Wildcats ready for Stockton in Snowtime!

IT may only be mid-spring, but Stockton's Arc is already selling tickets for one of the biggest music gigs in its annual calendar.

Teesside band, The Wildcats of Kilkenny, have announced they will finish off their 25th anniversary year with a performance called It’s Snowtime, in December, that will feature more fake snow, more fun and more crowd-loving antics than ever before.

Fronted by Mike McGrother, the band recently played Middlesbrough Town Hall’s last gig before the venue closed for extensive redevelopment work.

Mike arrived at the venue just in time, after tasking himself to undertake a gruelling walk from Carrickmacross in Ireland, to Middlesbrough Town Hall. Mike embarked on the journey as part of his Wild Rover project, in which he aims to find out more about the Irish immigrants who came to the North-East in the early 20th century. Earlier this year, Mike and other members of the Wildcats travelled to China and America to perform a string of gigs, where they shared stories of the Wild Rover and educated music fans with some Teesside facts.

“There's no place like home,” says Mike. “We have had an extraordinary year performing in Beijing, New York and of course, on route from Ireland to Teesside, but I will always be happiest and proudest to be back in my beloved hometown of Stockton.”

Early bird tickets for the Thursday, December 22 event, are priced at £15. But be quick, there’s only a limited number of these available. Doors are 8pm and the band will be on stage at 8.30pm.