STARSAILOR will be headlining Warrington Festival in a day that will pay tribute to Viola Beach’s legacy, Warrington Guardian can exclusively reveal.

The band, which includes Warrington’s Ben Byrne and James ‘Stel’ Stelfox, will perform at Bank Park on Saturday, September 17.

It will be the quartet’s first open air gig in the town and their first appearance in Warrington since they released their greatest hits last year.

Their headline slot will follow a day of performances from bands in tribute to Viola Beach and their Woolston manager, Craig Tarry, who tragically died in a crash in Sweden in February.

Starsailor drummer Ben and bassist Stel met at St Oswald’s Primary School.

They formed the band when they met frontman James Walsh at Wigan and Leigh Music College. Keyboardist Barry Westhead joined later, completing the line-up.

An NME review of one of their gigs led to a bidding war by record labels in 2000.

Their debut album, Love is Here, and 2003 follow-up, Silence is Easy, both hit number two in the charts and they had sold three million records before a hiatus in 2009.

Since their reformation in 2014, the band has played on the main stage at the Isle of Wight festival, supported Manchester indie band, James and toured North America with Embrace.

The Saturday event will be part of a wider weekend of music and two weeks of events across the town celebrating sport, culture and entertainment.

You can also take a trip back in time during the second Warrington Festival.

Get your big wigs and leg warmers at the ready because 80s icons Go West, Nik Kershaw and T’Pau are coming together for the opening night of the event.

The three acts will kick off a two-week celebration of culture, sport and entertainment at Bank Park on Friday, September 16.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Go West’s first hit single, We Close Our Eyes.

Many other hits followed including Call Me, Goodbye Girl, Don’t Look Down, Faithful, and the theme song from Pretty Woman, King of Wishful Thinking.

Nik Kershaw first achieved chart success in 1984 with Wouldn’t It Be Good?

He also penned The One and Only for Chesney Hawkes and his music was recently featured on the soundtrack to the Eddie the Eagle film.

T’Pau’s first single Heart and Soul was released in 1987 and initially found success in the US after being featured in a Pepe Jeans advert before charting in the UK.

Their biggest hit China in Your Hand hit the top spot in the UK later that year, and stayed at number one for five weeks.

- Tickets go on sale on Monday at 9am. Visit pyramidparrhall.com

- Any band or artist from the north west can apply to play at the festival at warringtonfestival.org/contact-us