by Will Nox
THIS year’s Warrington Music Festival was a day of talented musicians performing to hundreds of people on stages in Golden Square and Times Square.
It was a great day out and an amazing way to find and support local bands, or to kick off your own band career with audiences gathering to hear new talent. Out of the 20+ bands playing, I managed to see nine incredible artists, and even saw them a couple times, but before raving about those bands, I want to talk about the event itself.
Starting in 2007 Warrington Music Festival has supported its local bands, providing them with a stage to perform on. The popularity of these bands varies; some are very new to the scene, becoming crowd favourites, while others are well-developed and established crowd favourites. Along with helping local bands build their audiences and reach new ones, it also allows talents of others to be broadcasted, such as, tech crews, photographers, DJs, sound tech, journalists alike and so many more. So much can be provided through Warrington Music Festival, even at least just being a fun day out, and… it’s free!
Before talking about the bands I was incredibly lucky to see, I want to give some form of appreciation to those who organise, run and manage events like these. So much work behind the scenes goes into events like this so, if you know anyone that helped in some way, give ‘em a little acknowledgement.
Now, to the brief band reviews, in order of the day, innit that good?
Kicking off Warrington Music Festival was an incredible set from Misery Misery. They’re really amazing, a lively start to an incredible day. Their set demonstrated their incredible stage presence and musical talent, each being incredibly proficient with their instruments. Setlist was incredible, catchy and lively, an amazing way to kickstart an event like this. What was also amazing is seeing them, after their set, showing up to other performances, showing support for their fellow bands.
Following directly on from Misery Misery was The Locks.
The Locks – Picture Will Nox
Their set was lively, energetic and good fun. They had an amazing stage presence that really engaged the audience and in return, the audience was really responsive and encouraging. They all worked so well together on stage, showing amazing stagemanship. And I must say, personally, I loved the harmonica that was used in one of their songs. Once again, I saw them supporting their fellow bands too.
With an engaging set, a little bit later after The Locks were The Lunar Youth. An incredible group with a really fun set that even featured important political messages, which really made me smile, before anyone kicks off, music has and always will be political. Moving on, they were really talented and had such an incredible set, definitely worth checking out. I’ve also heard that they’re lovely.
Lunar Youth
I then saw Buffalo Riot, an incredible solo artist with amazing vocals and musical talent. Though I only, admittedly, got to see half of his set, it was amazing, really emotive and a nice shift to a gentler atmosphere to the event. And while so many may not enjoy that, it was really lovely. Really talented vocalists and guitarists, genuinely wish I could have seen the set in its integrity, but I will now always look out for Buffalo Riot, I cannot stress how talented they are.
Again, unfortunately I did not get to see her full set, but from what I did see, Kim Jennett is an amazing vocalist and performer. I loved every second of her set, she was really engaging with the audience and portrayed so much emotion through her performance. Again a very talented solo artist, definitely someone that you want to look out for. I managed to catch her briefly, to say how much I loved her set, and she’s really lovely, so definitely check her out.
Collusion had a really fun set, they were really talented and seemed to be having a lot of fun while playing. They had an amazing style to their playing and were amazingly talented in their respected instruments. Throughout the day I also saw them watching and supporting other bands too which is very cool. They had a great energy to them and are definitely worth checking out.
Another lively set from the incredible Fordton Leisure. Kicking off their set with a heavier more metal-focused style of music, they had really nice basslines (I’m biassed towards basslines) and incredible stage presence. Their confidence on stage was amazing and their crowd interactions were entertaining and just really genuine. They all work really well together and I would definitely see them again
I was lucky enough to see both of her sets and I can confidently say, Olivia Booth never disappoints. With amazing vocals and stage presence she is always amazing. What I love about Olivia Booth is her genuinity on stage and how fun her performances are. She also is always happy to chat to people after a set if she can. You always feel appreciated in her audience and you get an amazing set . I will definitely be seeing her live again, so you should see her live too. And if you can see her twice in one day, I would highly recommend it. Also, check out her instagram for new music releases.
And now, why you are all here. No, I’m just kidding, but once again, of course, it’s Freight time. There will never come a day where I have talked about how amazing Freight is enough. I love seeing them live and yesterday, both of their sets were lively, fun and everything you’d want from a performance. With great audience interactions and energetic performances, they really are amazing. As well as previewing some new tracks Freight also played their debut single ‘Me’ which comes out of the 4th so go pre save it. Again Freight are also happy to talk to people after a set and they are all genuinely lovely, so go see them if you get the chance.
If you feel bad that you missed out on these incredible artists, don’t fret, Warrington Music Fest is an annual event and next year, I’m sure there’ll be a few familiar faces and some new ones. Also, you can always go check out the socials for the bands you want to see, just to see if they have any gigs or music lined up. Chances are they will.
In conclusion, get down to local events like Warrington Music Festival if you can, support your local artists, check out those I have and haven’t mentioned and listen to their music, or pre-save it if it isn’t out yet. Keep events like this alive by visiting them.
Happy Listening!
Picture: Will Nox
