ORGANISERS of the Westfield Street Music Festival 2016 say it "exceeded all their expectations" and once again showcased the rich seam of talent running through St Helens.

Hundreds poured into the town centre on Sunday afternoon for the event, now in its third year, as 70 acts joined forces to produce an uplifting atmosphere on a sun drenched afternoon.

With the festival extending to Water Street – where food stalls, fairground rides, an acoustic stage and a training ring for boxer Martin Murray had been set up.

St Helens Star:

  • 80s rockers Snatch-Back made a comeback at WestFest

St Helens Star:

Paul Griffiths, co-organiser and founder of the event, said: "It was a lot more family orientated this year – all the organisers noticed that and I think the outside area (on the public square at St Helens College) made a big difference – thanks to the acoustic stage, the training session with Martin Murray, and the food stalls.

"We were blessed with the weather too, obviously.

"The Brazilian dancers heading down the street were tremendous but we must give a big shout to is the many musicians and bars who took part.

"There was such a range of music – from swing bands to rock bands. Snatch-Back, a band from the 80s who had a big following, reunited after something like 30 years and an awful lot of people turned up to watch them play.

"That was a brilliant part of the day. And there was the Easy Street Big Band that took a few people by surprise. Some of the younger observers were really blown away by it.

"Jeramiah Ferrari, from Leigh, who recently played at the Etihad stadium, were fantastic and I think once it again the day was about encouraging local musicians and young bands and giving them platforms.

"It's important we thank all the acts from around town – and there are too many to mention – for bringing the event to life. Hopefully it will encourage more people to visit town regularly and watch these live musicians who are on the scene performing regularly."

Video credit Dot.films based in Eccleston

Jack Bennett, 20, the lead singer of Stillia, did two acoustic sets before joining up with bandmates for a gig at Bar 44.

Afterwards, he told the Star: "It was brilliant and seems to get better every year.

"The support we get is fantastic - we love playing our hometown. It really is a big event now and is a massive opportunity for up and coming bands to get experience of playing at festivals."

Matty Williams, owner of the Sefton, said for him the procession of Brazilian dancers had to be the highlight of the festival.

He said: “You don’t normally see something like that in St Helens on a Sunday afternoon!”

The Sefton had eight acts on over the course of the day, including local performers and some from further afield.

Matty said: “We started off with a couple of solo acoustic acts and then there were a few bands. One band got together through our Friday night jam sessions, the John Huntingdon Band – so that’s real home-grown talent.

“The Midnight Daisies, a female three-piece, provided a different take on popular songs, using instruments and harmonies.

“We had a ska band on at 8pm, with Ian Roberts on saxophone. They went down well and there was a lot of dancing.”

He added: “The Gods are smiling down on us because each year we’ve had blazing sunshine for the festival. With 19 venues involved this time, it felt like there was more room for the audiences and visitors, even though we had bigger crowds.

“The boxing events also brought people in from around the area, I saw people wearing tops from different gyms walking around.”