A MONSTER band with a monster sound - that's Colchester's Monster Florence.

And if the current buzz around this new six-piece is anything to go by, then a monster future awaits them.

The band have been together for 18 months and are the product of two separate musical groups joining forces with each other.

That's record producer and bass player Tom Donovan, drummer Cameron Morrell and saxophonist and keyboard player Jonny Poole, and then three vocalists and rappers Wallace Rice, Alex Osiris and Dream McClean.

Tom, whose Rowhedge recording studio has seen the likes of Dingus Khan and Animal Noise through its doors, was the catalyst for the band getting together working with Jonny and Cameron, as well as Alex.

Tom says: "This version of Monster Florence began with the Free Festival last year when we were asked to put a band together for the event.

"We weren't exactly sure how it would work on stage but it turned out to be pretty great in the end."

Wallace and Alex, who have been making music since they were at school together aged 13/14, started re-working some of their older tracks along with Dream and then brought them to the studio with Tom, Cameron and Jonny.

"Over the years I've worked with lots of different musicians," Tom says, from metal and rock, but not many rappers it has to be said, but that made for quite an interesting melting pot."

Wallace adds: "When you've been writing and performing for as long as I have with Alex and Dream, that's a vocal dynamic that is pretty solid and I think that's really helped us joining up with Tom, Jonny and Cam."

After that first gig the band have gone from strength to strength bringing out a highly acclaimed EP in April and producing a couple of incredible videos made by up and coming director Luke Davies.

"He came to us," Tom smiles, "which obviously meant we were doing something right. He's almost become a member of the team along with all the other people we have helping us out now."

With another EP due out in December, and their debut album out next year, Monster Florence provide more than able support to the mighty seminal UK rap group, Foreign Beggars at Subculture's third birthday.

That takes place at the Colchester Arts Centre on November 5.

For tickets and more information go to www.colchesterartscentre.com or call the box office on 01206 500900.