CONTROVERSIAL band Candy Channel, famous for the rear of a nude blonde on their album cover, will be making a live gig recording The Marr's Bar tonight.

The band, which has been compared to Texas and Blondie, have been recently recording music with the BBC and are currently embarking on a mini-tour.

Guitarist and vocalist Sherrie Ashton, who comes from Malvern and fronts the outfit, refers to her self as a "rare beast", saying she's ''the last female lead guitarist in the area."

Sherrie, who has been a guitarist for 10 years, said her playing is rock-edged rather than folk.

When asked about the controversy over the nude blonde on their album cover, Sherrie said someone stole the photo a while ago and put it in their advert.

"You have a creative idea and somebody steals it off you, but that's the way of the world."

Sherrie says song writing is the band's major strength. "The public can be sold a good image but need a good songs to go with that."