TWO aspiring rock and pop groups are recording their first professional CDs, thanks to The Northern Echo.

Pop group Northern Haze are busy producing a seven-song CD at Sanity Multi-media Studio in Stockton, and rock band The Shining have just wrapped up their recording process at the same studio.

The groups were the winners of last year's Big Chance competition, held to find the best unsigned artists in the region.

Rock and pop artists from across the North-East and North Yorkshire are again being offered the chance to take that first step to fame.

The newspaper's music website, Revolution, is again holding The Big Chance music competition, now in partnership with TFM Radio.

The competition will help the winning rock or pop act along the road to fame with a package of prizes, including three days in Sanity Multimedia Studios, Stockton, 100 CDs, and free photography and artwork by House of Type, Middlesbrough.

Pop band Northern Haze are this week finishing off their EP, titled While You Think About.

The band have been in other studios but say that Sanity Multimedia is by far the best studio they have been in.

Last year's Big Chance had two categories - rock and pop. But this year's competition has been streamlined and has one - open to all genres of modern music.

Entrants are asked to send a one-track CD, cassette, or MP3 featuring original material to the postal address found on www.thisisrevolution.co.uk.

To find out how to enter and get information on the competition, log on to Revolution.

The final three will play at a live event before a panel of judges and audience at The Georgian Theatre, Stockton, on June 19.