Wrexham: 'Unique' live music venue to open its doors in Eagles Meadow next month

Heart Rock Live, located in Eagles Meadow shopping centre, will open its doors for its first gig on August 20 - featuring the Guns N' Roses Experience.

From then on, some of the UK's best tribute bands will take to the stage every weekend.

Other acts set to play there include Bulsara and His Queenies, who have headlined world-renowned Official Freddie Mercury Birthday Party in Montreux, Switzerland, for four consecutive years, and Revival - voted best ABBA tribute seven years in a row.

Heart Rock Live is the only community hub in Wrexham for lovers of alternative music and the live music scene.

It is in a club setting at local ticket prices, with beer on sale at £2 a pint and food available.

And not just putting on weekend events, it will offer people a unique musical activity every night of the week.

There will be a school of rock for teens and a rock choir for people of all ages on Monday evenings. On Tuesdays, they will host open mic nights with the chance to earn paid gigs. They will be forming Wrexham’s biggest band for jam nights each Wednesday. Special performances by breakthrough bands will take place on Thursdays.

Proceeds of the events go to Heart Rock’s charitable partner, GO LIVE, which invests these proceeds by organising fun family days for Wrexham’s NHS workers and their families. It also provides live entertainment and therapy sessions for the residents of Wrexham’s care homes.

Steven Mills, director of Heart Rock Ltd, said: "It will be the only community hub in Wrexham that brings together music lovers and musicians to strengthen social bonds and cultural identity, the only live music venue to showcase national entertainers in a local club for local ticket prices and give practical support to the grassroots music scene.

"And it will be the only club that is exclusively a social enterprise raising funds for good causes benefitting the people of Wrexham.

"Heart Rock Live will offer residents a unique musical activity or experience every night of the week with groups for children and teenagers and adults with varied musical interests. We will forge links with higher education institutions in Wrexham to offer work experiences and placements to students and create several long-term full-paid jobs for people residing in deprived areas of Wrexham, supported by ongoing training and development programmes."

He added: " We will offer 'the best of both worlds', in a venue accessible to every person, by showcasing the best talent available with cutting edge production in a familiar yet refined setting and barriers to entry reduced by pricing.

"We will thrive as we occupy a niche in the Wrexham evening economy that other operators do not currently occupy. Based on Music Venue Trust figures, we estimate we will contribute £15,000 every week to the economy of Wrexham.

"Meanwhile, we will inspire children and teenagers to learn music, form bands and perform, start a community choir supporting charity fundraisers, have open mic and jam nights, create a talent pipeline with rehearsal spaces. This is as well as having recording facilities, a photographic studio and video production suite for aspiring talent, and will provide a stage to the best breakthrough artists to hone their skills and develop a following, while offering students academic and career opportunities.

"Our express intention is to contribute to the regeneration of Wrexham as an experience destination attracting visitors from within and outside of the county.

"In the process of striving for this goal, we want to establish our brand as the local authorities premium evening entertainment partner and a significant asset for Wrexham, offering an alternative to the commercial operations, adding value to the town's proposition to investors to increase its growth and prosperity."

Heart Rock Live is appealing for plumbers, electricians, painters and decorators and cleaners, to volunteer their time and skills to its venture to provide essential works and owners of staging, lighting and sound equipment, to donate items in return for free passes to events, and pride of place on its Wall of Fame in the venue and on its website.