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BRIGHTON has a bit of a tradition for breeding bands capable of breaking through and tapping into the public's hearts.

Straight off the back of a Glastonbury slot and with their debut EP just released, local three-piece The RPMs certainly look to have their eyes fixed on the big prize.

It shows in their songs, which have the blueprint of the anthemic, immediate delivery it takes to win over audiences.

Their influences, worn on their sleeve, are easily detected in their music: Arctic Monkeys, Tom Petty and The Las.

But there are elements, too, of Green Day and Status Quo along with shades of chart-botherers like McFly. These are probably not comparisons a band wants if it's cultivating a fresh rock 'n' roll image but considering The RPMs, by their own admission, are "not afraid of a good pop tune" it's hard to avoid them.

The early-20-somethings are clearly competent with an ear for a tune - but there is something missing. It was evident in support band Of Empires who, with their howling Doors-like melodies and smoky, squalling guitars, threatened to upstage the headliners.

On this occasion, The RPMs, by virtue of being cut from a different cloth, dodged the brunt of this with a sidestep into mainstream pop territory. What they seemed to lack was that intangible element their warm-up had: soul.

Singer Jack Valero binds the act together while Miguel Cosme nimbly navigates his bass and drummer Callum James plays with the stoicism of a session player. But infecting the audience with their passion proved a tougher ask.

The RPMs have clearly mastered their sound and style. With the good fortune of industry backing and promising years ahead of them, what they need to do now is write with their heart. If they can do that, the public may well fall in love with them.