A Bolton-born musician and radio presenter whose band appeared at Right to Roam 2023 says playing at the festival was “a special day.”
Broadcaster Mark Radcliffe, who is one half of Mark Radcliffe’s Une alongside musician Paul S. Langley, performed at the Octagon on Saturday evening at the festival’s biggest ever year.
The festival drew its biggest ever crowd of around 2,500 people, with Une appearing alongside acts including A Certain Ratio, The K’s and Dutch Uncles.
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Mark, who was born in Bolton, said the Octagon is a venue he’d visited many times as a viewer, but never as a performer until the weekend.
He said: “I’ve been to the Octagon many, many times and I was there when it was being built in 1967 because I was born in Bolton in 1958 so I remember what a big deal it was for the town.
“I’ve been to lots of plays there but to go and play there for this first at the age of 65, it was kind of amazing and people seemed to enjoy it.
“It was a special day for me.
“I’m absolutely delighted that it's been able to stay as this kind of theatre producing its own productions as well as taking in touring shows.
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“It's good to know the Octagon will always be at the heart of [Bolton].”
He said festivals like Right to Roam play a big role in giving local talent a place to showcase their music and helping emerging artists to grow.
He said: “When I was young and starting out in bands, it was very hard to find anywhere to play. Certainly no one organised anything for us.
“There were no events in town that we could take part in, bands played in town but there was no platform for us - we would have been thrilled to have something like that organised for us.”
As well as his regular gig as a DJ on BBC Radio 6Music and the band, Mark is also a trustee for the Rivington Terrace Gardens trust.
The trust is holding a Hallé on the Hill event featuring the 12-piece brass section of the Hallé Orchestra on Friday, July 28, to raise money in support of its conservation efforts.
Mark said: “Like a lot of people who grew up in Bolton, it’s a very special area, that was my playground when I was growing up there.”
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