The Swan and Royal pub in Clitheroe that once hosted Gandhi and Churchill showcasing live music acts

Now the ancient venue, which dates back to the 1600s, is breaking the sound barrier again – at the core of a vibrant musical resurgence

in the town. Welsh rockers Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, handpicked by TV actor Michael Sheen to write the official song to the homeless World Cup, bring their ‘See you in Hell’ tour to the Swan and Royal on Tuesday (March 26th).

Young guns Tom Ainsworth and Sophie Kenyon, both from Clitheroe, are the driving force responsible for new promoters So It Goes.

“We are intensely passionate about live music, we are trying to get people to come to Clitheroe to see new bands and discover the town,” said Tom. “As independent promotors we don’t necessarily have to compromise, we have freedom to book who we like, and that’s nice.

“We are trying to build a culture, to pay the artists fairly and for them to leave with the feeling that they have been looked after.”

Tom added: “We knew nothing when we started out, but we’ve learned the practical side of stage management and won over the trust of the bands and agents.”

They have come a long way in a short space of time since their first DIY gig, a free show with jazz funksters Neutrino at the Waggon and

Horses pub a year and a half ago. Sophie recalled: “I was quite nervous, wondering whether anybody would turn up. Suddenly, about half an hour before Neutrino came on to the stage, there was a lot of shouting and screaming and a brawl broke out at the back of the pub.

“So, there I was, under the disco lights, mopping blood off the floor thinking this is a baptism of fire.”

She added: “Thankfully, though, we got a good turn-out of people and that gave us the belief and confidence to book more shows. Since then, Mock Tudors, Sweet Baboo, Oh Hippo, Autocamper and Mickey Nomimono have all played gigs at the Swan and Royal, and we’ve also had the honour of helping programme the Seek0ut music arts festival in July.”

And the So It Goes team are eagerly looking ahead to their most ambitious show, with garage rockers The Bug Club pencilled in to play at the town’s Grand theatre in May. “We are both huge fans of The Bug Club, having seen them many times, so, if somebody had said a couple of years ago that we would be booking them to play in Clitheroe, then we wouldn’t have believed them,” added Tom.

*So It Goes present Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, with Ruby Tuesdays at the Swan and Royal Clitheroe, Tuesday, March 26.