This pop band is hitting a growth spurt

Blackout might be angling to be the next teen sensation -- that is, when its members actually reach their teens.

The L.A. trio, ages 11, 11 and 12, is off to a good start. It has graduated from playing in backyards to shows at the Knitting Factory, Club Fais Do-Do and even the historic Cavern Club in Liverpool -- the latter as part of L.A. promoter David Bash’s British installment of the International Pop Overthrow festival.

That Blackout is helping kick off the ninth annual L.A. edition of IPO tonight at the Knitting Factory is testament to the inclusive nature of the festival, which showcases more than 170 pop bands playing 23 shows at 10 venues over the next 18 days. The melody-friendly artists come in all shapes and sizes, some with impressive lineage: Sal Valentino of ‘60s icons the Beau Brummels, producer and Paul McCartney sideman Brian Ray and ex-Jellyfish co-founder Roger Joseph Manning Jr. are among this year’s acts.

Blackout singer-guitarist Chris Bowman and his cherubic band mates Michael Zaks and Diego Freedman are liable to be hanging on every note. Bowman remembers back in the day, when he was 9, getting hooked on guitar after seeing the movie “The School of Rock.” “I went to bed air-guitaring that night,” he says. “I thought, ‘That’s so cool; it could be me.’ ”

With countless hours of practice, lessons at Wood-lowe Music in Woodland Hills and some bold, supportive parents, it is. “Getting to play in Liverpool, at the Cavern Club on top of that, I was really excited,” Bowman says. “It was great, watching all those people cheer for us.”

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Kevin Bronson

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International Pop Overthrow, various venues, tonight through Aug. 13. Schedule: www.internationalpopoverthrow.com.