IF YOU Googled The Filthy Youth this time last year there would have been few entries. They have always been a popular band, but the group have become bigger over the last year and they also now have links to stardom, hence the increase in the number of

IF YOU Googled The Filthy Youth this time last year there would have been few entries.

They have always been a popular band, but the group have become bigger over the last year and they also now have links to stardom, hence the increase in the number of Google entries.

Last summer lead singer Ed Westwick was offered the part of Chuck Bass in Gossip Girls, an American show by the creators of the O.C., and his star has been on the rise ever since.

But, even though he is now a famous TV actor, he still gigs with his Stevenage band.

The punk/indie/rock outfit include drummer John Vooght, Tom Bastiani on bass and guitarists Jimmy Wright and Benny Allingham.

I caught up with Benny to find out more about the group with the energy, attitude and buzz to make it big.

Of Ed's situation he said: "A few of us have been over to see him. When he's back we take advantage of him and do as much as we can."

Benny said: "We've been gigging around London and here really, getting a bit more interest and stuff.

"And they've used a couple of our songs in an American TV show."

The band has only been together for about a year-and-a-half, having formed through school and friends.

Benny is a student in music management at the moment and, alongside Jimmy, writes the music for the band, for which Ed does the lyrics, although the whole band try to get involved. He has been a musician since school and taught himself to play guitar.

The Filthy Youth seem to have been many crazy episodes in their short history, but Benny said the best was, "A gig at Leonard's bar in east London, when we knew we clicked as a band and we knew it was going in the right direction."

However, everything hasn't always gone as planned.

"There was the time when someone jumped off the stage and the crowd parted and he knocked himself out!" Benny said.

"It was at Plinston Hall in Letchworth with around 300 to 400 people there."

The Filthy Youth are definitely ones to watch out for, in more ways than one!

To check out their tunes and upcoming gigs log on to www.myspace.com/thefilthy

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