A rock band hopes to conquer the music charts by the time they play a local festival this summer.

West Malvern band Taxi have just signed a contract with London-based Gabra Music, which they hope will lead to a record deal and exposure on TV and radio.

The deal will mean that bassist Rob O'Neil, guitarist and vocalist Matt Woosey and drummer James Elliot-Williams will start to earn royalties for their music. It will also pay for them to record their first single.

Rob helped organise the West Malvern music festival last year and is preparing for another this summer.

He said: "It would be nice if we had a song riding high in the charts, after playing last year's festival as just a local band.

"It's amazing how much we've achieved. Everything seems to have crystallised with Taxi."

Formed in July last year, the band, whose influences include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and the Goo Goo Dolls, have already recorded two live albums. The latest is Live on Marrs, recorded at the Marrs Bar in Worcester.

They have also played all over the country, including a set at the Glastonbury festival.

The single, out at the end of May, will be available from gigs and the band's website at www.taximusic. biz. The band's next two gigs will be at the Nag's Head tomorrow (Saturday) and at the May Day festival in Priory Park on April 30, where Live on Marrs will be launched.

The date for the West Malvern music festival is still to be announced. Last year it attracted around 1,000 visitors with bands, stalls and a barbecue laid on by Lamb Inn landlord Colin Robinson. Organisers would like to double that number this year.