COLCHESTER'S newest supergroup is about to hit the local music scene.

Rubber Jaw are made-up of three of the town's brightest musicians and songwriters who have all shined in other groups.

There's Michael Hemmings, former frontman of the Catrina's, Ross Connell, guitarist with Ordinary Noise, and Archie Mann, who has already proved he's one of the town's best drummers with stints in several other bands.

Rubber Jaw started out with just Michael and Ross, who have been friends since school.

Ross says: "We both grew up in Elmstead Market and went to the Colne School in Brightlingsea where we were in the same form, and then the Sixth Form College, where we were also in the same form."

Which kind of makes you think the musical gods were trying to tell them something.

Michael adds: "Although we were in different bands, we played gigs together all the time, but this didn't happen until much later. Ross was away at uni and I was doing stuff for Tom Donovan at his studio in Rowhedge. When Ross would come back we would jam down there and the band kind of evolved from that."

It was after one particular productive session that Ross decided the new material was worth giving up university.

"It was something really different to what we were both used to doing," he continues. "I just wanted to give it a real go and see where we went with it."

But something was missing.

"Drums," Michael smiles. "Looking back now it was so obvious but at the time we really thought we could do this project without them."

Which is where Archie comes in.

Archie adds: "I had kind of given up music and was just working full time but then I caught what these guys were doing. I knew Michael's girlfriend and so I just contacted them and asked whether they needed a drummer and they did."

To see what all the fuss is about go and see the three-piece play Three Wise Monkeys, High Street, Colchester, on May 5 when other bands playing include Stealing Signs and The Witch Kids. Entry is £3 from 8pm on the top floor.