Debut gigs by new bands in Lancaster aren’t particularly unusual.

But when the band in question is perhaps more accurately described as a supergroup, featuring members who have variously played with everyone from The Alarm to Jethro Tull, 10cc, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Dr Feelgood, then it’s a first gig to really make the city’s music fans sit up and take notice.

Dave Sharp, co-founder of 80s guitar heroes The Alarm, has arrived in Lancaster via New Orleans to put together a project he firmly believes will put British rock back on the map.

While visiting a friend in Lancaster, a chance introduction to bass player Keith Ashcroft (who has worked with the likes of Chris Farlowe and former Average White Band frontman, Hamish Stuart) saw the first seeds being sown and once Ashcroft heard Sharp’s ambitious plans he knew just the men to contact.

Ashcroft’s old friend from Lancaster jazz-fusion band Free Parking, former Jethro Tull drummer Paul Burgess, was drafted in fresh from an Australian stadium tour with 10cc, along with Carnforth guitarist Moe Witham, whose career has included spells with Micky Jupp and Dr Feelgood.

Now, just a few short rehearsals later, the fledgling band, called The Soul Company, are preparing to take their live bow, with a gig at The Bobbin tonight (Friday).

But this isn’t simply indulging the creative talents of musicians who have already been there and done that for Sharp this is a deadly serious attempt to revive a flagging national music scene.

''I saw fewer and fewer UK rock bands able to make a lasting impact on American audiences while I was out there'' he explains.

''There has got to be a serious British rock band capable of taking on the United States. British rock has lost much credibility Stateside.''

Hungry

For Sharp the corporate music industry shoulders the blame for stifling new talent, and drawing on his punk roots he believes the time is ripe for a new movement of bands ''doing their own thing, hungry for real music that touches the soul'', beyond the controls and influences of money-grabbing record company executives.

And he believes Lancaster’s music scene is a perfect launch pad.

Sharp says coming up to Lancaster from his hometown of Manchester was ''like a breath of fresh air.

''The talent is here, it’s not under the corporate thumb, it’s free-thinking and that’s the real breeding ground for something new and imaginative. There’s a very cool vibe here that I wasn’t getting in Manchester.

''The scene in Manchester is very oppressive, up here it’s real can-do attitude, not self-righteous or hip. There are a few Manchester people who should take the train up to Lancaster and see what it’s all about.''

Sharp has just returned to Manchester after more than a decade living in America, where he went after the Alarm split when co-founder Mike Peters quit the band. The Alarm had been hugely successful both on these shores and in the US, scoring hits with tracks like 68 Guns and The Spirit of 76.

Tour

In America Sharp embarked on a solo career, releasing two solo albums and working with big names including Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash during a flirtation with country music.

Eventually he settled in New Orleans where he continued to write new material. Last year he released an album, The Summer of Love, and arrived back in England for a promotional tour.

He headlined venues such as The Cavern Club in Liverpool, The Underworld in London and King Tut’s in Glasgow, before being offered support slots with Nick Harper, Bob Geldof and Lonnie Donnegan.

He was by now desperate to put together a band and his search for ''seriously tested rock players who can deliver'' led him to Lancaster.

The Soul Company has been rehearsing at The Yorkshire House during the last few weeks. Following tonight’s gig at the Bobbin they intend to release an EP in the New Year.