WHAT started out as an Internet cult with a fanbase founded on word-of-mouth rocketed into the mainstream this week when Newport rappers Goldie Lookin' Chain went straight into the charts at number three.

In just 12 months, the band have gone from playing their first gig to 300 people to having ten thousand people chanting their names at music festivals.

And in doing so, the eight- strong collective of Newport caricatures have turned the wallpaper of everyday life in the city - from cheap and cheerful Hypervalue to souped up Shopmobility scooters - into the biggest hit by a Gwent band for years.

TJ's owner John Sicolo has described the band as "original and refreshing and of course hilarious" while other fans include the Super Furry Animals' frontman Gruff Rhys, who said: "Like a lot of people from Cardiff, the music makes a lot of sense to us."

They are the latest Gwent music stars to taste chart success and have the highest ranked single since the Manic Street Preachers reached number one with The Masses Against the Classes four years ago.

Other Gwent bands to reach the top ten include Feeder who have had a string of hits, and pop star Steve Strange, whose single Fade to Grey with band Visage was one of the biggest hits of the 80s.

Manager Conal Dodds said the rappers were "delighted" with their success and were congratulated at the weekend's V Festival by Virgin boss Richard Branson.

Their debut album 'Greatest Hits' is out next month and a full UK tour is taking place in October.