FINDING common ground from well over 50 years of rock 'n' roll is no mean feat - but that's pretty much what south London teenage tearaways The Metros have done.

If you caught the little tykes supporting The Coral in Southampton last month you'll need no convincing to catch them again on Monday, when they line up with Milburn at Bournemouth's Old Firestation.

Creating a chaotic world of lyrically witty, slice-of-life teenage observation, they're being tipped for big things, having signed to James Endeacott's 1965 Records - the home of The View - and been locked in a studio with Ian Dury's son Baxter producing.

Their first single won't be out until the New Year and singer Saul Adamczewski, just 19, is already leading his 18-year-old bandmates Jak Payne (guitar), Joe Simpson (guitar), Freddi Hyde-Thompson (drums) and Charlie Elliott (bass) into battle to do it their way.

"There's a lot of pressure on us, especially when we put the single back, but we won't budge until we're all happy with every little thing - we might not get another chance," he says.

Having started out playing rowdy ska covers, the arrival of second guitarist Joe coincided with Saul's discovery of his dad's record collection and The Metros' sound was born from a cross polination of skiffle king Lonnie Donegan, unsung British rock 'n' roller Vince Taylor, the young Tommy Steele and Billy Bragg, ska regulator Laurel Aitken, Wreckless Eric, Bo Diddley, Johnny Cash, Jamie T and, of course, The Libertines.

"We grew up listening to old punk stuff which leads you in all different directions.

"We listened to a load of black metal when we was about 13 - that was weird - then there's all the grime stuff, that's tough."

Saul then tells me the biologically improbable title of a new grime-metal tune they've worked out on their laptop that definitely won't be the first single.

"Geez, you got to let off steam! The record company will hate it and it sounds nothing like us, but it's a right laugh." Having a laugh is central to The Metros' method. On tour with The Coral and Manchester's latest bunch of big mouths, The Courteeners, they're loving every minute.

"Ah, The Coral are tops, man," raves Saul. "They're a bit subdued a lot of the time like, but they like it that way - top lads!

"The Courteeners are OK as well, they're like us just going out for the first time. We encourage each other - nobody's slashing anyone's drum skins or anything.

"It's a big leap from playing to 50 mates in a pub in Peckham or Sydenham, to playing to 2,000 Coral fans in a theatre, but in a way it's a bit less personal. If you don't impress 50 people in a Peckham boozer you soon know about it - in a big venue they're a bit further away."