WITH their sassy brand of pop and distinctive look, Stooshe are the hottest girl band to make it big for many a year.

They may have only signed up to a record label less than a year ago but they have already become festival favourites and had several memorable hits.

The single Black Heart is currently riding high in the charts and its predecessor Love Me made waves of its own accord thanks to its X-rated initial title and lyrics.

So far this year they have blazed on to stages at T in the Park and the Isle of Wight Festival and this weekend they are part of the eclectic line-up for the sold-out Camp Bestival , which runs at Lulworth Castle from today until Sunday.

Last week they flew to Majorca for a club gig and then next day were back home and heading for a performance in Scotland. It’s all a bit of a whirlwind for the band, who were put together by a talent scout who spotted the girls browsing and buying in the Bluewater Shopping Centre branch of Top Shop.

“It’s all happened so quickly since last August, it’s a bit surreal,” said Alex Buggs, the dark-haired glamorous one, as opposed to quiff-haired tomboyish Courtney and kooky blonde Karis.

“And Black Heart is doing better than we thought – we hoped it would do well but it’s staying in the top five which is crazy. We thought that everyone who wanted it had already bought it – but there are still people out there buying it!”

This summer the girls have become festival veterans and are thoroughly looking forward to Camp Bestival with its chilled-out atmosphere and mixed fanbase of little girls who like colourful pop and parents who are equally attracted to Stooshe’s attitude and soul-infused sounds.

“I love festivals because they have a nice vibe and everyone is happy,” said Alex. “Everyone talks to each other and as a performer, you can chill and get out into the crowd and sere other performs too.”

Musically, this year’s Camp Bestival is a mix of the tried and tested – Nile Rogers, Happy Mondays Adam Ant, Rolf Harris – alongside new, n Turn to Page 21 n From Page 19 younger acts such as Stooshe, who are playing tonight, and Hot Chip.

It is the fifth year that the family-orientated festival has taken place at Lulworth Castle and as with every other year, weekend tickets have sold out leaving just a few day tickets.

Camp Bestival was established by radio 1 DJ Rob da bank, who also founded Bestival on the Isle of Wight. It came into being because he and his wife Josie wanted a festival that they could attend with their own small children and enjoy top musical acts as well as a wide range of fun events for all the family could enjoy and take part in.

To this end, Camp Bestival combined bands with performers such as Mr Tumble, kids’ TV presenters Dick and Dom and the live theatre shows Shrek and The Gruffalo, plus an annual fancy dress theme.

There will also be medieval jousting, a literary tent, poetry readings, comedy from the likes of Jimmy Carr and Rufus Hound, DJ sets, great food and much more.

Chic frontman Nile Rodgers has already spoken about how much he loves performing at Lulworth – he first played there three years ago and is headlining tomorrow night – and Rob da Bank says he loves the ‘chilled vibe’ of Camp Bestival.

“Adults love it and the kids love it because there is so much for them to do, from clay modelling to ballet and hearing Howard Marks reading children’s stories,” he said.

“I love just wandering about the whole site and seeing everybody having fun. The line between the festival site and the camp site seems to blur and there are the people who love the music alongside people who really don’t give a monkeys about that and who are just there to chill out with their family and friends and do a bit of camping with some music thrown in – although it’s pretty high-quality music!”

Visit campbestival.net for full details. Day tickets can be bought from the Lulworth Heritage Centre on 01929 400587.