A HOTLY-TIPPED North-East indie band are hoping to ignite the charts with the release of their debut album on Monday.

Punk-pop quartet We Start Fires are urging the region to get behind them in their bid to make an impact on the national album charts.

In what will be a busy few weeks, the Darlington band will appear on Janice Long's Radio 2 show tonight, before embarking on their first solo national tour the same day their album is released.

The group will play stripped-down versions of three tracks during the set on Long's programme, which is a recognised showcase for emerging talent.

The appearance comes ahead of their 12-night national tour, which starts on Monday in Manchester, and includes dates in London, Birmingham and Newcastle.

The tour will culminate in their home town on Friday, October 19, when they play Inside-Out in Beaumont Street, Darlington.

Frontwoman Becky Stefani said the band had been working on the album since September last year and couldn't wait for it to be released.

"We have worked so hard on the album," she said. "We are really, really chuffed with it."

Miss Stefani said the next month would be an exciting time for the band.

"This is the first tour we have played by ourselves," she said. "We are really excited. It has been a while since we have done a full tour.

"We have done odd gigs, but it will be great to get away and for a few weeks and play every night."

She added the highlight of the tour would be their last gig in Darlington.

"It's going to be a bit like a homecoming," she said.

Bassist Nikki Vaughn urged fans to buy the album in the first week so that it would have maximum impact on the charts.

"We really want the album to do well and it has the best chance of charting its first week, so it would be brilliant if people bought it as soon as it is released," she said.

The up-and-coming boy-girl band have recently attracted attention from one of Britain's top music publications, NME, with their last track Play You named the magazine's single of the week.

The group were also featured the same magazine a month before as ones to watch in a two-page spread, where they were dubbed "the coolest, angriest punk party happening in the UK today".

The album can be pre-ordered from www.Play.com or www.hmv.co.uk and will be on general release from Monday.

For more information on We Start Fires, visit www.westartfires * The Northern Echo is running a compettion to gove fans a chance to win a copy of the album. To stand a chance of winning, tell us what was We Start Fires most recent single?

Send your answers to lauren.pyrah@nne.co.uk or write to Lauren Pyrah c/o Newsdesk, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF, Entries should be received by October 1. Normal Newsquest views apply.