James Clark hit all the right notes when he put some lyrics together and unknowingly auditioned for a band called Throw the Fight.

And just two years on, after being signed by Warner Brothers, James and his four bandmates have released their first single – The Wreckage – using James's lyrics from the audition, and their debut album, In Pursuit of Tomorrow.

The 29-year-old, whose parents live in Orton Wistow, grew up in Longthorpe and went to Walton Comprehensive School before gaining a scholarship to attend university in Minnesota 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, Throw the Fight had embarked on a search for one key missing ingredient: the perfect frontman, which ended when they found James, who had recently graduated with a business and advertising degree in 2004.

With the help of James, the band went on to earn one of their big breaks when they were voted as one of the Top 10 Unsigned Bands by Alternative Press magazine.

Since then, the group, which also features Ryan Baustert and Joey Ulrich on the guitar, Aaron Huppert on the bass and Cory Huppert on the drums, have been on tour with well-known American band Drowning Pool and are currently charting in the top 100 for rock radio.

They have also played arena dates with Bullet for My Valentine, Lost Prophets, and Papa Roach, as well as Stevie Wonder and Paramore.

It is now hoped after their album is released in the UK on January 26 that they will do a European tour, including a stop off in Peterborough.

James said: "I have always been into music and performing in a band, but I didn't think I would ever be this big and the band would get this far.

"I was only 18 when I moved to America, so that was a big step in itself, but to go from being an average teenager living in Peterborough to touring in America with a top band is great.

"It has taken a lot of hard work to get where we are today, and we still have a lot more to do but playing in front of audiences of anything from 1,000 to 15,000 makes it all worth it.

"We have been well accepted in America and are now looking forward to releasing more singles and touring throughout America."

Find out more about the band - Throw the Fight, or to listen to their latest tracks, visit www.myspace.com/throwthefight or www.throwthefight.com.