RISING Worcester stars the B-Movie Heroes will be hoping for a warm welcome as they return to the faithful city for a homecoming gig next week.

The band will be playing Drummonds Bar in New Street, on Wednesday, March 30, and the gig will be a launch party for the band's forthcoming EP Still No Surrender.

The four-track release was recorded last October in Lincolnshire with producer Simon Efemy, who has worked with bands such as the Wildhearts, Pantera and Pitchshifter, and the band has set up its own record label to release it.

And Worcester fans will have the opportunity of securing their copy of the EP, due for release next month, on the night, with everyone who buys it having their name printed on the inner sleeve of the final release.

The date will also kick-start a short nationwide tour where the band will be airing their new material.

B-Movie Heroes frontman Neil Philips said they had already got orders for the new EP from as far afield as Tokyo and New Jersey and the Worcester gig was a way of thanking their loyal fans from the city.

"It's always good playing Worcester. because there's friends there and it's often the last date of our tours and usually is a big booze-up," he said.

"It's going to be good because we haven't played for a while and it'll give people a chance to hear the new songs."

The band - Neil, guitarist and singer Dean McCreadie, bassist Russ Carlin, and drummer Scott Garrett - have been together for about four years and met at Kidderminster College where they were all studying music, bar Russ, who joined about a year ago.

Their riffy-rock tunes have been described by the band as 'Elvis Costello mixed with Guns 'n' Roses'

Since forming they have recorded a total of three EPs and an album - Anthems for the Underdog - which received rave reviews in several music publications including Q and Kerrang!

And the group are now looking to do another tour in autumn and set up some dates in Japan and America as well as fitting in time during the summer to record some new material for another album.

Neil added that the band had also donated another new track, Pictures in the Dark, to a regular compilation Kidderminster College produces, which has already been well-received with the track getting airplay on Kerrang! Radio.

"We've had about six months off because we get in the cycle of touring and recording, touring and recording and we're really excited about getting out there now and getting the EP out because we really want people to hear the new stuff," he said.

"We're all optimistic and we're getting a good response from the new material so far."

B-Movie Heroes will be supported at the Drummonds gig by up-and-coming Malvern punksters The Fallout Theory.

Tickets are £3 in advance and are available from Drummonds and The Swan With Two Nicks also in New Street.