Bradford is rocking - and that's official.

The city was today named as a surprise entry in the top ten of a national survey to find the UK's music capital.

Listeners to a national radio station placed Bradford at number eight in the top 40 of British cities, ahead of rivals such as Cardiff, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle.

Virgin Radio asked music fans to vote for cities based on their contribution to the industry since the 1960s.

Liverpool, Manchester and London were the clear top three, but Bradford was named in the top ten for its association with a string of artists over the past 40 years.

The city's music reputation is currently at an all-time high with Gareth Gates sitting at the top of the UK charts.

But Bradford has also produced bands and singers including Terrorvision, Embrace, Tasmin Archer, Kiki Dee and New Model Army.

Today Tony Wright, lead singer of Terrorvision, said he was "dead chuffed" that his home city had been named in the top ten.

"I think that people in Bradford have a lot to sing about," he said. "It's a very inspirational place to come from and I don't see why Bradford shouldn't be up there.

"Bands from Bradford always seem to be proud of the fact. Although many of the good old venues have closed down, there's always people in Bradford who want to play music and enjoy it."

And the survey results were hailed as a boost to Bradford's bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Paul Brookes, director of the bid, said the result reflected the city's close association with music, dating back to composer Frederick Delius in the late 19th century.

"I am delighted that we are in the top ten," he said. "There is definitely a lot of creative talent in Bradford and the more opportunity that has to get recognised the better. Music is a large part of the bid, and that includes all forms of music.

"We have seen many excellent bands come from the city, and I hope that there will be many more."

The city's music scene has recently been boosted by performances from acts including the Fun Lovin' Criminals and Paul Weller. And the Telegraph & Argus reported yesterday how rock star Morrissey has signed up to perform at St George's Hall later this month.