THE WhiskyCats may have failed to get the thumbs up from T4’s Orange Unsigned judges, but they’re still on the prowl for chart success with the release of their self-titled debut album.

Selected for the top TV show by the Channel 4 production team, The WhiskyCats performed in front of a live audience and a panel of industry experts for the chance to tour the country and secure a contract with Universal Music.

Entertaining the crowd with their cocktail pop performance of ‘Slipped Disco’ the band received positive responses from all the judges.

Blur bassist Alex James commented: “I love you guys, you’re different than anything else in the world.

Culture Show presenter Lauren Laverne added: “I could definitely hear this on the radio and if it was on my radio, I wouldn’t turn it off.”

But despite the high praise the judges refused to put the WhiskyCats through to the next round believing that their sound wasn’t marketable to the masses.

Drummer Sam Draper from Wardle said: “The day after the show we had 10,000 hits on myspace and sold over 40 albums, so I don’t know what they’re talking about - if that’s not mass interest, I don’t know what is.”

But despite this huge public demand, The WhiskyCats' new debut album may be fans' last chance to capture their unique brand of retro jazz with a circus twist.

After ranking up more than 300 gigs since they formed in 2004 and self-funding their initial singles and debut album, the band are considering conforming to the mainstream in an attempt to secure some money in their back pockets.

Sam said: “I think on the day the judges at Orange Unsigned just thought that we’d got to this level by ourselves and we could do it ourselves.  But the truth is we're a basically a DIY band and we’re completely skint.

“We fund the recordings ourselves. Some of the guys work as music teachers and when they returned after the show the pupils just lapped it up, they were like gods on Monday morning.

“When we first set out we were just thinking about making good pop tunes, but as we developed musically we went down a jazz route and started taking some Eastern European influences.

“Basically we‘ve always been on tour, but now we’re concentrating on writing new material in a more marketable direction, we won‘t change too much, but we want to reach out more to the masses.

“We’re a bit of a cult festival band, we’ve got a good strong following, but people think we’re a bit zany; and the music industry seems to want bands who are less fun.

“It's sad, but it's a decision we’ve had to come to over the years of skintness. We’re not asking to be millionaires, we just want to make a living.”

The WhiskyCats' self-titled debut album is available now on iTunes, in HMV or from the bands myspace site www.myspace.com/whiskycats.