WISHAW rockers Vigo Thieves are proving that a positive approach can lead to great things.

The five-piece write huge rock anthems suited for sing-alongs, and are gearing up for their biggest show yet this weekend when they headline the O2 ABC.

It's the latest step for the group, who are one of the names to watch in Scotland's music scene, and singer Stevie Jukes reckons it's all because they've got the right mindset, both in their actions and their songs.

"We write very honest and truthful lyrics, and we're just trying for a general positive attitude," he says.

"Heartbeats is about being young and fearless, This Love is two sides of different love and those are the themes we're all about - anyone can relate to them because everyone goes through these different types of emotions.

"One thing we try to do is be positive and get that emotion in the lyrics."

It's an approach that's paid off for the group, who've also rocked T In The Park for the past two years, and are eying up a third appearance at this year's Balado bash.

"We would be thrilled and honoured to play at it again, and hopefully we'll find out soon if we are or not," says Stevie.

"Any gig we do, whether it's the Arches or the two nights at King Tut's we did, we've always got that festival atmosphere going anyway. We want to be a stadium band, playing to as many people as possible."

That means the fivesome - Stevie, guitarist Barry Cowan, bassist Gordon Phipps, drummer Alan Jukes and keyboardist Chris Gorman - can't wait to get on the ABC stage on Saturday.

"DF Concerts said to us that they thought we could do the ABC as headliners and it was a bit of a shocker - we knew it was a big step," says Stevie.

"But they said it was where they saw us going next, and they thought we could do it. And we are confident that we can build a fanbase and move on up, so we can't wait."

The group's sound has earned them comparisons with Scottish greats like Big Country and Simple Minds, as well as stadium acts like U2 and Oasis.

It's another rock legend -Bruce Springsteen - who's provided the strongest inspiration for the towering sound of new song This Love.

Stevie feels it's a track that's finally got across the band's live sound in a recording, aided by producer Lewis Gardiner, who also plays with Glasgow synth-poppers Prides.

"There's a large element of us that hadn't been captured on the recordings, and Lewis certainly did that this time with big stadium drums and epic guitar," claims Stevie.

"He really brought that out on the song. Prides are an absolutely superb band and they're supporting us on the night too."

The band will then head back into the studio next month to record more material, and hope to have an album on the way by the end of this year.

"It's building up towards an album," adds Stevie.

"We've been busy playing live and doing some other things, so haven't had the chance to get as many recordings down as we'd like, so we're going to freshen up some of the old material and also lay down some new songs in April.

"It's geared up towards an album release, hopefully for the end of the year. We've got some ideas in mind; with every song we want the chorus as big as possible, the same for the guitars and drums. We want to be playing large songs for the masses and that's what we want to bring out on the album."

Vigo Thieves clearly have a strong idea of what they should sound like. That means they're not going to rush into signing with a record label, unless the deal is exactly what they're looking for.

"We've had a lot of phone calls and people coming to see us play, but we've got a plan," says Stevie.

"If something comes up and it's right then we'll work at it, but for now we're sticking to our own plan, and we're confident it will come together soon.

"People talk about record labels, but they don't define you as a band. It's the fans who've been there from day one, the ones at Maggie May's four years ago and now they're still here at the ABC gig. They're who defines you."

l Vigo Thieves, O2 ABC, Saturday, £10, 7pm