This is the image that is set to spin Bradford back on to Gareth mania.

The sight of Gareth Gates looking mean and moody is a taste of things to come as the East Bowling youngster prepares to release his debut single.

Record stores across the district are reporting unprecedented levels of interest in Gareth's cover of the Righteous Brothers' classic Unchained Melody.

Although the record does not hit the shelves until March 18, fans have been queuing up to reserve their copies of the single, which is tipped to top the charts.

Today bosses at record stores in the city said they were expecting sales of Gareth's record to outstrip those of Pop Idol rival Will Young.

Will's new record, Evergreen and Anything is Possible, hit the number one spot on Sunday and became the fastest selling debut single of all time.

But Andy Baxter, manager of HMV Bradford, said most fans wanted to know when Gareth's record will go on sale.

"We have had more interest in this record than anything else I can remember," he said. "I think that in the 14 years I have worked for HMV it is going to be the biggest single that I have ever known."

"We did not have a single order for the Will Young single, and although we are not allowed to say how many we have taken, we are talking hundreds for Gareth.

"We have certainly taken more orders for Gareth's single than any other record I have known."

At the nearby Virgin Megastore, manager John Walker reported similar enthusiasm among Gareth fans.

"The record is definitely going to outsell Will Young and we have taken a lot of orders already," he said. "It has generally been kids coming in, but the interest is across the spectrum with people desperate to know when the single is coming out."

Mr Walker said the store was hoping to entice Gareth along to a launch party and promised fans a number of events to launch the new single.

Both HMV and Virgin are considering opening at midnight on the release day to allow fans to get hold of the record as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Gareth has admitted that he is dreaming of denying one of his own pop idols the number one spot on Sunday March 24.

Gareth said he wants to outsell George Michael's comeback single Freeek, which goes on sale on the same day.

"He's a huge star and I'm up against someone like that," said the singer, who narrowly missed out on Pop Idol stardom to Will Young. "I've really tried my best on the vocal and on the video and hopefully that's going to be enough to go to number one and even if it doesn't, I've enjoyed the whole experience and I will keep on trying and working hard."

Gareth recorded the video for Unchained Melody in Florida. It features him performing the song in the middle of a busy highway with an enthusiastic crowd gradually growing around him.

"It was an awesome experience," said Gareth, who was on his first trip to the USA. "It was the first time I have really felt like a proper pop star."