TRIBUTES to some of the greatest bands are headlining a brand new music festival.

Livefields, an expansion of Cleckheaton’s popular 500-capacity music venue, The Live Room in Northgate comes to Oakwell Hall country park in Birstall on Saturday July 13.

Dave Scriven, one of four shareholders who run The Live Room, explains the ethos behind their first Livefields festival is to provide an affordable festival which is local too.

“The idea is to make the festival affordable, replicate what we do here (at the Live Room) on a bigger scale, giving local people the chance to come to a local festival,” explains Dave.

Among the tribute bands playing at the event - which runs from 2.30 until 11pm - are the popular Stone Roses tribute ‘The Clone Roses,’ Oasis tribute ‘Definitely Mightbe,’ ‘The Antarctic Monkeys’ tribute to the Sheffield band, The Arctic Monkeys; Smiths and Morrissey tribute ‘These Smiths’ and ‘Lucky Man,’ a tribute band to Richard Ashcroft and The Verve.

“They are bands that everybody knows,” says Dave, adding that local acts will also be taking to the stage to entertain in between the sets.

“The bands are fantastic.”

Dave says the stalls at the event are also predominantly local companies and businesses.

There are 3,000 tickets available and, following their general release last month, they are already selling fast.

Dave explains they have been working on the idea for the Livefields festival for over a year. He explains it is part of a five year plan.

He says the outdoor venue, the country park which lies within the grounds surrounding Oakwell Hall museum, an Elizabethan manor once home to the Batt family, has the capacity to accommodate between 20,000 and 30,000.

The potential of such a capacity coupled with the country park being such a popular location will enable the organisers to grow the event gradually.

“It is locally known and it is always packed out at weekends with people visiting,” says Dave.

The Live Room already has a following of music fans - and not all are local with many travelling from further afield - including London - to experience great live music, predominantly from the early Eighties and Nineties.

Now they are hoping to build on their success with the Livefields Festival.

“I think people need an outlet to come and see some great live music without it costing a fortune,” adds Dave.

The initial festival is for the over 14s only and is supporting the charity Focus 4 Hope, a community-based charity based in Brighouse which is helping people in need such as the homeless and lonely.

For more information, or for tickets, visit livefields.co.uk or Ticketmaster, ticketmaster.co.uk, and Skiddle. To find out more about the The Live Room visit liveroomcleck.com.

Sally Clifford