A NOISY celebration of underground punk music is set to thunder into Bolton.

Free to attend, the gig will feature great music from four UK punk bands and shining lights of the underground.

Organised by regional promoters Punkboot Promotions, the gig will take place from 7.30pm on January 26 at The Churchgate pub, offering punk fans and music lovers a preview of this summer's Bolton Punx Picnic action.

Punkboot's Martin Unsworth said: "What we are all about is showcasing new bands and bands people might not have seen, and throwing in a couple of older bands too."

Headlining the night are Whitehaven's young, up and coming, no nonsense heavy weights The Scumbrians, who roused a raft of new fans at this year's picnic.

Joining them on the bill are Blackburn and Nelson five-piece The Sentence, who formed in July 2018 and dropped their first CD, Strong Arm Of The Law, last month.

Completing the line-up are Bolton and Lancashire's own May Contain Nuts and Midlands outfit Suckerpunch who formed in 2015 and have since released two EPs and made their Rebellion Punk Festival debut last August.

The evening will also include Punk Bingo, turning the format on its it head and adding a Mohawk by using classic punk lyrics, song titles and references.

The Sentence vocalist Watty said: "We play original songs it’s a way of getting our frustrations out at the problems in the world and everyday life. We play the music we love.

"We are really looking forward to playing the Churchgate in Bolton with May Contain Nuts, The Scumbrians and Suckerpunch who are all really good bands and it’s a great place to do a gig.

"It will be a great night of punk rock and it's free entry for everyone at a brand new venue. I’m sure we will see a lot of old friends as well as make lots of new ones.

"Promoters like Punkboot are giving great support to bands like us and are a credit to the punk scene, putting on gigs like this is great for bands and people who come along get to see four bands playing original songs and show their support which helps keep the scene alive and kicking."

Suckerpuch guitarist and vocalist Neil said: "Being in a band is one of the best things I’ve done. People work long hours in jobs they don’t really like, so to be able to get out and play gigs is a massive escape for us.

"Every Suckerpunch gig starts with ‘ITS CLOBBERIN TIME!!’ And we treat every show like it’s our last day on earth.

"We are looking forward to playing in Bolton for the first time as it’ll be a new town for us. We’ve played in Manchester before and the crowd was mental, so we’re excited to see what Bolton can do."

Bolton Punx Picnic itself will return to the town on June 29 with another top line-up featuring 15 punk and Oi! bands from across the UK.

Taking place the freshly renovated Churchgate pub it will be the first event at the picnic's new home after organisers announced the event would relocate for this summer's gig earlier this year.

Punx Picnic had been hosted at the Alma Inn for the last two year's, however the decision was made to move to a more central location, boasting a fully equipped stage area, and more space for fans.

At the time Mr Unsworth said that the move would provide the picnic with an opportunity to grow and appeal to a wider audience.

Next year's line-up already boasts young Bolton punks Kill the Masters as well as Scotland's 4 Past Midnight and Blacklist, Tear Up and Knock Off from the South of England, Oi! scene stalwarts Section 5 and more.

Mr Unsworth said: "We want to try and open the picnic up to everyone. We had a great response last year and we are hoping to do the same thing again for this year."

With history going back almost 40 years punk picnics were a popular highlight on the calendar for many punks, taking place up and down the UK, during the 1980s.

Although the trend had largely fizzled out, Mr Unsworth decided to resurrect the cultural phenomenon after being asked by Bolton punks at many of the gigs he and Punkboot Promotions partner Angelina Johnson arrange.

The pair also hoped the events would help raise the profile of the grassroots punk and Oi! scene.

Tickets for this summer's Punx Picnic, priced £12, are available from The Churchgate, X-Records or Punkboot Promotions' Facebook page.