A GROUP of young people from Southampton are getting their first taste of festival fame this weekend as they open the Uncontained stage in the Big Top at Common People.

The urban collective, called M.E.R.C.Y. is supported by SoCo Music Project and has grown out of a collective of passionate young MC’s, singers and performers attending open sessions at the Newtown Community and Youth Centre in Southampton managed by YMCA.

With a combination of urban beats, live hip hop and energetic vocals, the group are set to play the gig of their lives.

Rakib, an MC with the group said: "Playing Common People means the world to us, to play there in our first year gives us the motivation to think, we can actually make it!"

Regular music making sessions at Newtown have provided a positive focus for the young people, supporting their development and giving them the opportunity to progress into further music opportunities and careers.

Matt Salvage is a Director of SoCo Music Project and said: "We've been able to spend a lot of time working with the group thanks to support from Youth Music, Southampton City Council and Saints Foundation. The young people have really taken the lead, developing a Music Foundation to support not only their own musical journeys but to help aspiring musicians across the city".

Common People organiser Rob da Bank worked with SoCo to set up a music club at Newtown, and was so impressed after watching the group perform at the centre he immediately put them on the bill.

You can see M.E.R.C.Y. At the Uncontained Stage at 11.45am tomorrow