THEY are the renowned Southampton rock duo whose college-formed band went on to tour the world.

But yesterday, Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson from Band of Skulls returned to the classroom in the hope of inspiring the city’s next generation of musical talent.

Visiting Itchen Sixth Form College, the pair were treated to powerful performances from talented music students, before picking up their own guitars for an astonishing acoustic set.

They watched an all action rendition of Arctic Monkeys’ smash hit, Teddy Picker, from band Battery Acid, before enjoying the talents of punk-rock group, The Ticking Draws.

However it was 16-year-old Kayne Kenney who really blew them away with his solo-performance of Ed Sheran’s Bloodstream.

Russell and Emma both heaped praise on the teenager after his emotional rendition, which included both piano and vocals.

Speaking about performing for the duo, Kayne said: “I just really wanted to show off my talent to the them.

“Their feedback was great.

“It was really good to get given praise from people who have already made it.”

Praising the performers, Russell, who formed Band of Skulls with Emma and former drummer Matt Hayward while at Barton Peveril College, said: “It was really great to see so many students playing really well and being so enthusiastic.

“I’m really glad we had the chance to do this in Southampton, where we are from.

“It was a win win for us.”

Emma added: “There some really great performances.

“It’s very good for the future and really good to have girls represented as well.”

After listening to the students, the tables were turned on Emma and Russell, who then put on a show of their own.

The pair performed acoustic versions of their own songs, including ‘Hoochie Coochie’ and ‘The Devil Takes Care of His Own’ - which reached number 20 in the Canadian Alternative Charts.

Russell even surprised students, who cheered and clapped throughout, by playing his guitar through a Canadian dollar, to give it a more “rough” sound.

The pair finished the afternoon by answering questions from the students about their musical journey.

Speaking about the event, teacher Jack Dale, who said: “I met Band of Skulls in 2005 when we used to play the same venues and asked them to come to the college.

“It’s incredible that they did. I really appreciate it. The students did amazingly well with their performances as well.”