Lancaster’s Britannia pub will shortly be holding Lancaster’s very own ‘Brit Awards’, beginning with a series of themed open mic nights and culminating with a competition for budding musicians to win paid gigs at the Britannia.

The open mic nights will run every Thursday evening from 8.00pm in July and performers can claim free drinks if they sing three songs adhering to each evenings theme. Themes include The Beatles Vs The Stones and Songs from Film & TV.

The competition night on 26th July will ask performers to sing three songs from any Brit Award winners. One winner and two runners up will then win paid gigs at the Britannia in August and September.

“Lancaster is rich with musical talent and we wanted to do something that would be entertaining whilst giving performers a step up by auditioning live at the open mics to win paid gigs,” says landlord Chris Cookson.

“This really is a great opportunity for musicians who want to take their playing to the next level,” added event host Steve Wharton. “Doing open mics helps them develop stagecraft and preparing for your first full gig can be quite daunting.

“The Britannia is a true community pub with a great atmosphere on their quiz night. I think the performers will get a really warm welcome.”

• More information can be found at www.facebook.com/britanniaopenmic