LAST year they were part of a line-up of local bands at the opening night of Southampton music venue The Loft.

Now, little more than 12 months later, local indie stars Costellos will play their biggest headline show so far there on Friday.

Frontman George Dummett, guitarist Keiren Pearce, bassist Kieran Wilson and drummer Tomi Lewis admit playing the 400-capacity venue in Bedford Place is ambitious, but say the time feels right for them after recently selling out gigs at Heartbreakers and The Joiners.

“This time last year, we couldn’t have imagined headlining The Loft, but since then our sound has become bigger and we now have songs that can hold their own in a venue that size,” explained George.

“There is a sense people here want to see us at larger places and we want to push ourselves.”

Scenes from the band’s home city feature in the video to Out of the Blue, their latest single and title track from their forthcoming EP, out in the autumn.

Cranes and containers at the docks and the imposing tower blocks on Weston Shore provide a striking backdrop, interspersed with footage from the lads’ recent tour.

“We wanted to capture some of the iconic sights that are part of our Southampton identity. As a city, we probably don’t make enough of them,” said Kieran.

“Out of the Blue is the first song written from scratch with this line-up,” added Keiren, who joined in 2017.

“It’s a tune for the summer and it’s no coincidence there’s been a heatwave ever since we released it!”

Fans can expect to hear all tracks from the band’s forthcoming EP at The Loft.

“We’ve got three of the songs nailed, including the single, another couple ready to mix, and one more to record,” said Kieran.

However, prolific song writing has caused some unexpected problems, as Keiren revealed.

“When I first joined, we had a gig set list of about 10 songs. Now, with so many more, it’s tough to decide what goes into our 45 minute set!”

The band, who have previously supported The Sherlocks, Blossoms and Twisted Wheel, say they are excited about the current Southampton sound.

“Creeper have played the Guildhall, Sean McGowan is headlining at The 1865 and there are new acts like The Edit, who are with us at The Loft, and Tom Millichamp,” said Kieran.

“People here seem up for watching new bands again.”

RICHARD DERBYSHIRE