Who would have said that at my age, I would be writing about a music group whose components combined age doesn't even come close to mine?

However, their story is worth sharing and inspirational for the younger generation, who are often unfairly labelled as "troublemakers."

What prompted me to write this editorial was what Todd Gilronan, the group's lead vocals, said in an interview: "We are five young lads from a rural town in Devon with aspirations to be the best. Who are we to think we will be the best there is? This doesn't stop us from dreaming anyway, and if we can make something of ourselves, why can't anyone else?" And they certainly have.

The Kabins began when Todd Gilronan and Elliott Plance, lead vocalist and guitarist, respectively, started jamming in their university rooms in Gloucester during the pandemic. The more they played and shared ideas, the more they felt that there was something worth exploring and an adventure to be had. After recruiting Elliott's cousin Freddie Clarke on bass guitar and their old friend Felix Randall on drums, their first line-up was in place. The arrival of Alex Turner, who played rhythm guitar, eventually completed the current one. They are all locals and range in age from Freddie, who has just turned 18, to Elliot who is 22. Todd, Elliott, Freddie, and Felix actually grew up or live in Ottery. The band's four original members attended Ottery Primary School before moving on to The King's School. They all have a real sense of community, which can be seen through the fact that they are more than happy to come together to support the primary school and its hardworking PTA by performing at the primary school Summer Fete in 2023, and they are also planning to perform at the fete again in 2024.

They played their first gig at The King of Clubs at the back of The Kings Alms in Ottery in April 2022 and, since then, have been working hard writing and performing all over the UK. To date, they have played multiple gigs in Ottery and Sidmouth as well as Exeter, Cheltenham, Gloucester, London, Manchester and Glasgow. They have also played at many festivals, including Festival on the Hills in Honiton, where they will perform on the main stage this year. They are fearless in putting in the long hours and the hard yards to further their dream of performing and making it as a band.

They write their own songs, drawing inspiration from their experiences as young men growing up in Devon and their dreams and ambitions. One of their real crowd pleasers, 'Who Am I To Dream?' is something of a love song about optimism and wanting to achieve something, as the boys really feel that they, along with everyone else, are entitled to dream. On the other hand, songs such as Warm Up and Smokeroom trace the events of nights out, hoping for romance and connections.

They have lots of ambition and dedication to their music, each other and their fans. Their fans have given them the most joy on this journey, and all of the boys agree that their most significant achievement so far was witnessing their fans singing their lyrics back to them during multiple gigs and concerts; indeed, that is every musician's dream. As Todd says, "It may seem like a normal thing to happen at every gig, but when you're in the small boat we are, it means more to us than you could ever imagine. It's deafening during our local gigs in the Ottery and Sidmouth areas, and it's a constant reminder to us how lucky we are to have such a supportive community behind us."

I always believed that Ottery's best export product is its talented people, from authors to entrepreneurs and musicians, and The Kabins are certainly proving that the future can be brilliant.