THE health of Warrington’s music scene is often called into question.

Live music venues have closed, bands have come and gone and, of course, indie pop group Viola Beach, the brightest hope for putting the town on the music map, tragically died in 2016 just as they were being tipped for great things.

But Slydigs’ homecoming proved in one glorious night how strong and distinctive Warrington music is – and that the future is looking bright.

The ‘Five Years of [WAM]’ concert featured four acts who are all from the town or just outside including Slydigs, Winachi Tribe, The Ks and Psyblings.

Often when you go to a showcase like this, where the bands have come from the same scene, all the music can end up sounding alike. But what was so impressive about this particular gig was how diverse the artists’ styles were.

First up was Psyblings, who we last saw at the Parr Hall for the Viola Beach tribute celebration. They took to the stage just minutes after doors opened but within moments had gathered quite a crowd.

Frontman Greg Dixon has a sort of magnetic stage presence.

You cannot help but watch what he does and the band’s raucous, grunge sound – tinged with a little psychedelia – was corralled into tight song structures. If Psyblings represent Warrington’s heavy rock scene then The Ks fly the flag for indie pop.

They were the newest band of the night. With the current line-up, The Ks have only been going for a year.

And yet their chemistry and polished sound would easily leave you thinking they have been around a lot longer.

There has been a lot of buzz around The Ks since the release of their single, Sarajevo, which has had around 600,000 plays on Spotify.

But all their songs had that anthemic quality which they blasted out with confidence and passion. Their set was one of the highlights of the night.

Fresh from a tour of the United States’ West Coast, Winachi Tribe singer Liam Croker said: ‘There’s no place like home’ as he sized up the crowd, unfazed.

Inspired as much by Tricky and Grandmaster Flash as they are by Happy Mondays and Primal Scream, the band got the Parr Hall into a groove.

The standing area of the venue was heaving by this point with revellers dancing and throwing their hands into the air.

Winachi Tribe’s line-up also includes Ian Brown’s percussion legend Inder Goldfinger who played a Zildjian spiral trash cymbal which was as incredible to look at as much as it offered a unique element to the sound.

In terms of delivery and style, the memorising band were unlike anything else that evening.

Slydigs then closed the show to rapturous applause. It is incredible to think how far these Burtonwood lads have gone and to follow them on that journey.

Their riff-laden classic rock and roll formula harked back to the 1960s and 70s. No wonder they were chosen by The Who to join them for their North American and European tours.

The charismatic four-piece seem to have learnt a lot about stagecraft since then because they looked self-assured and at home on the town’s biggest stage. They capped off what was an incredible night all around.

DAVID MORGAN