Lostprophets find new fans: Welsh act well-placed to feed national appetite for rock music.(Talent)

Thanks to the UK breakthrough of acts including The Darkness, Good Charlotte and Funeral For A Friend in 2003, the UK's appetite for rock music has arguably never been greater.

With radio, press, TV and the record-buying and gig-going public primed and hungry for more, the race is on to see who win be following those acts into the charts. As such, Welsh rock act Lost prophets will launch their second album Start Something next month into a very different media climate from the one in which they began their career three years ago.

Although the band have a strong underground UK following --over 150,000 copies of their debut album The Fake Sound Of Progress have been sold--the campaign for the new album is already in a different league, including an appearance on last Saturday's CD:UK. In addition, forthcoming single Last Train Home is already B-listed at Radio One.

The dilemma facing the band and their label is how to utilise the rock-friendly media climate to maximise sales without alienating the core fanbase. "CD:UK is a brilliant thing to do, hut some fans get a bee in their bonnet about the band selling out," says Julie Weir, managing director of the band's UK label Visible Noise. "With rock, it has to be kept credible, as kids see right through campaigns."

Weir says that things have to be played carefully to balance playing the mass-market game and retaining credibility. "A few people might get upset about them being on Top Of The Pops, but their live show is second to none at the moment, so fans know there is a level of integrity," she adds.

With rock poised for another ...