Blackpool Live: Weekend with Doves and The Pigeon Detectives proved why Blackpool is a live music destination

Two nights, eight bands and one very big question: can Blackpool once again become a destination for live music?

Judging by the fifth and sixth events in the inaugural Blackpool Live series, the answer from the thousands who packed the Winter Gardens was emphatically positive.

The idea behind Blackpool Live is about more than simply putting bands on a stage. It’s to encourage people to make a day or weekend of their visit, combining the town’s attractions, seafront, bars and restaurants with live music in one of Britain’s most historic entertainment venues.

And over Friday and Saturday, the formula produced two very different but equally convincing nights.

Friday began with Bank Holiday, a young band still at the beginning of its journey, before the increasingly intense Ist Ist, the atmospheric The Slow Readers Club and headline act Doves.

Bank Holiday’s appearance was significant simply because of what it represented: giving a new band the opportunity to stand on the same bill as established artists in one of the country’s most famous venues.

With the band enjoying massive success with their debut single Out of the Blue frontman Mac McCartney told me the band already have their next three singles ready, with the timing of their

release still to be confirmed. He recognises what a huge opportunity this is for Bank Holiday and other bands need to be given the same opportunities.

”This is a great venue, so historic, and the list of people who’ve played here is incredible. This is only our third gig as a band and to play somewhere of this size is fantastic!”

“There’s not many independent venues left,” he said, pointing to the closure of grassroots venues elsewhere.

He also spoke warmly about the Blackpool identity of the event, recalling childhood trips to Pleasure Beach, Coral Island and the Sandcastle.

The contrast between the newcomers and the established acts was exactly what made the Friday bill work.

Ist Ist followed with a powerful set which included I Am the Fear, Lost My Shadow, The Kiss, End of the River, Warning Signs, No Mercy, Encouragement and Stamp You Out. The Manchester band’s performance was exhilarating from the outset, building an increasingly intense atmosphere as Adam Houghton’s vocals cut through the dark, driving sound.

For Houghton, Blackpool has a personal connection. He played his second-ever gig in the town at the age of 17, and was delighted to see moves to promote the Winter Gardens as a major live destination.

”It’s fantastic that they’re using such an amazing place to rekindle some kind of thing,” he said.

He also saw the mixture of established and emerging artists as one of Blackpool Live’s strengths.

”It’s definitely like a reset button and a new way forward,” he said of the opportunities being given to younger bands.

The Slow Readers Club continued the momentum with a set that moved through Technofear, You Opened Up My Heart, Plant the Seed, Everything I Own, The Wait, Boy So Blue, Forever in Your Debt, Know This I Am, I Saw a Ghost and Lunatic.

Then came Doves. Opening with Words, they quickly demonstrated why the Winter Gardens is such an appropriate home for Blackpool Live. Carousels, Rise, Cold Dreaming and Sea Song brought the band’s expansive, atmospheric sound into a room whose own history seems to amplify every note.

Firesuite, Winter Hill and Catch the Sun provided further highlights before Cycle of Hurt saw drummer Andy Williams move centre stage, adding another dimension to a performance that was as much about atmosphere as volume.

Doves have played Blackpool before, but their affection for the town and its venues was clear.

”This is the kind of venue people won’t make anymore,” frontman Jez Williams said, arguing that buildings with genuine character should be protected rather than stripped of their identity.

”You’ve got to keep buildings with this history... modernise it, keep the character, keep the identity.”

They also believe Blackpool’s location can work in its favour.

”It’s a seaside. It’s a different place to go,” they said, suggesting that audiences from Manchester, Liverpool and elsewhere could be encouraged to make the journey precisely because Blackpool offers something different from the usual touring circuit.

If Friday demonstrated that Blackpool Live can bring together new and established artists, Saturday made the argument even more strongly. And nowhere was that more important than with Alright.

The Blackpool band opened the second night in front of an audience that included thousands of people who had travelled to see The Pigeon Detectives and The Rifles, but for Joe Darnell and his bandmates this was about much more than another support slot.

”This genuinely is our dream venue,” Darnell said when I asked about playing the Winter Gardens.

The band formed during lockdown when playing music was initially little more than a hobby alongside their careers but they have spent the past five years building towards moments like this.

When the Blackpool Live invitation arrived, Darnell said part of him had been thinking, “surely we’re gonna get a shot here”. Now they had their opportunity.

”Yeah, absolutely,”; he said when asked whether the band felt they were representing Blackpool.

”I think we are actually the only local band that managed to get on any of the events.”

This gave their performance an added significance.

