A HIGH street cafe is set to become a musical mecca for teenagers on its first open mic night this summer.

Viva la Music takes place at Viva Coffee and Juice Bar, in Northwich, on August 14 and is exclusively for young people aged between 13 and 19.

The Witton Street cafe is running the event in conjunction with Amplify Youth Music Project and the band Paragon Sky.

Chad Tinsley, from Viva, said: "When Paragon Sky came up with the concept I thought it's something I've always wanted to do and now I've got the facility to do it, so I'll do it.

"My motivation was really to make sure that the talent out there has somewhere to go.

"When I was a kid there was nowhere where you could go, kick back and where talented people could do what they do well and I think that talent got lost."

He added: "This is something where that age group can come and feel comfortable, as opposed to performing at a bar or a pub where it can be quite an intimidating atmosphere.

"The vision is that it's a stepping stone – a musician can do something like this and it puts them on to the next stage."

The night will start at 7pm with an acoustic set from Northwich band Dear America, appearing at Viva before a small UK tour.

Slots will then be on a first come first served basis with the event set to finish at 9pm, although Chad is happy to extend it if necessary.

Artist Liv Queenie, 17, a regular at Amplify, said: "For young people to come here for an open mic night just helps those artists to grow and meet new people.

"At Amplify at first a lot of people don't come out of their shell but after a while at Amp they do.

"I was always confident as a kid but when I hit 13 or 14 I lost my confidence.

"To have something behind you to give you a kick and force you to do music is really important and now I'm so much more confident and busk and perform all the time."

She added: "Even if you're not playing an instrument you can still come down to the open mic night and socialise."

Amplify founder Paul Barratt, from Cheshire West and Chester Council's young people's service, said: "It's about being around the same kind of people who are here for the same reason – to perform music, hear music and enjoy music."

For more information search for 'Viva la Music Northwich' on Facebook.