Big Country

Big Country are coming to Parr Hall as part of celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of their chart-topping album, Steeltown.

The Scottish rock band’s Return To Steeltown tour will call in at Warrington on Friday, 1 November.

Released in 1984, Steeltown was the band’s second studio album which was recorded at ABBA’s Polar Studios in Stockholm.

Produced by the Grammy Award-winning Steve Lillywhite, who has also collaborated with the likes of U2, Rolling Stones and The Killers, the record was set against the backdrop of nationwide strife in the UK, fully in the grip of the miners’ strike.

Bruce Watson, one of the founding members of Big Country, said: “We started work on Steeltown back in June 1984 at ABBA’s studio. My dad was a miner, so what we did was knuckle down to hard work for six weeks.”

Despite the era of hardship that the album was released into, songs like the hopeful East of Eden became anthems and Steeltown went to number one in the UK Albums Chart.

As part of the 40th anniversary tour, Big Country will be performing songs from the record as well as the classic hits and live favourites such as Fields of Fire, In A Big Country, Chance, Wonderland and Look Away.

The band will also be joined by very special guest Mike Peters, known primarily as frontman of acclaimed Welsh band The Alarm.