SHOWS headlined by Warrington artists are like buses at the Parr Hall – you wait for ages and then two come along.

Slydigs may be taking to the stage next month, but first we celebrate Independent Venue Week, which give opportunities to many of our favourite grassroots bands.

With a crowd of more than 400 friends, family and fans who travelled from far and wide to be there, the showcase fittingly was held in a venue which has so much history to it.

Opening the night were Big Sky, formerly The Tamalas, and if there were any first night nerves they didn’t show with a set which left many excited to see what was next.

Former Warrington Music Festival headliners The Ambersons were next who reformed for this show.

Their excitement to be back on stage was contagious with frontman Midge Fairnington performing in front of a proud son.

And classics such as Isobel alongside new track Doodlebugs have never sounded better.

St Helens band Weekend Wars continued their takeover of the town with frontman Jack Arnold jumping off the stage to get closer to the audience.

They shocked many when they announced that the Parr Hall show would be their last – but they promised me backstage it isn’t the end, just the next step.

Delphina Kings and Pacific are both bands who relished being on the biggest stage in town.

Having honed their craft through the likes of the Plugged youth music events at the Pyramid centre next door, and now all in their early 20s, they’ve have had the opportunity to craft their own sound and could be future headliners themselves.

With the crowd packed out to the front and anticipation rising, Man and The Echo treated the audience to tracks from their self-titled debut album, alongside two new tracks which show guitarist and singer, Gaz Roberts pulling no punches when it comes to the Tory government.

Tonight is more than a sum of the bands playing.

It’s about celebrating the fantastic talent the town has to offer and seeing that unsigned and homegrown artists can weave themselves into the history of the Parr Hall alongside the likes of Arctic Monkeys and The Stone Roses.

No matter who they are, they all start in an independent venue.