MIDDLEWICH Music has announced its biggest gig to date as it gears up to celebrate two years of bringing new music to the town.

The group, which held its first event in the White Bear in 2014, is returning to the Wheelock Street pub on Saturday, August 27 for the ‘Bear Wych Project 2’ – a 12-hour celebration of up-and-coming talent.

The Makers Market will host an acoustic stage from 11am until 3pm, at which point the White Bear takes over through to 11pm. In total, 16 acts will give free performances.

Bands performing include Manchester group Landmarks and Liverpool-based The Jackobins, who have been featured on BBC Introducing.

Adam Roberts, who started the group two years ago, said: “This is an all-day event, and we have the biggest stage right in the centre of town.

“We have the biggest bands we have ever had, some of which are quite a coup, and we want a festival atmosphere.

“We are spreading. At the start we went to musicians and asked them to play, but now we have a backlog who ask us to play.

“There are people who have been lacking in finding local music in the area, but at these gigs they find it and they know they are going to be introduced to different bands every time.”

More than 30 local bands have performed across nine Middlewich Music events to date, and Adam is determined that the concept can continue to grow and bring the music scene to Middlewich.

“We decided there was nothing in Middlewich for local bands and musicians to play their stuff. Most of the town was interested in watching tribute bands in the local pubs and there was no platform for much else.

“The idea is to keep growing and growing and for someone to invest in a big festival – that would be the dream, to have a big national headliner supported by all these local bands.”

The promotion video, which can be found on the group’s Facebook page, was viewed more than 1,000 times in the three days after being uploaded.