New group to visit Suffolk schools

MUSIC lessons of a different kind will be on the timetable on Thursday when three Suffolk schools are treated to live performances by an up-and-coming pop band.

MUSIC lessons of a different kind will be on the timetable on Thursday when three Suffolk schools are treated to live performances by an up-and-coming pop band.

Pupils at Springfield Junior School, in Ipswich, Claydon High and Holywells High, in Ipswich, will take a break from schoolwork to watch the Blazin' Squad who are on a tour of schools in the region.

Ten 16-year-old boys – Freek, Melo-d, Strider, Reepa, Krazy, Spike-e, Flava, Rocky B, Kenzie and Tommy B – make up the band whose sound is an urban mix of RnB, pop and hip hop.

They are gearing up to release their debut single through eastwest Records on August 19. The track is their reworking of the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony classic Crossroads, and they will be performing the song live for pupils at the three schools.

The band are all schoolmates themselves, having met at Highams Park School, in North East London. Originally there were two crews, Blazin' Squad and The Incredible Crew, but they joined forces early in 2000 to form the current line-up.

Flava stressed: "We're no manufactured act. We started this as mates when we were 13 years old."

Recently the teenagers have been sharing their time between revising for their GCSEs and recording their debut album. Their exam results are due out the same week their single is released and Kenzie said: "We hope to pass on both counts."

Weblink: www.blazinsquad.net