Woodford rising group The Recoupes can't believe their luck at being asked to be the opening act for The Hoosiers at their concert at the O2 Academy in Islington next week.

The band is made up of four 18-year-olds from Woodford and Loughton who formed a group while in secondary school and over the last couple of years, have played in various bars and clubs across London, including Alleycat Bar and Club, in Soho, Surya club in Pentonville and Dublin Castle in Camden.

Alan Li sings, while Micky Niner plays the drums, Louie Cameron is on the bass and Oliver Zanetti plays the guitar.

Micky explains why the indie band is hoping to widen their fan base at their biggest gig to date and why it was an unbelievable feeling to have their songs recognised by the BBC…

How does it feel to be playing at the O2?

It is really amazing and I can't believe we will be opening for the pop rock band.

What can the audience expect from your performance? New songs or some of the old classics?

We will be playing some new songs from our new EP called Anna but we also tend to do covers from our favourite bands including Arctic Monkeys and the 1975.

How did it feel to be selected to be on BBC Introducing Essex?

It was really amazing. We sent in three songs and so couldn't believe that they had listened to them and likes then, especially as it means we are in the same places as some of our favourite bands who also started out through BBC Introducing. It feels like a privilege to be doing the same.

Can you describe your sound?

People have told us we sound like Oasis and that we have a pop sound but we would say we're more indie. We have two EPs and are hoping to keep developing our sound. The first one was called Here You Go and was released in December 2015 and now we are promoting Anna, which was released last month.

How do you write your songs… does it start from sound or an emotion?

It depends. We'll often just sit and try practising new sounds and will find that the song inspires the lyrics.

What is your favourite song to perform?

I would say Drunk Messages, as it is a dance song and always gets the crowd moving.

How did the band get together?

We have known each other from school. We met in Year 7 and were all friends throughout our school years at Trinity in Woodford Green. After year 11 we decided to form a proper band so we could blend each of our sounds and get our music out there.

What music influenced you when you were growing up?

The Arctic Monkeys were a heavy influence in our earlier gigs and we would do 10 of their songs in one set. These days, our sound has changed slightly as our influences are bands such as Circa Waves and Model Aeroplanes.

Are you still at college or pursuing your ambitions full time?

I've just finished college and the other three have finished sixth form at Trinity so we're now a full time band and want to see where we can go from here.

What have you learnt most about being a musician?

It is fun and you learn a lot with each gig. You make friends and everyone is nice to you and it is a nice environment to be in and a good group to be in. We're all enjoying it so far.

What's next for you after the gig? More touring and performing different gigs?

Hopefully, we're in talks about doing some more shows and we're hoping to end this year and have the whole of next year where we are playing gig after gig. So hopefully everyone who listens to us and likes our music will come to our gigs and support us.

The Recoupes' music can be downloaded from Itunes.

The Hoosiers, O2, Parkfield Street, Islington, N1 0PS, Saturday September 3, 6pm. Details: academymusicgroup.com

By Rachel Russell