Alright’s set included Tangerine Dream, a song that perhaps more than any other captures their connection to the Fylde coast. The crowd responded strongly, with Darnell’s movements being copied by those in front of the stage, while the band’s vocal harmonies and range demonstrated how much they have developed since those early lockdown rehearsals.

Their forthcoming single Lonely Chapters also landed strongly, giving the audience an early taste of what is to come ahead of the band’s debut EP in November.

But it was the meaning behind the music that made Alright’s appearance particularly appropriate.

Darnell explained that many of their songs deal directly with where they come from.

”A lot of our songs do refer to Blackpool or your hometown," he said, explaining that they are interested in finding "the things to be proud of within that town.”

He talked about the sense of community that comes from growing up in a northern working-class town and resisting the idea that success necessarily means leaving home behind.

”Don’t forget how much you’ve got from that place as well,” he said, referring to the community and identity that can remain even when people move elsewhere. That sense of place runs directly into Tangerine Dream and the band’s wider identity.

And he believes Blackpool already has what it needs to become a destination for bands.

”We’ve got the venues here,” he said, pointing to the town’s mixture of larger spaces and smaller venues. He also believes nights like Blackpool Live can create a momentum of their own.

”Hopefully it is the start of something that carries on,” he said. “The town deserves it and people will come to this town for a good time.”

For Darnell, there was also something deeply satisfying about seeing his band sharing a poster with artists he had grown up watching.

”You’re thinking this would be an opportunity but when it actually came through, we were like, wow, this is it, let’ have a go.”

And there was a simple ambition behind stepping onto that Winter Gardens stage: ”We want to go on there and do the town proud.”

M60 followed, bringing their Manchester perspective to a Blackpool crowd.

They opened with Honey, a song that has remained with the band for 15 years. Despite everything that has changed around them, it remains a fixture in their live set — and one that had the Winter Gardens audience singing along.

Lead singer Matt Morton described the response as an honour.

”We always love carrying Honey with us because we wrote it when were 15 years old and the fact we can still drag it everywhere we go today and everyone screams the words to it is an honour.”

The poignant This Old Town followed, its themes of home and belonging particularly appropriate in a weekend built around reconnecting a town with its musical identity.

As Morton explained, the song is about spending years dreaming of escape, only to realise that the people and memories associated with home remain important wherever life takes you.

”Ultimately, you’re tied back to your home and your old town by the people you’re spending time with,” he said.

Morton also had a straightforward answer when asked what Blackpool needs to do to attract more bands.

”I think nights like this,” he said. “The more the scene just grows, the more indie nights you have around the city, the more chance you’ve got of it growing.”

He added: “The more out-of-town bands that come in, surely the more the scene will grow.”

The Rifles then brought another generation of British guitar music to the Winter Gardens.

Opening with She’s Got Standards, they immediately demonstrated the understated confidence that has become a hallmark of the band. Joel Stoker’s flat cap and black parka matched the music’s unpretentious character, while the performance carried the experience of a band who have spent two decades moving between intimate venues and much larger stages.

Joe was also struck by the building itself.

”We come here and we’re blown away by it,” he said. “It is impressive.”

Joe sees an opportunity for Blackpool to make greater use of its collection of venues, suggesting something along the lines of Brighton’s Great Escape, with different stages and venues operating across the town.

”You’ve got to give them a reason,” he said.

That phrase could almost serve as a manifesto for Blackpool Live.

The final word on Saturday night belonged to The Pigeon Detectives — and Matt Bowman’s performance was anything but restrained.

Opening with This Is an Emergency, Bowman immediately began working every inch of the stage, jumping around monitors and amplifiers before launching into a performance that included water being thrown to the fans, spectacular leaps and what could reasonably be described as Olympic-standard gymnastics.

I Found Out, I Don&’t Mind, Done in Secret, Falling to Pieces and Everybody Wants Me kept the momentum high before the band closed with I’m Not Sorry.

At one point Bowman went into the crowd, turning the Winter Gardens floor into an extension of the stage.

And his verdict on Blackpool was delivered with characteristic enthusiasm: “Blackpool is class! It’s like Scarborough but with a personality.”

For a band that has spent 20 years touring the country, this was only their second visit to Blackpool.

Bowman believes the solution is consistency.

”Keep bringing in good bands,” he said. “Good bands talk to each other and then fans will start to look forward to coming to Blackpool.”

That may ultimately be the most important lesson from this weekend.

Blackpool does not need to pretend it is Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds or London. It has its own identity, its own history and, as the packed Winter Gardens demonstrated, an audience willing to support major live music. After two nights this weekend, the most encouraging thing was not simply that the bands came, it was that the audiences came with them.