Popworld squeezed into a rehearsal studio to watch the gang at work and play. The windups, the gaffs, the bacon sarnes: we saw it all...

  It's a gorgeous, sunny Monday afternoon and at a rehearsal studio near London Bridge, ten teenage lads are being put through their paces. Blazin Squad have managed to fit some valuable rehearsal time into their busy schedule, and when PopWorld arrives, Flava, Melo-D, Strider, Kenzie, Tommy B, Reepa, Rocky B, Spike-e, Freek and Krazy are in full flow. With the help of tour manager Phil, the boys are working through their back catalogue, plus some new tracks, and aiming to get each one perfect. The atmosphere is relaxed, but all the Squad members appear fully focused on the job in hand. There are no windows or posters in the rehearsal room and, but for a few mirrors, the walls are totally black. With no distractions, the Squad get on with their work and try their best to ignore the sunshine outside...

Practice makes perfect!
  Despite being one of pop's youngest groups, Blazin' Squad are incredibly dedicated to what they do. They wind each other up and take the mick when someone messes up on a lyric, but their work rate and concentration level is impressive. "Rehearsals are fun most of the time unless you're doing something that you dont really like," says Rocky B. "I dont really like Love On The Line. It's the only one really, but it's my job so its what I've got to do." When the lads begin practising All About The Music, it proves a bit of a stumbling block. Phil insists they perform it over and over again, and at first he's not best pleased with what he's hearing. "Why are we behaving like we're scared of the microphone this week?" he booms. There's general muttering from the Squad but only Melo-D can be heard answering back bravely, "I'm not scared of the microphone." After several attempts on the same song, Phil is ready to move on, but the lads arent quite finished. "I havent even done my lyrics yet!" yells Freek. Like the rest of the guys, Freek wants to get his performance just right, even if it means being criticised in the process. "There are times when I think I sang something really well, but someone else will think it sounded awful," he explains. "I get annoyed with myself when I cant do something, but you've got to listen to what other people say cos thats what makes you better." The whole Squad appreciates the importance of practise; as Strider says later: "The more rehearsals you do, the better you're going to be. It's how much we put into it."

Taking the mic...
  At the start of each rehearsal, the lads stand in a semicircle in the middle of the room, facing the mirror and holding their microphones. They all look round at each other as they sing, except for Spike-e and Krazy who stare at the floor, and Kenzie who keeps glancing at the mirror. "Kenzie is quite vain. That's why he's always looking in the mirror," laughs Krazy. "I look at the floor because I'm concentrating. If I wasnt, I'd be looking at the crowd." As the afternoon wears on, it's inevitable that the lads are going to become a little restless, and Spike-e is definately the most mischievous. The rest of the Squad agree he's the loudest, and when he's not singing or Mc-ing, Spike-e perches on the stage, texting people or chatting with whoever's sitting next to him. It helps make the afternoon feel less of a chore, and all the Squad join in with the jokes, but now and again someone needs to take control. "Sometimes it's just too much," admits Flava. "Sometimes some of us are singing and the others are mucking around and it is off-putting. They know that - that's why they do it cos they like to put us off. We try to wind each other up all the time." If it all gets out of hand, all the lads are happy to crack the whip and play teacher, but, as Melo-D says, Blazin' Squad will never have a leader. "It just feels like people are bossing you about if they try and tell you what to do," he says. "Sometimes, someone will tell everyone to shut up. It could be anyone of us that does it."

Blaze of glory.
  If Blazin' Squad were girls, it's highly likely that raging hormones and the green-eyed monster would get the better of them. Jealousy has no place in the Squad and none of them begrudge the others if they recieve more attention. "Kenzie and Strider are kinda in the spotlight the most," muses Flava. "They do quite alot of stuff cos I guess they're the most popular. We're all over the moon for them cos they're doing something right. With us lot, we all do different things. Everyone gets a slice of the cake." There are no tears or tantrums, although, like everyone else, the lads need their own space from time to time. "Everyone's moody sometimes," says Tommy B. "Sometimes everyone's all hyper and you just want to sit down cos you feel tired." Lazing around is something the lads would definately like to do more, but with their schedule, there isnt much time. "The only time that we're proper bad is when we've got nothing to do," reveals Reepa.

Britney's boys.
  At around 5pm, PopWorld and most of the Squad head upstairs to the canteen for a break and something to eat. Flava and Krazy stay downstairs and continue working, but the rest of the lads get stuck into crisps and Ribena. A television blasts out R&B and hip-hop videos, and when a Blazin' Squad trailer flashes up, the lads make a groaning noise, despite obviously being really chuffed. Spike-e stuffs his face with a bacon and egg sarnie and Melo-D laughs, "he eats so much. We only ate about an hour ago!" The lads exchange banter noisily until Britney's Dont Let Me Be The Last To Know video appears on TV. Suddenly the Squad are transformed from cocky young pop stars to drooling teenage boys as all eyes are fixed on the screen. When the time comes to go back downstairs and resume work, the lads head off without any whinging. Straight away, Flava makes a mistake. His nine band mates (lead by Spike-e, of course) point at Flava and bellow, "Aaahhh!" No one can escape the humiliation; even Spike-e gets ribbed after messing up by coming in a second too late. "You just get cussed," shrugs Spike-e. "It's friendly really!" That seems to be the secret of Blazin' Squad's success: in spite of all the wind-ups, the lads are very close. There are no obvious cliques and none of them will admit to having a best mate in the group. The Squad members have spent days, weeks, months in each other's company, on the road or in rehearsals; yet, despite all the tensions that can bring, they still havent had a fight. Whats more, they spend almost all their spare time together, usually down at the gym or at Freek's flat. "we're always together," says Strider. "Everyone's got different personalities, when one's taken away, somethings missing." With that, PopWorld say goodbye, leaving the ten mates to carry on joking and rehearsing their way towards world domination.