TO four 30-something friends in the North-East, the rock 'n' roll world of Bruce Springsteen and Iggy Pop seemed a million miles away.

That was until they took a phone call from the US.

Within days, they were to supporting wild man Iggy Pop at a festival in New York and chatting backstage to Springsteen.

Now, Jarvis Hunby, who used to play pubs in Billingham and Bishop Auckland until they split up, are setting up more gigs on the other side of the Atlantic.

The group's fortunes changed when a CD of their 1960s R&B-inspired songs was given to Terry Rawlings.

Rawlings, a well known expert on the 1960s' mod youth cult, was in Los Angeles when he handed the CD, called Assume The Position and published in 1999 on the Acid Jazz-label, to music legend "Little" Steven Van Zandt.

Little Steven, the former lead guitarist in Springsteen's East Street Band - who currently appears in The Sopranos TV show as a bar owner - loved it.

He made the CD album of the week on his underground radio show, which can be heard across the US and in 40 other countries.

He also named two tracks, Let Me Take You There and These Eyes, as "coolest songs in the world", which meant they got daily air play for a week.

None of this was known to the band as they went about their lives in Stockton.

Sales of the CD didn't even pick up much because the Acid Jazz website address regularly read out on the radio, turned out to link Internet-users to adverts for a type of electrical plug.

Then one day the band took a call from someone on the Acid Jazz label.

They were wanted to play at Little Steven's Underground Garage festival, in New York, headlined by The Strokes, Bo Diddley, Iggy Pop and The New York Dolls.

Jarvis Hunby hurriedly reformed, took time off work to rehearse, squared it with their wives and girlfriends, were sent $6,000 to cover expenses, and duly booked plane seats to the States.

The four-piece was the first act to perform at the festival, which was a 20,000 sell-out, but were only given time to play three songs.

"It was the best experience of my life," said Andy Smith. Fellow band members, Mick Hepple, Dave Heard and Trav Jordan nodded their agreement. They are now lining up follow-up gigs in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.