We know we've been teasing you for months about the mysterious line-up of

John Squire's post-Stone Roses band, but now the truth can finally be told.

Squire has chosen Chris Helme as a vocalist for The Seahorses, which also

includes Stuart Fletcher on bass and Andy Watts on drums. According to a

source, the relatively unknown Helme could be seen, until fairly recently,

busking on the streets of York, England, not exactly the place you'd expect to

find the singer for one of England's most eagerly-anticipated bands.

The

group, who've been rehearsing for several weeks, made their live debut at the

small (200 capacity) club Buckley Tivoli in North Wales last Wednesday

(November 27) at an unannounced gig. How unannounced? Not only did the marquee

promote it as an appearance by the Candyskins, who were scheduled to play, but

bowed out for unspecified reasons, but even the band didn't know where the gig

would be until they were dropped off at the venue, which is exactly what they

wanted. They played an hour and twenty minute set of new songs (sorry, no Roses

tunes), including "Blinded by the Sun," "Happiness is Egg-Shaped" and "Boy in

the Picture," all or some of which may appear on their debut, expected sometime

next summer.

The band is currently off to L. A. to record the album,

reportedly with veteran producer Tony (Bowie, T-Rex) Visconti, although a

source at their label, Geffen, said that producer duties were still somewhat up

in the air. They expect to start recording the album in early January, with

eyes on a May release. Bucking the trend towards collaborations with the

acknowledged brains of the band Oasis, Squire recently put his head together

with troubled singer Liam Gallagher, with whom he co-wrote the song "Love Me

and Leave Me," to which Gallagher reportedly contributed the melody and several

verses.

Helme has written five songs for the band and that the remainder

of their current repertoire of 14 songs are Squire-penned tunes described as,

"amazing pop songs with a Beatles influence and fantastic melodies." A Geffen

Records source said the only resemblance the new songs bear to the Stone Roses

is that they are "clearly written by John, who continues to write in his unique

style, but without the Manchester beat sound.