A new generation took its place in Blackpool’s musical history after stunning Blackpool Live gig

Blackpool Live continued its mission to put the resort back on the map as a serious live music destination with a bill that brought together the new generation, Britpop favourites and one of the North West’s most enduring guitar bands.

Opening the night, Pastel, a Swansea band with strong Mancunian roots, took to the stage with a confidence that backed up the quality of their songs. Their set borrowed heavily from debut album Souls In Motion, with Soho a perfect example of the power this band delivers.

Even more impressive was the reaction to new song Heaven If You Want It, with the Blackpool crowd joining in with the chorus despite hearing it for the first time. For guitarist James Yates, playing Blackpool Live was more than another date on the tour.

“When you think about all the people that play here, to add our name to that list… it’s a big achievement,” he said, adding that the key to Blackpool’s musical future is simply keeping the momentum going. “I think just keep putting events like this on… as long as this keeps happening and the gigs keep getting put on regular… it just needs that commitment.”

Echobelly followed, with Sonya Madan’s distinctive, dreamy vocals remaining at the heart of the band’s sound. Car Fiction, Great Things and Dark Therapy all showcased why Echobelly remain such an important part of the British alternative scene, but it was King Of The Kerb that prompted the biggest cheer of the night.

Overall this was a classy performance that demonstrated the value of Blackpool Live’s approach — bringing artists with an established history together with newer acts who are still writing their own story.

For Sonya, Blackpool is clearly a special place. “It’s one of the most iconic areas in the country,” she says. “It deserves to have some sort of gratitude for what it’s given to the rest of the country. I’m really, really happy to be here. And this place is just amazing. It’s a great place.”

Sleeper then brought a huge dose of Britpop nostalgia, but there was nothing nostalgic about the energy on stage. Louise Wener remains an iconic front woman and, at 60, delivered a performance full of youthful energy.

Set standouts included the fan-favourites Nice Guy Eddie and The Sun Also Rises, but it was a mid-set cover of Blondie’s Atomic sandwiching a memorable version of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart that created the most energy in the room before Sale Of The Century brought their set to a fitting conclusion.

Kieron Pepper, who has been part of Sleeper’s story for decades, believes Blackpool could build something genuinely significant by connecting established artists with the emerging local scene. “You could do like a Great Escape Style Festival where you use lots of different venues… and you get new young bands turning up and you do it over a couple of days,” he said.

“But it’s got to be done right and for the right reasons. It has to benefit the local scene and the local people.”

Finally it was time for Cast to take to the stage. John Power and his band brought the experience of one of Britain’s most enduring guitar groups to a town with a remarkable musical history of its own. For Power, Blackpool has always had something almost magical about it.

He remembers the town from childhood, with ‘the lights and the beach and the fairgrounds and all that,’ describing it as having ‘that sort of old romantic’ feeling. “I mean playing a show… it sounded like a good gig because, you know, it’s kind of… anything by the sea… it’s fun, isn’t it?”

That sense of romance and history was evident throughout Cast’s headline performance, with Power also acknowledging the significance of playing the Winter Gardens — a venue that has welcomed generations of legendary artists.

And perhaps that is what Blackpool Live is ultimately trying to achieve: not simply bringing bands to town, but creating another chapter in a musical story that already stretches back decades.

National tenor legend Alfie Boe is a huge supporter of Blackpool Live’s mission. As an artist who has performed everywhere from Blackpool’s working men’s clubs to its major stages, he believes the resort has everything it needs to build on that history:

“Blackpool is so close to my heart. The amount of people who have tread the boards in this town… it is incredible and we have to keep that going,” said Boe, who believes the next step is creating more opportunities for the musicians coming through now. “There’s a lot of really good musicians already in the area that don’t get the opportunity to perform, so create more festivals, create more opportunities for people to get on stage and entertain.”

And while reflecting on Blackpool’s extraordinary entertainment history, he also recalled the opportunity the town once had to become the “Vegas of the North” — something he believes could have transformed its future. “I think it was a bit of a shame… but we’ve still got the chance to do it. We could still do it.”

For Boe, that means building on what Blackpool already has rather than trying to become something it is not. “We’ve got the infrastructure here,” he said, pointing to the town’s established venues and grassroots music scene.

The message from Blackpool Live is much the same. The history is here. The venues are here. The artists are here. The challenge now is making sure the music — old and new — keeps bringing people back to Blackpool.