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In 2006, twins James (guitar and vocal) and Peter (drums) Callaghan hooked up with bassist David Steel shortly before their appearance at Permission To Rock in Ipswich's Corn Exchange.

The gig in front of an estimated 600 people was a baptism of fire for the trio, but a "fantastic experience" none the less.

It was the first time The Great White Hopes got to perform their blend of "grunge punk" to a live audience and they've been gigging regularly ever since.

The singer, who also writes the songs, is learning Japanese and has incorporated some of his new vocabulary into Sleet.

Japan may be thousands of miles away, but when you're in your teens, living in Shotley and without a driving licence even Ipswich can feel a lifetime away. With few venues to play in their home village, Suffolk's county town along with Colchester and Norwich are The Great White Hopes' salvation.

"None of us drive and Shotley doesn't have the greatest bus service in the world. When we do have a gig in Ipswich we often have to rush to get the last bus home at 10.45!"

Start wearing purple

Raw on CD, The Great White Hopes aim to emulate the much lauded Gogol Bordello when they play on stage.

"They're one of the best bands I've ever seen. I love the way they all do their own crazy thing on stage but manage to keep everything in time."

David's attempts to emulate his heroes' stage presence resulted in an injury during a gig at Ipswich Wanderers' ground in 2007.

The Great White Hopes

"It was a good atmosphere and we were on our last song, so I decided to climb the bass stack and jump off the top.

"I suddenly had to make a split-second decision to save my body or the guitar. As the NHS could repair my arm for free while the guitar costs a lot of money, it was an easy decision to make."

A sprained wrist seemed a small price to pay for a genuine rock and roll anecdote to dine off well into David's 20s.

The Great White Hopes released their third CD, Light Of The Moon, in 2008. In 2009, the Pulse EP followed and they're planning on more EP action in March 2009 with the when Coil comes out.

Head to their MySpace page for more details about recordings and gigs.