Up and coming acoustic musicians will be taking centre stage on Saturday 10 August at a beautifully cosy gig in Thornton Little Theatre, brought to you by Sean McGinty and ‘BBC Introducing Lancashire’. The show aims to bring new, independent upcoming artists to a wider audience, bringing down some of the pre-existing barriers that can prevent them being heard.
I asked Sean how did the show end up deciding upon our great little theatre for their first live broadcast gig and he explained that as a part of the show they had wanted to get about the area more and really help people access live music. The fact that both the Theatre and Wyre Borough Council were easy to deal with and aided all they could in facilitating the gig made Thornton Little Theatre the obvious choice.
Sean’s main focus is that the project be self sustaining. He has been recruiting young people from the local area to help plan the BBC gig in the hope that this will facilitate them being in a position to continue and arrange further such events themselves. The greatest challenges to many new, young bands are trying to find an unlicensed all age appropriate venue with the appropriate space to host an audience two or three hundred strong. Sean had previously gigged at Thornton Little Theatre and found it to have a great space, a nice quiet bar and felt that in the absence of a similar venue in Blackpool that is prepared to host an all age gig, this was the cream of the crop.
The evening will include music from Mike Dignam, David Shurr, Jess Roberts and Jamie Brewer.
Preston born singer/songwriter Mike Dignam has been around since about 2008 and has just come off tour after supporting Lawson. Mike has a really strong following as well as an impressive back catalogue of tracks which he delivers in the ‘get girls hearts melting’ kind of way. I was surprised to discover that he remains an independent artist despite some really strong material and ten thousand strong Twitter following.
David Shurr is a regular on the ‘BBC Introducing Lancashire’ show. He is a working musician who has a great reputation for the hard work and professionalism he puts into supporting the local music scene as well as his involvement in the ‘Sofa Sessions.’ He apparently has a series of really lovely songs with beautiful vocals that wouldn’t be amiss at festivals like The Big Chill.
19 year old Lytham girl, Jess Roberts, is a local talent who has a voice that combines soul, country and a mature quality which is quite astonishing and she writes fantastic songs despite only writing her own music for about three years. Her unique style of music has already drawn a lot of attention and she received a nomination for the Horizon Award at the British Country Music Awards 2013.
Completing the line up is Jamie Brewer, a stunning acoustic guitarist who manages to wow artists with honest, no-frills, no multi-tracking talent. In the past he’s been invited to play alongside Jon Gomm and also at Abbey Road for the BBC Introducing Masterclass. Another ‘Sofa Sessions’ regular and a great talent to round the night off with.
Talking to Sean McGinty, who hails from Blackpool originally and hosts the BBC Introducing Lancashire every Saturday from 8pm, it is evident to see the passion he has for the live music scene in our area. About the recent closure of the Blue Room and other venues on the scene fighting to make an impact he said, “It’s very difficult to decide what to do. The Blue Room lost its way, but I’m a firm believer that if there’s still a community making things happen then there’s always a chance. I’m very much into collaboration and I’ve the faith that we could do that.”
He believes that Blackpool lacks a venue with the qualities of Thornton Little Theatre and hopes that in the future this will change. However he speaks highly of TLT and says “At the end of the day, it’s only down the road from Blackpool and it’s a fantastic space with a supportive team.”
So get onto www.bbc.co.uk/tickets to book your FREE tickets to see the best of our local unsigned talent. Doors open at 6:30pm on Saturday 10 August and at prices like those you’d be an IDIOT to miss out!
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