Their story is one many bands dream of: they were discovered 26 minutes after uploading their first demo to Soundcloud.

Now folk-American band the Wandering Hearts, which include Francesca "Chess" Whiffin from Cranbrook, are signed to Decca and are being proclaimed by many as the next big thing in the music industry.

Last month the Wandering Hearts, whose album is Wild Silence, won the Bob Harris Emerging Artist Award at the UK Americana Awards, a prize handpicked by Bob Harris himself.

The foursome uploaded their first Americana-influence demo and were approached by Decca less than half an hour afterwards.

They released their first EP Burning Bridges in November and album Wild Silence earlier this month.

Their shared passion for Americana, vocal harmonies and gin drew them together two years ago, and one afternoon in an empty bar room of the Earl Haig Hall in Crouch End, The Wandering Hearts were born.

Band members AJ, Chess, Tim and Tara said: "The title track Wild Silence is about an unspoken, unexplainable bond that draws people together. You don’t know why or how, all you know is that you can’t ignore or fight it.

"Everyone can relate to this feeling, and as a band we certainly can, so we felt it was a fitting title for the album as a whole. We met almost serendipitously two years ago and since then, we have built a deep, often unspoken connection and understanding of one another.

"We are so grateful for the support we have received in such a short amount of time together as a band. We have worked hard on this album and are so excited to be able to share it with people!”

For more details go to wanderinghearts.com