SCOUTING For Girls will headline Warrington Music Festival 2014, the Guardian can reveal.

The London trio will close the Golden Square stage on Sunday, July 20, after a weekend celebrating the town’s music scene.

It follows Happy Mondays’ set last year when 2,000 fans packed into the town centre to watch one of the first performances by the original line-up in 19 years.

Chris Persoglio, one of the festival organisers and manager at Parr Hall, said: “I'm really pleased that we've been able secure Scouting For Girls for this year's festival.

“As always, the focus is showcasing local and regional artists.

“Giving them the unique opportunity to play alongside a band who have had three top 10 albums gives them a real professional platform from which they can showcase their material to a wider audience.”

Scouting For Girls made the journey from playing pubs in Harrow and Ruislip to headlining Wembley Arena, selling two million records along the way.

Frontman Roy Stride met drummer Pete Ellard at Cubs which later inspired the name of the band which came from the 1908 handbook, Scouting for Boys.

“Roy was my sixer,” added Pete.

“He told me what to do then and he’s been telling me what to do for 20-odd years.”

The pair stayed friends but Scouting For Girls were really born on a cold February evening in 1995 when Suede came to Watford Coliseum.

Roy and his school friend Greg Churchouse went together. It was their first gig and it made them dream about what it would be like to be up on stage.

Bassist Greg said: “We were sat cross-legged at the back having a cheeky under-age beer.

“This magical, mystical experience blew our minds.

Roy added: “That night we knew we’d form a band.

“We couldn’t play instruments but we both thought ‘we’ll do this or we’ll die trying’.”

After 10 years of bedroom rehearsals and two years of hard touring they made their breakthrough.

After two years of hard touring, ‘Everybody Wants To Be On TV’ reached number two in the charts.

‘This Ain’t A Love Song’ gave them their first number one single.

“A real turning point,” said Roy.

“We knew then we weren’t going to go away,” said Roy, who has written songs for One Direction, Olly Murs and Alexandra Burke.

Festival organiser Steve Oates added: “I'm really please that Scouting For Girls have agreed to round off the Warrington Music Festival this year.

“They're a great band, with fantastic songs, who are perfect for a summer's evening out with friends in the square.”

Tickets are £20 and go on sale on Friday. Visit pyramidparrhall.com or call 442345.

For details and line-up of Warrington Music Festival will be unveiled in the coming weeks but last year there was more than 60 acts across seven stages.

- The deadline for musicians and bands wanting to play at Warrington Music Festival between July 18 and 20 is this Friday.

For all the details send an email to iwanttoplay@warringtonmusicfestival.com