TEENAGE music sensation The Mini Band are to return to Southampton this autumn.

Rosalind Fountain speaks to the rockers ahead of their appearance at the city's Music in the City on October 1.

Q) The Mini Band received world-wide attention, with over 35 million views of your music on social media, and coverage from BBC, ITV and Sky. Introduce us to the band members.

A) "Harry Esson, 13, lead guitar. Zoe Thomson, 13, lead guitar. Ryan Brady, 12, lead singer. Charlie Emmons, 15, drummer. Archie Zolotuhin, 15, bass guitar."

Q) How did you all meet?

A) "We met at Newbury Rock School, where many talented musicians start out. We formed the band and gradually everything started to take off. In 2012 we were finalists in Live and Unsigned at London’s O2, beating 10,000 acts from all over the U.K., and that was our first big event."

Q) You are big fans of Metallica and now they are fans of The Mini Band. How did that come about?

A) "When we were aged eight to ten, we covered Metallica’s Enter Sandman, put it on youtube, and to our surprise it went viral. It has had more than 10 million views worldwide, and it caught the attention of Metallica, who sent a video response praising the band."

Q) Little did you know that a few years later this would lead to a big surprise.

A) "A year ago we were asked to appear on the BBC TV programme South Today, to talk about the band. We were then told, live on air, that we had been invited to Reading Festival as Metallica’s guests and would meet them in person. We could hardly believe it, but it was an amazing surprise, and there was more to come! We were told we would actually be playing on stage at the festival. This was like a dream come true and we were so excited. We had a fantastic time at Reading Festival, it’s an experience we will never forget."

Q) You’ve had some exciting times. What other events have been highlights for you?

A) "We had great fun on the CBBC show The Slammer, and we were really pleased to become the series winners. We were also contacted by the band Dream Theatre, and were invited to play their instruments on stage at Wembley Arena."

Q) And now you are coming to Southampton to perform at Music in the City festival.

A) "Yes, we are really happy to be part of this exciting event. Last year we were invited to play on the S.S.Shieldhall in the docks, which is one of the festival venues. It was a great location and a very different experience to play out on deck, surrounded by big ships and the sea. This year we have been asked to come back and perform again at the festival on October 1st. We are looking forward to meeting Southampton music lovers and some of the other performers, and having a great day together."