Steriogram

Gram persons: Yeah, I know, they've spelt it wrong. But maybe that's the way they spell "stereo" down New Zealand way, or perhaps they just don't want to be mistaken for Stereophonics. Actually, these five Kiwis have more chance of being mistaken for Sum 41, seeing as how they're purveying a similar line in punky, shortpants, skateboard pop, and being that they're young and boyish enough to get the pre-teen girls going ga-ga. The cute, cool quintet have already invaded the UK, hitting the Top 20 with their single, Walkie Talkie Man. With their début album, Schmack!, destined to kick Busted's butts, it might be time for kids everywhere to start getting used to the new spelling.

School of rock: In the tiny town of Whangarei on New Zealand's North Island, two friends named Brad and Jake hooked up with two guys from Auckland, Tim and Tyson, and began making a (misspelt) name for themselves in local venues. Just out of their teens, the guys decided the best way to build up a fanbase was to play at schools up and down the country. To persuade reluctant principals, the band offered to give free music workshops to the pupils. Meanwhile, Steriogram's first single, Soccerstar, ended up on the airwaves, on a TV ad for the country's national soccer team.

Mac fly: Things really kicked off for Steriogram with their second single, White Trash, featuring the band's drummer Tyson on Linkin Park-style rap vocals. The response to the tune was so good that they brought Tyson up front and hired their friend Jared to fill the empty drumstool. The music changed from skateboard/surf/punk to skateboard/surf/punk/hip-hop, and soon they all abandoned their day jobs and were touring full time, playing high-profile shows such as the Australian Big Day Out festival. They crashed at people's houses while on the road, and rented a beach house to write and record, prompting calls from irate neighbours. Self- confessed computer geeks, the guys used their Apple Macs to keep in touch with their growing fanbase; recently, Apple repaid their loyalty by using Walkie Talkie Man in their new iPod ads.

Sunshine state: The guys got a call from a freelance A&R scout, who had found White Trash on nzmusic.com and liked what he heard, and soon three major US labels were squabbling over Steriogram's collective signature. Eventually, the quintet signed with Capitol Records and flew out to the US to start work on the début album with producer David Kahne. The video for Walkie Talkie Man was made by Michel Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The band insist that, even though they're signed to a major, they won't forget their Whangarei roots and become some "corporate wanky band". They will, of course, remain geeks forever.

Kevin Courtney