Columnist Lee Harman champions the town’s music scene through his platform Warrington Music [WAM].

FIRST of all, my thoughts are with the friends and family of The Kairos, and I wish Tom Dempsey and Lewis Chambers well in their recovery after a tragic incident in Liverpool when they were stabbed on a night out. I hope they’re back on stage soon.

It seems the true northern powerhouse is the great music that is coming through this part of the world. Like many bands, all the exciting ones seem to have a prefix of ‘The’ – The Lathums from Wigan, The Blinders from Doncaster via Manchester, The Lottery Winners from Leigh and of course Earlestown’s own The Ks.

It’s funny how things always come full circle with names. It’s an exciting time for music with a whole new wave of acts. The comeback is on for guitars.

Which got me thinking about who will be among the next bands to be dubbed the ‘next big thing’.

Success breeds success and bands and artists in the town are savvy about what it takes to be a performing artist. It’s not just about the music, but about growing an organic network of fans and keeping those people engaged via social media.

You’re more likely to see what a band member gets up to off the stage than on it if you go onto their Instagram Stories. That’s a great thing about upcoming artists – most are just like their peers, save for a lucky break or a ‘gold star song’ that burrows into your ear.

If you’ve been following [WAM] recently you’ll know we think Abi Rose Kelly, pictured, is doing brilliant and congratulations to her on reaching 40,000 streams for debut single ‘James’ Corsa.

As our featured artist at a recent open mic night, we see her more confident with every show. Meanwhile, The Lotts (there it is again) have been at Rockfield Studios recording new music and are doing things the right way with quality shows and great tracks.

And big thank you to The A.V Club for inviting me to their latest headline show in February. The new EP sounds amazing. The town has amazing talent and it’s visible all year around so this year’s Warrington Music Festival could be the best one yet. Let’s hope there’s news on that soon.

I’ve also had the pleasure of stepping into the [WAM] Exposure seat recently as regular host Mike’s had some time off. We’re up to week 40 now, which is an amazing achievement.

I have to thank Mike for all his hard work, always putting on a fantastic show. Tune into Radio Warrington 1332am, Saturdays from 5pm.

Finally, I turned back the clock recently when I announced the revival of my Asylum club night at FC2 on Friday, March 27. I’m delighted that alternative music is finally back at a town centre club.