Full of eastern promise: East Anglia's music scene provides a rich hunting ground for A&Rs, says Ben Cardew, who offers pointers on what's out there.(East Anglia)

It may be only a few hours by rail from London, but as the train passes through mile upon mile of woods and fields under those vast East Anglian skies, it's like entering a different world from the dirty bustle of the capital. And yet, despite such quietly rural surroundings, there is evidence of a thriving local scene that looks set to bring a brace of young East Anglian musicians to our ears for the first time, as shown by Music Week's Escalator CD (see right), which highlights 11 acts set for the next level.

In the last few months alone, Norwich's The Pistolas carried off gongs for best rock and best live band at the Diesel-U-Music awards; Ipswich soul star Nate James was nominated for two Mobo awards; Cambridge's The Broken Family Band have found critical acclaim for their second album Welcome Home Loser and The Darkness, a band so improbably anachronistic they could only have come from Lowestoft, have got the world waiting on the follow-up to 2003's Britwinning Permission To Land.

"We are saturated with new music. You can't go anywhere without seeing good bands," says Kingsley Harris, curator of the East Anglian Musical Archive and joint-owner of Norwich's NR ONE records, home to local acts such as Cortez, My Visor and Fiel Garvie. "People are now trying new projects and people with small back rooms are attempting to put bands on"

This DIY ethos has given a welcome boost to the local music scene. Typical of this attitude is Owen Turner, who manages to combine being in a band (Magoo--who are about to release their sixth album) with running the Sickroom studios outside of Norwich, in addition to having a hand in the monthly Wombat Wombat music nights at the Norwich Arts Centre.

"In Norwich there are gigs to go to every night. It can't help but spring up new bands," Turner says, praising local venues such as The Marquee, The Ferryboat and the Nelson, as well as such perennials as The Waterfront and the UEA, for supporting live music. "There are lots of shared musicians, too. You would be hard pushed to find someone that isn't in more than one band."

Out of this vibrant live scene have sprung several acts now making waves nationally, including Kaito and Bearsuit, as well as a handful of new labels, such as Happy Capitalist, Mummy Where's The Milkman and Howlback Hum, all of which showcase the best in local talent and beyond. Even Wilde Club Records home to Catherine Wheel in the early Nineties--is back, releasing a series of sampler EPs from local bands that have found favour with Radio One.

The Norwich, and indeed the entire East Anglian scene has also benefited from the helpful attitude of local university the UEA. As well as being host to the bigger touring bands (it has a standing capacity of 1,470), the university also supports local bands through its radio ...