Shaun Ryder's Black Grape to play Hartlepool's renamed Borough Hall Live music festival

Following a sell-out event in 2019, Borough Hall Live – formerly Hartlepool Live - is back with a new name and new venue on Saturday, October 23, from 5pm until midnight at the town’s Borough Hall.

Manchester icons Black Grape, who are fronted by Happy Mondays singer Ryder, are the first band to be announced in the line-up for the event, which is funded by Hartlepool Borough Council and Arts Council England.

Ryder is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the “Madchester” cultural scene from the late 1980s and 1990s and has gone on to have great success with Black Grape alongside ex-Ruthless Rap Assassins member Kermit.

He said: “I’m really looking forward to heading up to Hartlepool with Black Grape to play Borough Hall Live next month.”

Joining Black Grape in the festival line-up will be a number of emerging musicians from Hartlepool and the North East.

Their identities will be announced in the coming weeks.

Susan French, performance venues manager at the council, said: “It’s great to see the return of our festival after the success of our sell-out event in 2019 which was incredibly well received and proved that Hartlepool has one of the hottest music scenes in the Tees Valley right now.”

The 2019 event brought together hundreds of music lovers from across the North East and beyond to watch artists such as Paul Smith, Mt Misery and Venus Grrrls.

Festival-goers are encouraged to book their tickets now to avoid disappointment as the first wave of tickets from the 2019 event sold out in hours.

The first wave of 100 tickets are on sale for the early bird price of £17 and once they have been sold the next wave of tickets will be released at £20.

Tickets can be purchased from www.hartlepoolboroughhall.com

As a condition of entry to the event, people will be required to provide proof of their Covid status and should ensure that they read the conditions in full on the website prior to booking.

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