HE’S already had one shot at the big time, now Benjamin Bloom is looking for the next one.

Some may recall Benjamin from his days with indie pop group, Rosalita, who released a string of singles and secured high profile festival slots.

But when the band split, Benjamin refused to give up and started his own project.

He is bringing his three-piece band to The Twist, in Military Road, Colchester, on March 18.

He says: “After I left school, I wanted to go to university to study music, but at the time I was only a grade 5 and I didn’t think I was good enough.

“I kept playing while I was studying journalism and got to a grade 8. That’s when I went to Colchester to study popular music.”

While there, he formed Rosalita, and the five-piece won the prestigious Road to V competition in 2007.

After securing a top management deal, the following year Benjamin had the thrill of playing with the legendary Sparks at the Islington Academy.

He adds: “For a keyboardist, playing on the same bill as Ron Mael comes pretty close to the ultimate.”

But then it all went quiet for the band.

“We really thought that was it,” Benjamin smiles wryly. “We were flying high for about six months, touring and releasing singles, but then it just came to an end.

“I think part of the problem was that our debut Manga Girl was so good we just couldn’t match it, and you have to be at the top of your game all the time in this business.”

After the band split, Benjamin took some time out to think about where he wanted to go musically.

“At the end of the band’s life we were all doing individual stuff,” he explains. “I just went away and really thought about what I wanted to do.”

The result was to write a bucket-load of songs and then go out and perform them. Starting off solo with just a backing track, Benjamin now has a roster of musicians to help him perform as a three-piece.

He has a small UK tour starting this month to promote his self-titled debut electro pop EP.

Benjamin says: “I wasn’t the frontman in Rosalita, so I had to see if it would work – if I could connect with the audience.

“I did about 40 or 50 solo gigs. I was loving it and I was getting good feedback from the audiences, so I decided to get some musicians on board.”

Benjamin Bloom with Fick as Fieves and the Overwrought The Twist, Military Road, Colchester.

March 18. 8pm. £3 Tel: 01206 562453