Lee Harman has been championing the Warrington music scene for more than two years.

In his latest column for Weekend the former Woolston High School reflects on Pixie Lott playing an open air gig in the town and dwindling opportunities for Warrington's homegrown artists.

HAVING come back from Download Festival on Monday, I looked on the Warrington Guardian website to see what I had been missing.

Pixie Lott has been announced to play in our back yard, Bank Park on September 19, as part of Warrington Festival.

That's great, except, reading more about the event, I couldn't help but feel there was a word missing somewhere. What I really would have liked to see was news on the future of Warrington Music Festival which was called off this year.

Warrington Festival (not to be confused with annual music event above) may be designed for people to celebrate sport, culture and entertainment across the borough.

But where is the opportunity for Warrington's artists to get their chance to shine? I’m not entirely sure Warrington Festival has the answer to that.

So, why wasn't there something arranged for the great talent of Warrington to show itself off in lieu of July’s cancelled music festival?

There are a dwindling number of venues across the town for live music and the scene is on life support.

The Pyramid and Parr Hall are nigh-on inaccessible to the town's unsigned artists due to the high fees, which is a shame as they are great venues.

For those missing the buzz waiting for the summer festival, we still have last year’s compilation which includes Slydigs, Roughneck Riot, The Black Circles plus many more which you can download for free over at warringtonmusic.bandcamp.com.

Also free to download is The Electric Mafia’s single, ‘Breakdown’.

This is a great teaser of what is to come from the album, Across The Land, which I’m very much looking forward to.

This Saturday, we have plenty in the town for the rockers out there, with Havoc 51 returning to Porters in Buttermarket Street, while at The Orford Hotel in Gorsey Lane, we have Kris Fogg, who may be the UK’s only solo metal vocalist.

Sunday, July 12, sees a familiar face returning to Warrington in the form of Shaun Rider who along with Kermit, make up Black Grape, with 2015 being the 20th anniversary of their number one release, It’s Great When You're Straight…Yeah.

If you’re a fan of Happy Mondays, the mad carnival that disregards boundaries between rap, house, rock, soul, and pop that is Black Grape, is just the band for you.

For those who need a regular fix for music, remember, every Thursday at The Lounge in Springfield Street is open mic/acoustic night so check it out.