THE visit of Jamaican roots reggae icon Horace Andy to Burnley Mechanics Theatre has been hailed 'a memorable show'.

The star performed to an audience of more than 300 at the venue on March 28.

Burnley Council culture boss Cllr Jack Launer said the success of the concert has persuaded him to seek more music stars and reggae performers for the theatre in the hope of attracting more young people to its gigs.

He said: "The idea behind the series of concerts that have been proposed is the notion of audience growth for the Mechanics.

"We have noticed a trend of tribute acts across many regions.

"I wanted to make sure that we are encouraging acts across genres to make use of our iconic theatre.

"Our first guest was Horace Andy, a Jamaican reggae star.

"He was on tour and slotted Burnley in on his tour of London, Bristol and Brighton.

"It is important for the council to back culture and am delighted to say we have a cultural framework in place.

"However, as part of this it is important that we put some meat on the bone to this and a series of specialist music events will bring excitement to the borough.

"Over 300 reggae fans, many visiting Burnley Mechanics for the first time, were treated to one of the most memorable shows the town has seen.

"As I councillor I am used to receiving some negative emails about potholes and flytipping.

"On this occasion my inbox overnight was filled with joy and delight at witnessing such a performance.

"We hope that this will encourage more young people back into the venue, as we have noticed post-Covid that less young people attend gigs.

"We are looking forward to booking more iconic artists and potentially taking part in Independent Music Week in 2025.

"We have a number of ideas and acts on our radar and hope to get some good news.

"It is also clear that Burnley wants more reggae!"