NOT since UB40s huge success in the 80s has there been a reggae band that has dominated the pop charts.

But if anyone can recreate that success, it’s the group of seven school friends known as KIOKO, who are touring and collaborating with the pop legends.

“Breaking into the mainstream at the moment with a reggae act is a bit of a challenge but KIOKO love a challenge and the more people who hear our music the better chance we have of making a bit of an indent,” says trumpet player Laurence Taylor, who also brings his unique talent of toasting vocals to the band.

And if getting a lot of people to hear their music is the plan, it seems to be coming together nicely.

Less than two weeks after playing at Winsford’s De Bees, they’ll be setting off on tour with their fellow Brummies UB40 on their 40th anniversary tour, starting with a hometown gig at the Birmingham Arena.

“We just can’t wait for it. We love all of our live shows that we play but to play with UB40 at the arena in our home city will definitely be a highlight of our career so far,” Laurence said.

The band, made up of lead vocalist Matt Doyle, lead guitarist Jon Brown, trumpet player and vocalist Ewan Whyte, trombone player Josh Wilkinson, bass guitarist Ben Torrens, and drummer Ian Haughton, along with Laurence, have been playing together since their college days in 2008.

After returning from university, they decided a name change was in order.

KIOKO recorded their debut EP True What They Say in 2014, and it all started to snowball for the band.

“Not long after that, we started getting a lot of radio plays on BBC Introducing and a lot of bookings for festivals started coming in,” Laurence said.

“We played Glastonbury in 2016 on the BBC Introducing stage, we’ve played with some massive names and we’ve played at some of the best venues in the country like the Royal Albert Hall.

“It all happened quite quickly, and it’s been really good so far. We’re just all grafting and pushing ourselves as much as possible to write good music and have a good live show.”

So far, KIOKO have played with The Wailers, The Specials and UB40 and are set to collaborate with the latter on their forthcoming album, which is due to be released next year.

“Next year UB40 will be bringing an album out and we have collaborated on two songs with them,” Laurence added.

“We’ve played with some amazing bands and musicians and we pick up a lot from them.

“When we’re watching them we pick up a lot of tips that we can do to improve our stage show and little technical tips on how we can fine tune our sound.”

Laurence believes a large part of the bands early success is down to being unlike anything else around at the moment.

“We play pop music but deliver it in a reggae style so we tend to class ourselves as a pop reggae act,” he explained.

“We all listen to our own music and we all have our own influences, which ultimately shapes how we sound as a whole.

“It helps make our band what it is and I think it makes us quite unique. Ewan likes pop music so we have an element of pop in our music, Jon is a jazz guitarist and when you listen to our music you can hear the 9ths and 11ths jazz chords he likes to use, and I like a lot of reggae and ska and we’re obviously heavily influenced by that genre.”

That eclectic style of music that Laurence talks passionately about makes for a varied audience which the band attract at their headline gigs.

And Laurence says it tends to make for a fun, warm and inclusive show, which Winsfordians will get to experience on Sunday at De Bees.

“People coming to our live shows can expect a very energetic show. We don’t just stand around playing our instruments. We move around the stage a lot and it’s ultimately all about having fun and being positive and hopefully we get that energy to transfer to the audience.

“Every audience is different but there’s always a point in the set where you feel you get an understanding with the audience and it’s like ‘right, this is what’s happening’, and from then on it’s all about interacting with the crowd and having fun.

“We love that we always have such a mixed audience of people of all ages and we always get such positive feedback from audience members afterwards who come up to us, whether it’s the first time they’ve seen us or the tenth.”

Sunday’s gig at De Bees is free entry and doors will open at 4pm, with support from Dirty Vertabrae and Jess Whitmore.

Laurence added: “We hope to see you all at the show and expect a good one, because that’s what you’re going to get.”