A THRILLING band of talented teenage musicians who are set to headline a prestigious venue say the success they have enjoyed so far is “surreal.”

Anorak Patch are comprised of keyboardist Effie Lawrence, 17, bassist Eleanor Helliwell, 17, and drummer Luca Ryland, 14, and his guitarist brother Oscar, 18,

The four-piece group formed back in 2019 having befriended each other at the Thomas Lord Audley School and instantly took the Colchester music scene by storm.

Despite the pandemic hitting shortly after their incarnation, the alternative quartet’s exciting sound had made its way into the ears of industry figures across the country.

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Their debut single Beans, for example, was picked up by BBC 6Music which resulted in national news coverage in the likes of The Independent and The Times.

They then signed a record deal with Nice Swan before their subsequent releases, Irate and Blue Jeans, were championed by Radio 1, Spotify and Apple Music.

“We formed the band because it was fun and we enjoyed it, but we never expected it to go anywhere,” added Effie, who initially brought the group together.

“Hearing our song on the radio for the first time was pretty surreal, especially as it was Steve Lamacq and he's from Colchester - we were amazed it could go that far.

“It is cool to go out to places all over the country and pull a crowd everywhere, it makes you realise how important radio play is to get your stuff further.”

Since then Anorak Patch have gone on to play to packed crowds at a variety of tastemaker festivals, including Dot To Dot, Wild Paths and Sound City.

Before those appearances, however, the band struggled to find a consistent rhythm due to lockdown restrictions halting their ability to jam.

Effie said: “We lost motivation in lockdown but music was very important to all of us and we quickly got back to it when we got back into a room together.

“It is being in a room which really helps your motivation because you are all there to do one thing and that thing is to write music.”

Following a successful stint across the UK, Anorak Patch are now just days away from rocking the stage at a huge homecoming show at Colchester Arts Centre.

“It is nice to be returning back to Colchester for gigs as before Covid we were playing all these small pubs and venues all across town,” added Effie.

“To play 'the big one' is a nice tick on the checklist. We hope our hometown likes our new stuff and we can appeal to more people as our tastes change and mature.”

Tickets for Anorak Patch’s show at Colchester Arts Centre on Saturday cost £8 and can be purchased by visiting colchesterartscentre.com.

To find out more information about Anorak Patch visit facebook.com/anorakpatch.