Oldham musician encourages residents to 'gig local'

Holly Prest, who launched The Vale in Mossley with a group of fellow creatives in 2015, said that despite Saddleworth being "full of music fans", many of its audiences come from outside the region and from as far afield as Nottingham and Birmingham.

The Vale is a former textile mill converted to a state-of-the-art venue for a variety of arts events situated on Micklehurst Road - and it received a £1m upgrade in 2021 when the Northern Carnival Centre of Excellence opened within its walls.

Now, it is promising a new spring programme of live music and the team is appealing to local music lovers to come and try something different in their own backyard.

Holly Prest (Image: Christian Dyson)

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Holly said: "We understand that for many people money is very tight and it can be a risk to buy a ticket for an international act or even a style of music you are not familiar with.

"With this in mind, we keep our ticket prices as low as possible - and our bar prices are highly competitive compared to Manchester city centre.

"By supporting your local venue, you can make a vital contribution to live arts and culture and to building a thriving creative community while having a great time."

Leon Patel, co-founder of The Vale (Image: Christian Dyson)

She also said the venue brings "the very best musical artists from all over the world right to the heart of Mossley" while also platforming some of Greater Manchester's rising stars.

Holly added: "It'd be great to see even more of our lovely local audiences taking advantage of that."

The new programme will see a different international calibre band take to the stage on the last Saturday of every month between April and June.

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On Saturday, April 29, Anarchy in the Ukulele will perform.

The Vale said the set will be an "energetic live act" from a three-piece band that is "taking the ukulele scene by storm" with influences from country, rock and cheesy pop.

Leon the Pig Farmer, a Manchester-based Yorkshire beat poet and ex-serviceman who began writing verse to help him deal with a PTSD diagnosis, will support.

Over in May on Saturday 27, Suntou Susso, a Gambian multi-instrumentalist with a 22-stringed West African harp-lute, will be taking to the stage.

The Vale describes Susso as an oral historian and storyteller who is helping to preserve a 700-year-old Mandinka tradition.

He also comes from a family of highly respected West African musicians, including his brother, Seckou Keita, dubbed the "Hendrix of the Kora".

Susso has performed at the O2 Arena with Youssou N’Dour, on ITV’s This Morning, and at jazz festivals across Europe as well as WOMAD festival.

Finally, on Saturday, June 24, The Vale will welcome one of Manchester's own - the Buffalo Brothers, who have caught the eye of Craig Charles, the Radio 6 Music presenter and Band on the Wall regular.

Describes as a band which promises "explosive live sets of breathtakingly raw funk creations", the set will be warmed up by Mossley's own Mike Mellor who will play a mix of Spanish and Latin American tunes on a classic guitar.

The spring programme signifies the start of a more regular musical lineup at The Vale.

If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and entertainment, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.