Almost 60 live bands will perform across Stoke-on-Trent when a new music festival takes place next weekend.
Foundry Festival launches on Friday, 1 May at The Underground in Hanley with the return of indie rock band SHADER, headlining a special opening night show supported by The Groves and SideEye.
The May Bank Holiday weekend will continue with free daytime performances in Piccadilly and Tontine Square on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May alongside evening gigs in venues including The Sugarmill and The Underground.
The festival will conclude with a charity event in aid of War Child UK at Artisan Tap in Hartshill from 1pm on Monday, 4 May.
Peter Herbert, producer of Honey Box and part of the team behind Foundry Festival, said: “It’s fantastic to see almost 60 bands performing across the bank holiday weekend. From Friday through to Monday there’s an incredible amount of live music happening across the city, from grassroots gigs in venues to the outdoor stages in the city centre.
“Foundry Festival is about celebrating the strength of our local music scene and giving audiences the chance to discover brilliant artists across a whole weekend of music.”
The name Foundry Festival draws inspiration from Shelton Bar, the historic steelworks whose fiery glow has often been linked to H. G. Wells and his novel The War of the Worlds.
The festival name reflects the idea of strength forged through shared endeavour, the same spirit of creativity, collaboration and community that continues to power the city’s music scene today.
Foundry Festival is funded by Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and delivered in partnership with Your City Festival, Stoke Buzz, and Honey Box.
Richard Buxton, manager of Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID, said: “The aim is to create a vibrant atmosphere across the weekend while driving more people into the surrounding shops, cafés, bars and businesses.
“Events like this help showcase the energy of the city centre and encourage visitors to spend time here, discover what’s on offer and support local businesses.”
Tickets and full programme details are available here.
