THE organiser of a music festival that will highlight the best of Bradford talent hopes it will prove wrong critics who say the city has no music scene.

BOB (Best of Bradford) festival runs over two days this weekend in The Underground, a live music venue on Duke Street in Bradford city centre.

Nigel Booth, owner of the venue, said the idea was highlight the talent in the city, and over 20 artists representing all genres will be playing over two days. Tickets will cost just £5.

He told the Telegraph & Argus that a promoter had recently told him he would no longer be focusing on the city, as there was “no call for live music in Bradford.”

Mr Booth hopes the BOB festival will prove such critics wrong, and help kick start more live performances in Bradford’s bars and clubs.

He said: “The festival will have everything from acoustic acts to ska and heavier bands. There will be all genres of music, all from Bradford postcodes.

“There is this negative attitude from a lot of people about the Bradford music scene and the night time scene, it is something we have to address as a city.

“There is a lot of talent, Bradford just needs to get itself on the map more musically. People are so used to going to Leeds to see live music.

“We’ll never get a scene back in Bradford if people don’t back local bands and venues.”

He said that although The Underground, which recently celebrated its first anniversary and has hosted acts like Maveric Sabre, had gone through some early struggles, it was now proving a popular part of the city’s music scene. He added: “At times I thought whether it would be better to just go along the nightclub route, but we’ve stuck with hosting live music, and we’re breaking even now. However there is so much more we can do with this place, as well as working with other bars that have live music in the city. If this event goes well then we’re hoping to put on more city-wide festivals.

“For this festival we’ll probably be having acoustic acts on in the day, and then the bands and heavier artists on in the evening.”

BOB festival will also feature food from local vendors, and bands that have signed up include Mammoth Tank and Foxes Faux.

Mr Booth said the business is planning to work with Bradford College to give its music students the chance to leave the classroom and experience how a live music venue works. He said: “It will give young people the chance to work in a proper music environment.”

BOB Festival starts on Saturday at 2pm and will run to the early hours of Sunday, before re-starting on Sunday afternoon. For the full line up and to buy tickets, visit skiddle.com/whats-on/Bradford/The-Underground/BOB-fest-(Best-of-Bradford)/13035497/