to the final at SoundWaves UK will help them push future singles to the masses.

"We're going to be releasing three new singles this year," Tom H confirms. "All our recordings are originals because we want to be known for our own stuff, not covers.

"Most people tell us we are original and that there's nobody out there like us, nobody goes for our style. When we perform at functions and weddings its often the covers, but we prefer playing our originals to cover songs."

l There are still tickets available to the SoundWaves UK regional finals at Liverpool's O2 Academy tomorrow. They can be bought by contacting the band at their Facebook page www.facebook.com/theicon222/. To hear more of their musical style, search for The Icon on Spotify to visit their band page.