By Omar Soliman
Think of Manchester’s musical heritage and thoughts turn to Oasis, The Smiths, and The Stone Roses, while Sheffield can proudly claim Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, and The Human League. Bands that climbed the ranks of their local scenes before ‘making it big’. Consider Stoke’s musical heritage and the focus is fixed on individuals.
Start with Burslem as the birthplace of Robbie Williams and the late Motörhead frontman, Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister. When you realise that the legendary Guns ‘n’ Roses guitarist Saul ‘Slash’ Hudson was raised in Blurton, there is certainly some local inspiration. However, each individual left the area before making their mark.
Dream a bit bigger, and you can see that the city has the components to form a vibrant music scene. From affordable rehearsal rooms to a range of venues, it may only require a different mindset to propel Stoke’s local talent.
Omar Soliman
The Physical Spaces
No musician goes from playing in their bedroom straight to selling out a stadium tour. Sure, there are some welcome technological shortcuts readily adopted by those willing to get their music out there. Online spaces where songs can be shared, and performances broadcasted, all with the hope of going viral. Making that leap in reality tends to require physical spaces, both for rehearsals and recordings.
Thankfully, several physical spaces in Stoke-on-Trent are available for budding musicians to rent.
- Tremolo Recording Studio on Stonewall Place in Silverdale includes a live room and control room, with options for analog and high-end digital recordings.
- Bad Apple Studios is on Chell Street in Stoke-on-Trent. With several different-sized rooms and available equipment, microphones, drum kits, and amplifiers, it is an ideal space for a range of acts.
- Also in Stoke-on-Trent is Riff Factory on Sutherland Street, where acts can comfortably rehearse and produce well-crafted recordings.
Ladder of Venues
The organic journey to stardom takes time, hard work, great songs, and a ladder of venues to climb. Once tracks have been honed in the studio (bedroom or professional), it is time to present them to the public.
To pick just five small local venues, you can include;
- The Backyard, Hanley
- The Glebe, Stoke-on-Trent
- The Robin Hood, Hartshill
- The Jug, Newcastle-under-Lyme
- The Rigger, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Keep an eye on the Bod cafés in Trentham and Stone, as both put on live music throughout the year. You could also enjoy live music from local acts on your own smart device via Honey Box Live.
Few venues offer as much intimacy as Eleven in Sandyford, which has a capacity of 350. Though its roster tends to be filled with tribute bands, emerging acts are also welcomed. This high up the ladder, a few more small venues would bridge the gap for musicians aspiring to garner their own audiences.
Hanley is home to two established venues within 500m of each other. Though The Underground specialises in up-and-coming acts, it played host to The Libertines back in February. Then there’s The Sugarmill, which has hosted the likes of Coldplay, Muse, Daft Punk, and Kasabian.
For those acts that have ‘made it’, returning to their home city requires a majestic arena. There is no venue grander than the stunning Victoria Hall, with a capacity of 1,467.
Consider the case of the latest local musical export to come from these parts; Lissy Taylor. Over six years ago, she was on StaffordFM (now Vibe1) and BBC Introducing, with radio appearances supplemented by gigs at local singer-songwriter events. Fast-forward to the summer of 2024 and she has risen the ranks to perform on the main stage at Y Not Festival. She’s also in the running to support Oasis in 2025. How long before she’s headlining at Victoria Hall?
A DIY Ethos
A music scene can flourish when each component has a buy-in. That includes acts willing to put in the hours of practice to hone their craft. Live promoters who are keen to take a chance to provide stages for unknown acts.
Even the local council can buy in to the DIY ethos by creating and curating a music festival, much like Lymelight in Newcastle-under-Lyme. For a music scene to grow, events like Your City Festival in Stoke may need a similar buy-in to flourish, rather than a lack of financing leading to its postponement.
Enthusiastic Local Media
Bringing all those components together is an enthusiastic local media. One willing to promote events and commit to a vibrant music scene, all year round. That commitment should be marked by a willing honesty, not to heap unadulterated praise on local acts, but to offer support when needed and not to shirk from constructive criticism.
Certainly, there is some value in looking back to the past. Kings Hall still hosts Northern Soul all-nighters to fervent audiences. A statue of Lemmy has been given the go-ahead to be constructed in Burslem, and Robbie Williams’ long-awaited gig at Vale Park proved that there’s still time for heroes. With a revitalised music scene, the focus should be on propelling the next generation of musical talent.
Read more from Omar Soliman here: https://osoliman.substack.com
Have thoughts in response? You can email Stoke Creates’ Comms Lead at: jerome@stokecreates.org.uk