British Invasion hits the Osale Rooms

The Osale Rooms were transported back in time to 60’s Hamburg on Tuesday Night as the Priestley College BTEC music year 1 performed songs from the Fab four and others to an appreciative audience of friends and family.

This was the 1st time some of the performers had played in a proper venue, but the confidence and showmanship displayed belied their inexperience.

First up was Help! who performed 4 songs, the highlight being  A Hard Day’s Night. They were followed by Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (sadly minus the costumes) who finished their set with a rousing rendition of The Who’s Pinball Wizard.

Third up was Revolver (and my favourites on the night) who performed 3 tracks form the album of the same name plus Come Together and finished with a storming version The Kinks’ All Day and All of the Night. Last but by no means least were Let It Be who finished with an excellent vocal performance with their version of Let It Be.

Several things came across during the evening; one was the obvious pride and encouragement seen throughout the audience, secondly the enjoyment and closeness of friends and colleagues during all 4 sets, but most striking was the outstanding commitment and hard work these future rock and pop stars are putting into their studies. In an age of X Factor and Autotune manipulation it is so refreshing to see young talent not only playing their own instruments but also showing a passion and dedication to their art.

Many thanks to everyone who performed for a brilliant evening. Keep working hard and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

The Archive.

So why a Gig Archive for Warrington

So my brother forwards a link to a photo of Fergal Sharkey from the Undertones (http://www.rockarchive.com/the-undertones_photo_print_un001sshe.html) with a caption saying it was taken in Warrington in 1981. Curious as to where in Warrington I did some digging and eventually got in contact with the photographer Sid Sheldon who said it was taken on a Sounds tour and appeared on the front cover of the magazine but he wasn’t sure it was actually taken in Warrington.

We tracked down a copy of the magazine to find it was taken in a club in Chester but during our searching we found an amazing array of artists that had played in our fair town over the years. So the idea was born to create this site as an archive of the gigs and appearances down the years. Over the coming weeks and months we hope to create a definitive guide to the when and where of the Warrington Music scene ranging for the biggest bands in the world to local talents both new and old.

We need your help as well. We want you to delve into the memory banks and tell us about the bands you have seen appearing in Warrington Venues. Were you at Deep Purple’s first gig at the Lion? Did you dance the night away at the Heaven and Hell Club in Bewsey. You can contact us here at warringtongigarchive@gmail.com. Have you any photos, ticket stubs or playbills from performances in Warrington? Let us know and help to build a comprehensive history of music in our town.

We also want to champion the superstars of tomorrow so if you play and gig around Warrington or your organising gigs at your venue let us know and we can help spread the word. (We’re on twitter at @iheartwazza)

We hope you’ll be able to contribute to our little project or find something on here to interest you.

The Archive.

P.S A special thank you to Sid Sheldon for inadvertently planting the idea for the site and the signed copy of the photo that started it all.

The Archive