STYLE, beauty and grace combined with art, love and dreams influenced the five guys of My Passion. In advance of their first local show under their new name, Laurence from the Hitchin-based band, which has captured imaginations locally and nationally as S

STYLE, beauty and grace combined with art, love and dreams influenced the five guys of My Passion.

In advance of their first local show under their new name, Laurence from the Hitchin-based band, which has captured imaginations locally and nationally as Shard, answered a few questions.

What is to come from My Passion later this year?

"We have two recordings booked, one very soon and the other in late July. We are heading to Criterion Studios in the city with producer Mark Williams, who has recently worked with bands such as Placebo and Bloc Party, so we can't wait.

"A CD single will be available around mid-March. We are playing loads of live dates during this time in the UK and then Europe in the autumn.

"Our first local dates are at Club 85 on February 24, followed by a Club 85 all-age event on the afternoon of April 15.

"We plan to be adding all sorts of exciting stuff regularly to our websites, www.mypassion.co.uk and www.myspace.com/mypassionmusic, including videos, live tracks, photos, interviews and competitions.

"We also have My Passion Fashion, selling clothing, bags and other hot goodies on the online store.

"David Silvian is one of my idols. He was in a band called Japan in the late 1970s. He influenced me.

"There are lots of people that influence us, though. Robert Smith from The Cure is someone who I'm often compared to. We have listened to them since we were little, so it's a nice comparison."

My Passion plays Hitchin Club 85 this Friday, with Cool Ethan and Model Horror also on the bill.

It's £5 to enter the 16+ venue.