The band took part in a "Battle of the Bands". It was sponsored by Liverpool Echo who later tried to stitch the band up by putting them on the front cover under the title "Bulger Band", a reference to their song No Excuses that they believed, incorrectly, to be about the murder of toddler James Bulger. The band never spoke to the Liverpool Echo again. The band signed a manangement contract with Raymond Coffer. They later signed with the record label Parlophone (EMI). They released their first single "No Excuses" with Parlophone in October 1995.