Wrexham Music Scene Blog

By Martyn Coppack

Wrexham Music Scene – News, Views and Interviews

It is a truth universally acknowledged that when we talk about music scenes in the UK the focus always seems to be on either London or Manchester. This wasn’t always the case, with Liverpool being the most obvious exception to the rule both in the 1960’s and 1980’s. Unfortunately it is a sad fact that if a band wants to break it big they will have to up sticks, lug there gear from where-ever they come from and move to where the music sharks hang out. These music sharks or A&R men to give them their proper name will generally be situated at what they see is the centre of the universe and outside of that area is just a desert filled with musical luddites who solely exist to fall at their feet and worship the aforementioned newest, brightest star.

As music fans we all know this not to be true and that in any given provincial town there are any number of groups, singer-songwriters, DJ’s and creatives who are fighting to get there work heard. If they’re lucky they may get a break and get some airplay and hopefully some column inches but all this adds up to is a sick sort of Andy Warholian fantasy which doesn’t even amount to 15 minutes of fame. The end result and possibly the most sad is that a lot of good music is going unheard.

Wrexham, situated in North Wales is one of these provincial towns. For years there was nothing happening apart from pub cover bands and the odd original music. Perhaps it was due to boredom (always good for creative juices) but suddenly a scene started to thrive. Started by a group of like-minded musicians who were tired of the rivalry that seemed to exist between the various different bands they decided to start their own night showcasing the best music around the local area. It all sounds so simple, create a community who all share the same tastes and bring it together under one roof. The community became known as Redi Nights and at its peak was the premier night out in Wrexham.

That was around fifteen years ago. Bringing things up to date we now have a variety of promoters doing their own nights each focusing on their own brand of music. In some ways this has been to the detriment of the scene as the original ethos was all music under one roof. Once again the various factions have split off and we have specially dedicated nights to dance music, rock music, indie music and folk music. What this amounts to is that people can only afford to go to one of the nights and so the community becomes torn.

One promoter who is attempting to bring this community back together again is Bob Spectrum. Realising what was happening to the local music scene he has grasped at the original ethos and started putting on nights showcasing an eclectic mix of music again. By working together with another promoter in the Wrexham area, Cygnini events, he has linked the quieter folk evenings which generally take place on a Sunday or in the week with the party atmosphere of a weekend. By utilising a variety of venues for his cause it has also prevented malaise setting in.

After a slight lull in the Wrexham scene where some of the older guard had either split up or in some cases moved on there now seems to be a new renaissance. Maybe it’s linked to a generational ideal or maybe it’s something to do with trend changes. It is likely that lulls happen everywhere and we can look at the bigger cities for a clearer picture of that. Older, more experienced bands such as Heal The Last Stand and Roseville Band have set out on worldwide jaunts leaving a gap in the market for new, upcoming bands. Chief among these newer bands have been Gallops and JKLMNO each who have played at major festivals in the last few years. Left at home, for the time being perhaps, are a group of bands who sound nothing alike but share that same sense of community which was originally sought. From the Art-Punk of Fag Machine to the slacker sounds of Mowbird, throw in a bit of Doom Rock from Mother of Six and mix it in with a number of singer-songwriters riding the crest of the New Folk wave, there is once again music for everyone’s taste all under one roof.

The future looks good again for Wrexham’s music scene. With a variety of nights being promoted on any given night, the discerning music fan can find anything from guitar bands, electronica, folk, heavy rock and countless DJ’s doing there own thing. You can catch up with news on all these event at this page (make sure you bookmark it not to miss out!). There will be interviews, reviews and views from all the movers and shakers on the scene and a weekly rundown of all the musical events happening in Wrexham.

Keep your eyes peeled and support your local music scene! For more musical mayhem you can catch up with me on my blogspot at http://partypirate-recordcollecting.blogspot.com/.