FORMING just around 18 months ago in summer 2017, Earlestown band The K’s have not wasted much time in gathering an army of followers.

The four-piece of Jamie Boyle (guitar and lead vocals), Ryan Breslin (lead guitar), Dexter Baker (bass) and Jordan Holden (drums), have already played some of the most exciting venues around the north west such as Manchester’s Gorilla and Deaf Institute, shared ink on the festival line-up posters with the likes of Jake Bugg and Pete Doherty, and played to several thousand at the DW Stadium in Wigan.

The Earlestown lads, regulars of The Sunbeam pub in Old Wargrave Road, are fast establishing themselves as one of the most exciting prospects on the country’s indie scene and seem destined to rise to the top.

Watching them at their sold-out gig at Manchester Academy 2 last Friday, it’s clear The K’s are loving every minute of the journey, but at the same time, they can’t get there fast enough.

Bursting into their array of energetic tracks with huge Oasis-style riffs throughout from Breslin and catchy choruses, none more so from the hit debut single Sarajevo, the packed venue was bouncing from the start.

Just a few songs into the set and the crowd needed a gentle reminder from Boyle to ‘look after yourselves’ – advice you’d tend to hear from seasoned bands who’ve had the time to gather a following of excited and passionate fans, but these lads are there already.

Given this was the band’s biggest headline show to date, they would probably have been forgiven for playing it safe. But it’s clear having as much fun as possible was the top priority – and standing in the crowd, it makes for a remarkable night.

Every so often the band gave a snippet of a crowd-favourite cover such as Dirty Old Town by The Dubliners or The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, only to stop after a verse, almost toying with the 950-strong crowd that had turned out to check out the hype.

But their own latest single Glass Towns got the biggest reaction.

If this is how far The K’s have come after 18 months and a handful of singles, something tells us 2019 will be a big one for these four Earlestown boys.

The K’s are off down to London next to play The Monarch in Camden on February 28.