As their name suggests, Spearmint offer a fresh slant on music. Theirs is an infectious blend of classic British pop sprinkled liberally with northern soul.

Songwriter and singer Jessica MeyersThey've released a series of instantly appealing singles, including the anthemic Sweeping The Nation its lyrics highlighting some of those almost forgotten bands that nearly made it and sampling Dobie Gray's northern soul classic Out On The River so it's amazing that Spearmint haven't, as yet, been elevated to the mainstream.

Spearmint are underground cult heroes who deserve to get that big break.

Their debut album A Week Away has been 'album of the month' in a couple of monthly music mags.

The single taken from the album is a cut entitled Oaklahoma. It sounds a bit festive no doubt aimed at the lucrative Christmas market then? Actually that's not how things were intended. Frontman 'tis a he not a she in case you're in any doubt Shirley Lee explains. "I suppose it has a bit of a festive feel, but it's not just for Christmas. While some of the songs are set at Christmas time it was originally scheduled for an earlier release."

Lee is one of an elite group of English songwriters (others being Glen Tillbrook and Jarvis Cocker) who capture the essence of working class life. Just about every Spearmint song has all the prerequisites for radio-friendliness.

Spearmint are still with the tiny independent imprint Hit Back, which has allowed them to be the band they want to be, as opposed to being shaped into a 'product' by a major label.

"Within the band, things have changed slightly," Lee says. "Andy Lewis who DJ'd at Blow Up and Locomotion has come in on bass, while James, who was on bass, is now on guitar. We feel we've got the right balance now, we're firing on all six cylinders."

Spearmint are currently out on the live circuit, playing a series of select dates, one of which brings them to Oxford for the very first time. They visit The Kooler at The Bullingdon tomorrow.

"We've not played Oxford before, so it's one we're looking forward to. It's good to play new places," Lee adds.

Although Sweeping The Nation is one of Spearmint's oldest songs, it's still a part of their live set.

"It's a real crowd-pleaser besides it's one we all enjoy playing too. It's kinda like an oak tree in our set."

Whether Spearmint break in to the mainstream remains to be seen. But they've certainly got the songs and they've defintely served their apprenticeship.