BUDDING pop stars are shining brightly after taking part in Cheshire's own version of BBC1's Fame Academy.

About 30 youngsters, aged 14-18, were locked away on a residential rock and pop course all last week where they received tuition from professional musicians just like on the hit show.

The performers put in 12 hour days at Anglesey's Conway Centre to perfect their musical, song-writing and vocal abilities ready for a gig at Alexander's Jazz Theatre Bar attended by friends and family.

Friday's performance saw audience members treated to covers such as Robbie Williams's Rock DJ and the Beatles' classic Ticket to Ride as well as original numbers written by the students.

The residential course was hard work but there was still time for some good-natured fun and frolics among the high spirited teenagers which was where 'headteacher' Maureen Richards came in.

'They now call me the Wicked Witch of the North,' joked Maureen - a member of the county council's advisory arts team who put on the £140 a head course, which was directed by composer and teacher Ashley Thompson.

She told the crowd: 'Boy can they sing, boy can they eat and boy can they eat Pot Noodles!'

Tutor Mal Holmes, former drummer with 80s band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which sold 15m records, was one of five professional musicians to work with the youngsters. His verdict: 'I could hear some of them on Radio 1 - definitely.'

Mal, whose Carden home incorporates a recording studio, says being a pop star is something worth aiming for

'Everybody wants to be in pop. It's the best job in the world but you need to keep your feet on the ground - that's what we are offering. If we can get a few kids on the course into the industry, making hit records and getting on Top of the Pops then I'm pleased to be part of it.'

Mal, whose band made £100m for Virgin, added: 'I have got more of a thrill out of this than playing at Madison Square Gardens because the kids have got so much energy and enthusiasm. They don't get tired.'

Currently working on an album with 22-year-old Jo Mooney of Tilston, Mal explained that the pop industry was extremely tough and naive young performers could easily be ripped off.

'I really wish this sort of thing was available when I was embarking on a pop career with OMD when I was 18. There was no one to advise us about the industry and it took much longer to find out how the industry, as complicated as it was, actually worked. I reckon without a shadow of a doubt there are pop stars on this course.'

Mal said Cheshire's version of Fame Academy was based on promoting talent rather than being preoccupied with image.

'We don't accept the pop culture side of things. The industry is very cynical. Here we have kids from all different backgrounds and all shapes and sizes who seem to have fitted in. If you are talented enough and if you believe enough then you should have a stab at it. It's the opposite to being manufactured.'

Mal also believes that being involved in music enriches one's life even if it is a hobby rather than a full-time profession.

'It's about expressing yourself - writing lyrics and songs touches something inside,' he said.