WIDELY touted as this year's next big thing, Birmingham band The Twang are all set to open the refurbished Opera House in Boscombe on June 1.

With their debut single Wide Awake out on Monday, and having landed the prestigious Philip Hall Radar Award at the recent Shockwaves NME Awards, The Twang are topping the list of buzz bands at the moment.

Mouthy singer Phil Etheridge is cast in the Liam Gallagher mould and the band's sound owes as much to the swagger of early '90s Manchester acts like Flowered Up as it does to the tried and tested scally rock of The Charlatans, Stone Roses and, yes, Oasis.

The opening night shindig will be hosted by Radio 1's definitive rock chick, Jo Whiley, who will also DJ along with members of Sunderland's art-rock collective, The Futureheads.

Also on the bill are The Young Knives and The Holloways.

The Opera House has undergone an extensive, multi-million-pound revamp that will restore many of its original Victorian features, including two royal boxes and the reopening of the second floor, the "Gods", with its original plank seating.

The venue will also have a number of private booths on the first-floor balcony, while the second room has been completely reinvented by the uncovering of the stained glass windows that overlook the main entrance.

The June 1 indie party is just the first in a series of events planned for the opening weekend.

Brit-jazz legend Courtney Pine is set to appear on June 2, highlighting material from his new album, Resistance, as well as old favourites.

The weekend is completed on Sunday, June 3, with the first of the venue's planned comedy nights featuring Omid Djalili.

Other acts already confirmed include Alabama 3 (June 5), spoof trolley-dolly superbitch Pam Ann (June 16), INXS (June 19) and The Proclaimers, whose June 30 show is the headline event in this year's Bournemouth Live music festival.