THE last bank holiday of the summer is always the busiest weekend of the year for live music in South Cumbria. Here's our guide to the best of the action across the region.


THURSDAY

The regular unplugged showcase Acoustic Meltdown at Bar Five , in Barrow, kicks off the weekend with three of Furness' best-known solo performers. Jamie Bosanko, Collie Stewart and Jordan Gaffney all bring their solo sets of covers and originals, with indie sounds in between.

The Derby , in Barrow, stages its latest four-day festival, Before Sunset , with a strong opening night line-up seeing funk rock band Natterjack in the headline slot, joined by Manchester trio DriftWood, and local acoustic acts Cora & Eshi and Kayne Severino.


FRIDAY

The Nines celebrates its 10th anniversary in style all weekend with three varied nights of live music. The first day of festivities at the Barrow venue is one for fans of heavy music: leading tribute Slipknowt perform their authentic high-energy set of metal anthems, such as Psychosocial and Spit It Out, with support coming from local metalcore crew Glass Houses . Entrance is payable on the door.
Slipknowt

Before Sunset continues at The Derby with visits from acclaimed Liverpool indie band The Jackobins, Argentinian rockers Fear Me December, and Italian singer-songwriter Danny Loreto, with Ulverston funk outfit Wasted Saints closing the show.

Another festival event is Crooklands Calling , bringing an end to Crooklands of Dalton's function room with a full evening of live music, with appearances by The Dales, The Sun Kings, Collie Stewart and The Roomers, Shallow Waters, Hayden Barlow, Becki Fishwick and Macauley. Tickets are available in advance from the venue.

Kendal has a visit from one of the North West's finest young rock bands: Bootleggers welcomes Sky Valley Mistress - the female-fronted outfit, who have played Download and Camden Rocks, recall the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.

The Drawing Room , in Barrow, stages the latest Cut Throat Disco , featuring the best of underground disco, edits and house music.


SATURDAY

The 10th anniversary celebrations take a big turn at The Nines on Saturday, going from metal to the most famous pop divas. Tributes to Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Adele, and Madonna all share the stage in a huge night of chart hits. Again, entrance is payable on the night.

Back at The Derby for Before Sunset , the third night of action is the most rock-oriented of them all, with punk act Fight For Friday topping the bill, with Manchester funk band White Elephant, new local prog outfit Pariah, and alt metallers Eternal Autumn in support.


Fight For Friday Another festival in this packed weekend comes at the Little Kings , in Ulverston, with 13 acoustic performances throughout the afternoon and evening. Host Bob Bell kicks it all off, followed by Wolfie, John Lamb, Neil Johnston, Allan Miller, Mike May, Dave Watson, Paula Herrington, Ashleigh Carling, Abbie Clarke, Laurence Longworth, Jamie Bosanko, and Ukelear Fusion.

Down the road at the Big Kings , also in Ulverston, there is a live show from Blackpool blues and rock covers band The Deal , who play material from Black Crowes and Jimi Hendrix, to Stereophonics and Foo Fighters.

The Blue Lakes also put their own spin on some classic blues tracks, and they take their show to The Victoria Tavern , in Barrow, on Saturday night.

Hard rock regulars Big Trouble make an appearance at The Strawberry , also in Barrow, and acoustic-driven indie trio Kings In Canoes headline at the Golden Ball , in Dalton.

The first ever open mic night comes to Wräpport in Barrow, with Serene's Kieran Day inviting local acoustic performers to join him for the evening.


SUNDAY

The Nines wraps up its birthday celebrations with an appearance from its favourite covers band, The Dales , performing another set of indie and rock hits to an inevitably packed out crowd. Top tribute The Jam DRC perform the mod band's most famous tracks, and Ste Tyson also has a DJ set on this final day of action at the Barrow venue. As with the other days, tickets are available on the door, while a weekend pass covering all three nights is available at a reduced rate.

Also coming to a close on Sunday is Before Sunset , at The Derby , with local solo performer Zac Thompson up first, followed by Kendal punks Downpipe, and London-based indie Sahara, with Ulverston's Beatles covers band Dig A Pony bringing proceedings to a close.

In a busy day of festivals, DogFest is back bigger than before at the Black Dog , near Dalton - Admiral Jellico, the Sun Kings, Orinoco, Serene, Fight For Friday, The Shapes, The Blue Lakes, Shallow Waters, Jon Dawes, Mac and Sam, Zac Thompson and Jamie Bosanko perform on the outdoor stage. Tickets are available from the venue.
The Dales

Croft Rock returns for its second instalment of the summer, attracting a whole new line-up to Crofters in Holbeck - Freshman, Sweet Design, Becki Fishwick, The Turtle Heads, Collie Stewart and The Roomers, Mad Jack & The Ad-Libs, the Flying Cascara Brothers, Danielle Messenger, The Shapes, The McGuires, Big Trouble, and FBI urban brass band are among the names confirmed for the charity event. Limited tickets are still available from the venue.

The Hairy Buskers take their raucous folk rock show over to Walney for a headline set at The Crown , in North Scale, with their new line-up incorporating more original material into their lively set.

For house music fans, one of the stand-out names of the weekend will be Ibiza regular Jamie Trench . One of the UK's hottest producers and DJs, he leads the line-up for the Media Monkeys' Super Sunday at the Sun Inn , in Ulverston, also joined by resident DJs from Liaison and Mi Casa.

Barrow's Super Sunday house night is at Bar Five , where Keith Wilkie and Sam Stephens take to the decks, and Jonny Williams performs live percussion at the Trust The DJ event.

Fresh from their appearance on Kendal Calling's main stage, West Cumbrians The Chadelics have a headline set at the Ski Bar , in Haverigg, performing their self-penned indie rock tunes in front of a familiar audience.

At nearby Millom Palladium , The Ultimate 90s tour rolls into town, this time with chart star Kavana the star name, with his hits Special Kind of Something and I Can Make You Feel Good, and appearances by Beth Horan and DJ Den. Tickets will be available on the door.


MONDAY

After a manic weekend, there's only one way to unwind - the final Expo of the summer comes to Barrow Park , with leading Furness DJs Aim, Gripper and Ad Bickerdike spinning an all-vinyl mix of house, hip-hop, disco, boogie, electro, chilled beats and power pop in the glorious surrounds of Barrow's Park Bandstand throughout the afternoon.

  • All shows offer free entry unless otherwise stated