YOU will be hearing a lot more from local band Kalimoto over the next few months.

If you visit the HMV or Virgin record stores in Festival Place, Basingstoke, you'll find the group's debut album on sale.

Live performances in the South of England are in the pipeline and the second album is already well beyond the drawing board.

The Basingstoke-based group (pictured) are signed to a record company in the United States, and they have set up their own label to release their music over here.

Not bad for a band named after a Spanish drink that apparently ruins perfectly good wine.

Drummer Mark Steele explained where their name comes from.

"We were playing basketball and it was a case of throwing ideas around. Someone suggested Kalimoto, and we all liked that.

"It's a drink of red wine and coke that they drink in parts of Spain. It's disgusting though - don't waste good wine trying it out."

The band is made up of Joe French on vocals, his brother Al on guitars, bassist Rob Grieve, and Mark on the drums, and they formed in 1999.

Kalimoto seem to have made a real name for themselves in America, and now it's time to establish themselves in their home town of Basingstoke.

They were signed by Souvenir Records in the US last January through an internet-instigated relationship after the record company saw a review of Kalimoto's music on the net, written by a Belgian man who heard their work online.

Through Souvenir, they recorded their debut album, Multicore, which was released in the States in September.

They have now recorded it in their own studio in Overton and have 1,000 copies to sell over here.

Mark said: "Reviewers in the US can't make up their minds about the album - they either love it or they hate it."

I've had a listen to the record, and to me it sounded like a rockier Bluetones-type sound - although other listeners would not agree.

Even the band themselves are not sure how to describe their sound. They summed it up as either alternative rock or indie pop, influenced by guitar bands from the '60s to today.

They have recorded EPs before, but never a full album. Bassist Rob said: "It took us over a year to record it due to the fact that everyone's got another job and other responsibilities.

"But we did everything ourselves, from writing the songs to recording them, including mixing the songs and producing the album."

Kalimoto have also started their own independent record label for their music for releases in the UK. The label is called B3400, named after the road that links all the band members' homes.

Rob said: "Listening to the end product is a great buzz, especially as it's been such a long project.

"But playing live and playing together is really good - to hang out with your best mates and make music is great."

Kalimoto have been very quiet on the southern music circuits lately, but they are aiming for a return that cannot be ignored.

Live Kalimoto performances are planned for the US and Canada in September, but no firm dates have yet been set-up for the Basingstoke area.

However, Mark said: "We've got the album on sale in HMV and Virgin in Basingstoke. We wanted to stick to the two major stores in the town, and it's important for us now to establish ourselves here."

With all these plans coming to fruition, Kalimoto is most definitely a name to remember.