Please welcome our new columnist Charlotte Davies. The events manager at Live Bar will talk about upcoming events at the Barbauld Street venue and Warrington’s music scene. This month the former Lymm High School student reflects on some of the early highlights since the dedicated live music space opened...

WE’VE had a truly incredible time at Live Bar since we opened in April, with some extraordinary acts appearing on our stage.

Our opening night with Warrington’s Filthy Tricks and Darwen band Sky Valley Mistress went down so well that we’ve even got Sky Valley Mistress returning on July 27 for a headline gig.

It was an honour to have Joe from punk band Idles DJing at the venue too, and sets from The Lotts and Slowhandclap set the bar high for what we have to come.

Manchester grunge band Witch Fever blew the roof off at the beginning of June, and last week we had Stoke act Average Joe play an astounding set – whether you caught him at Live Bar or at Neighbourhood Weekender a couple of weeks previously, you’ll know he is set for big things.

Over the next few weeks we have some really special acts appearing at the venue.

This Saturday sees The Seamonsters heading over the Moors from Sheffield and bringing their glittering indie pop with them. The band have played with the likes of The Undertones, Kate Nash and Bill Ryder-Jones and are a hugely promising act.

Check out their latest single, Blue Movie Baby, for an idea of what to expect. Advance tickets are only £4.

On Friday, June 21, one of the north west’s most exciting bands – Runcorn group Spilt – will headline the venue.

Not only are they regulars on the Liverpool music scene, last year they supported Californian punk band Fidlar in Manchester and London.

Now signed to Jacaranda Records, we’re really excited to hear new material from them at this gig. Get ready, it’s going to be one loud night.

As we head towards July we have possibly our biggest night to date with Nile Marr playing a headline set on Friday, July 5.

While this Manchester legend may have indie royalty in his blood – his father is Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr – he’s an unbelievably talented musician in his own right.

He released his debut album, TV Broke My Brain, back in 2016 under the band name Man Made, and is now preparing to release a follow-up under his own moniker.

He’s currently taking part in a weekly residency at Manchester’s Night and Day Cafe and we cannot wait for the sounds he brings to Live Bar.

The only way of rounding off this column is by letting you all know about our new weekly event, Live and Loud, which happens every Thursday night.

One of our main aims is to give new talent a platform that they might not otherwise receive, so we launched a regular unsigned night that could be home to all sorts of talents and genres.

However, it’s not just a typical unsigned showcase, as we also provide an opportunity for anyone who is – or wants to be – involved in the music industry in any capacity to network and get to know each other.

There isn’t anything like that in Warrington and we’re all about encouraging and supporting people in all areas of the scene.

It’s also a free entry event, because we wanted to make it as accessible as possible. Our first night last week was headlined by Merseyside trio Sapho – they were so popular that we’re already looking into having them back soon.

With even more gigs to announce soon, keep an eye on our social media, or if you’re interested in playing at the venue get in touch via bookings@livebars.co.uk

CHARLOTTE DAVIES