It's not often that hip, bluesy funk is combined with a strong voice, loads of talent and youth. But that's the rare combination that shines from the group known as Mavis. Hailing from Lowestoft, Suffolk, the band features Sam Porter, 17, on drums, Johnny Pike, 17, on guitar, Sam Betts, 15, on bass guitar, Matthew Cossey, 17, on piano and Nikki Williams, 16, as lead vocalist. They've been together for just over two years. The talented quintet have taken the best bits from their inspirations Van Morrison, Stevie Wonder, and Anastasia and blended it into a professional sound that belies the reality that when not playing, the group are all studying for their exams. Their impetus came when Johnny entered them for a competition and that made them practise together more and more. They began performing covers and then writing their own stuff. While they admit they stand a better chance of hitting the big time if they were based in London they have a warm affection for Lowestoft, citing the beach as one of their favourite haunts (and laying in bed as another!). Yearning to be rockstars, they'd encourage others to practise and make use of as much help as possible. One of their gurus has been media teacher Steve Beckingham, from Kirkley High School. He helped them with advice on how to form a band and who to contact, but Mavis also say they wouldn't have got by without continuous support from their family and friends. When they're not dealing with a deluge of fans, they perform at school plays, and they recently played at the Lowestoft Cultural Event. Mavis have previously recorded tracks at the Seagull Theatre in Lowestoft and are currently working on "Following Your Footsteps" - their debut album. They performed "Following Your Footsteps" and "Octofunk"at the BBC Suffolk Voices Launch on 26th March near the beach at the East Point Pavilion. | 
Listen: Mavis perform Octofunk
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