THE figureheads of an underground dance movement born out of a Bolton youth group are set to boost Children in Need.

The Blackout Crew started humbly as a group of lads taking rapping and DJ-ing lessons at the Harmony Youth Project in Halliwell — but they have become one of the best known names in a rapidly growing new underground music genre.

The crew is now being hailed as a success story for Children in Need, which funds the Harmony project.

The BBC spent four hours filming a segment with them, which will be shown at 6.30pm tonight, on BBC1 North West Tonight, ahead of the charity fundraising marathon tomorrow night, along with clips from their popular music videos.

The move coincides with the renewal of Harmony’s funding agreement, as the charity has just awarded the project another £150,000 to keep it running for the next three years.

Charlie Barrett, who runs the group, said: “If it wasn’t for Children in Need then there would be no Blackout Crew. They couldn’t have done it without out Children in Need’s support.

“I can’t wait to see it on TV. I was a bit nervous to begin with, but it’s fantastic publicity for the group.”

The Blackout Crew comprises Kurtis Chadwick, Robert Davis, Kevin Allison, Zak Kabbani and Jordan Cover — better known to their fans as Viper, Rapid, Dowie, Zak and Cover.

Their music is usually described as donk, bouncy house or scouse house, and is made up of rapping over fast hardcore dance beats.

Their second single, Put a Donk On It, is an anthem for the movement, and the crew’s videos have attracted more than 10 million hits on YouTube.