A TOWN centre venue will again be playing host to one of music’s most prolific and interesting songwriters.

Cult rocker Ginger Wildheart is set to appear at Bar Metro Rocks to promote his new solo album Ghost in the Tanglewood next month.

The Geordie singer last played the Bradshawgate bar in December, when he and bandmate CJ played a set of The Wildhearts best-loved tunes, including Caffeine Bomb and Vanilla Radio.

Andy Morris, manager at Bar Metro, said he was very much looking forward to welcoming Ginger back to Bolton after the success of The Wildhearts’ gig.

He said: “It was fantastic, absolutely excellent, everybody had a right good time and we sold a lot of tickets, we did very well out of it.

“He announced some new dates this year, so I got in touch with his management, Northern Music, I asked if we could have him and they said ‘yes, go on’.

“It’s between a gig he has in the Midlands the day before and a gig he has in Yorkshire the day after, so it’s en route.”

Ghost in the Tanglewood is Ginger’s first fully country and folk-based album, and Andy says he expects it to make for different type of show to the ones typically put on by The Wildhearts.

“It will be less raucous, I suppose,” he said.

“But the gig is actually on the day of the album coming out.

"I have had it for a while, I bought it through Pledge Music, but now it’s being released on a proper record label.

“It’s really good stuff, he has always said in interviews that he wanted to write a country album, and it’s a really good record.”

And he adds that luring Ginger back to Bar Metro is a real coup for the town centre’s music scene.

“It’s fantastic, it shows that there’s hope for Bolton town centre and hopefully we can get more gigs on that aren’t just covers music drivel,” he said.

“The man is touring the country almost 52 weeks a year and half his tour has sold out. The quality is there, the record sales are there, the popularity is there.

“But maybe some people don’t see it, it’s a cultural thing. In Bolton they are more into karaoke and pop music — Simon Cowell and Taylor Swift nonsense. The kids like what the kids like, but I wouldn’t listen to it, myself!”

Andy also expects Ginger to play a range of stuff from his catalogue of solo albums which include Valor Del Corazon, Yoni and Albion.

Ginger Wildheart will be playing Bolton Bar Metro on Friday, March 2. To book tickets visit wegottickets.com/event/428908 or call 07973154560.