MOVE over Karaoke, there's a new form of entertainment belting out the tunes and threatening to take away the spotlight.

Fifteen years ago, when it was first introduced to the UK, karaoke was a nation-wide phenomenon.

Pubs and bars were packed to bursting point on any given night of the week with drunken revellers competing to belt out the best version of their favourite pop hit, past and present.

Since then, karaoke has inevitably dropped in popularity in the UK.

Simply mentioning the word in civilised company often solicits eye-rolling and groans. What was once a new and unusual alcohol-fuelled entertainment has now morphed into more of a niche hobby along the lines of line dancing or bar skittles. Half-empty pubs play host to a tired compere and various obsessive individuals who attend studiously week in, week out to wail through dull renditions of the same tired songs. For most, karaoke just isn't fun any more.

But all that's about to change.

With the help of programmes like celebrity Fame Academy, that proves you don't need to have a great voice to be able to sing, and the ever-increasing popularity of live shows like the sell-out Sing-Along A Sound of Music, singing has made a comeback!

Head into certain bars on the south coast and you might be a witness - or even a participant - in something a little different.

Karaoke has evolved. It still involves members of the public singing songs chosen from a song list, but this time, instead of warbling along to a pre-recorded backing track, the wannabe is accompanied on stage by a live band, Gorillaz-style.

The new-style karaoke runs under the name Jammin' With The Band and stared life aboard cruise ships. The concept is to update Karaoke.

Anti-karaoke individuals will poo-poo the idea, but take it from someone who's watched it, and - with a modicum of alcohol in his system to boost his confidence - tried it. It's an altogether more enjoyable experience for both participant and audience.

There's just something about singing with a band - the fact that the musicians can adjust their key to suit the needs of the singer is handy, as is the fact that the live instruments tend to make any problems with the singer's performance less obvious for some reason.

The compere doubling as a backing singer for harmonies, choruses and assisting with any tricky bits in the song probably helps too.

These days, with shows like X-Factor telling us all that we can be a singing star (or not) and videogames like SingStar on the PlayStation2 reviving the concept of karaoke as fun (if only in the privacy of your own home) there's definitely a gap in the market for a pub-type activity that lets us all be a star, if only for five minutes.

With that in mind I urge you to give this one a go. I did, and now I'm hooked.

For more information check out www.jamminwiththeband.com.