HACIENDA DJ and author Dave Haslam says influential Blackburn radio presenter Steve Barker provided his early inspiration.

Haslam will be in town next week, headlining the Back to Blackburn night with a DJ set at the old church of St John’s in Victoria Street.

“I owe a huge debt to Steve Barker because what he did and continues to do on the radio is ground-breaking, and he was part of the reason I became a DJ,” said Haslam.

“On his show, Spin Off, he opened my ears to so much great music.

“There was a lot happening in Blackburn at the time, latterly all the Blackburn warehouse parties, and the town played a huge role in the rave culture.

“What Steve Barker created culturally, though, was so important and it came out of Blackburn.”

Back in his first broadcast in 1984, Barker’s guests were dub record producer Adrian Sherwood and Sugarhill Gang’s Keith Le Blanc; the following week he brought in Depeche Mode.

“To be going for 30 years is a testament to Steve and his deep understanding and knowledge of music.

“He has always drawn strength from Blackburn, and that’s why I think the Blackburn is Open initiative is so important.

“People have a tendency to see things through a London perspective, so that’s why it is so important that we reveal and reinforce what happens outside the big cities.

“What is happening here, hopefully, is an awakening.”

Blackburn-bred Christine Cort, Managing Director of the Manchester International Festival, has teamed up with fellow Blackburnian, designer Wayne Hemingway to host the event, which, it is hoped, will further cement the town’s creative resurrection.

“There’s a real vibe about this, and it’s so important that we come together communally because I’m a great believer in events and gatherings,” added Haslam.

“People become inspired together, and there can be a great intensity to life that you can’t get anywhere else other than a live event.

“We are all quite tribal, and those bonds keep us together, but I don’t think you can replicate that online.

“Music has coloured my life and sharing a live experience is a one-off, something to savour and remember.

Hemingway, the creative director for the Blackburn is Open regeneration scheme, will also be hitting the decks with son Jack as they dig into their vinyl collections of soul, funk and disco.

They will be joined by local Jonathan Nutter, who was the resident DJ at the town’s Cellar Bar.

Dave Haslam: Back to Blackburn at St John’s Church on November 29. £10. Visit blackburniso pen.co.uk. Tickets also available at Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.