BACK in the heady days of the 60s, a handful of little-known musicians were regularly taking to the stage at venues across Birmingham.

The musicians - Robert Plant, John Bonham and Kevyn Gammond - would perform at four different venues across Birmingham every Saturday.

And it was on one of those fateful nights that guitarist Jimmy Page saw Plant and Bonham playing and invited them to join the New Yardbirds.

They later became the hugely-influential Led Zeppelin, whose ballsy brand of rock music blew audiences away and subsequently left an impression on the scene, with a string of albums and classic songs such as Stairway To Heaven being writ large in the annals of musical history.

More than 40 years down the line and Kidderminster-based M.A.S (Mighty Atom Smasher) Records is hoping to replicate the success of their Midlands gig circuit with the latest wave of up-and-coming acts.

The organisation's patron is none other than Plant himself and the creative director is Gammond - who have more recently been playing together as Priory of Brion.

Gammond said the idea of the M.A.S Attack gig circuit - taking in four venues around the Midlands - was to give a new generation of bands and artists who have been working with the organisation a chance to unleash their sound on new audiences.

He added: "You can tell these bands are special - their performances are something else. They have a whole range of styles, no gimmicks, no backing tracks - just storming sets from some of the most musically inventive bands M.A.S has worked with.

"The challenge for M.A.S is to sustain the growth and maximise its potential within the live music scene and the Midlands has always been a hotspot for music."

M.A.S Records has been running for about three years and releases a compilation CD each year of artists it works with, which also features tracks by Plant. The bands who feature on the forthcoming M.A.S Attack gig circuit have all worked with the organisation and the venues included in the gigs are Worcester's Marr's Bar, The Robin 2 in Bilston, Stourbridge's Rock Caf 2000 and The Lamp Tavern in Dudley, West Midlands.

The action kicks off on Tuesday, September 13, at The Robin 2 with Worcester bands Girls Love Ponies and Backwash on the bill alongside West Midlands indie-rockers The Attic and Loadstar. More bands follow at The Lamp Tavern on Friday, September 16, and The Rock Caf 2000 on Tuesday, September 27, with M.A.S set to capture all of the performances on film.

Worcester's Marr's Bar will take centre stage on Thursday, September 29, when Kidderminster-based dance-orientated pop group Edgeway, alt-rockers Interloper, sun-drenched melody-based band The Murmur and The Attic all play.

"I can't wait to show everyone what we're achieving as a live act," said Girls Love Ponies vocalist and guitarist Lee Chance.

"Thanks to M.A.S Records we can all grow and build our fan bases and move onto the national gig circuit.

"We've played enough sweaty gigs in the back rooms of pubs, so now it's great to play these prominent venues."

For more information on the M.A.S Attack gig circuit, contact Kevyn Gammond or Kim Tanser on 1562 512120 or visit: www.mightyatomsmash

er.com

JOBY MULLENS