Borough musician proudly keeps up online gigs for eight months

When the first national lockdown was enforced, A Listers and amateurs alike all took to social media from the comfort of their own homes to perform their music for the masses.

Every weekend for weeks on end brought a new livestream gig to eager viewers, but of course, as time went on, the majority of musicians curtailed their efforts.

But a valiant few, including several across the borough, have carried on performing online to keep everyone entertained. Kevin Wright is one of them.

The 38-year-old, who lives in Leigh but originally hails from Runcorn, was one of the countless singers left unable to perform when pubs, clubs and music venues closed earlier in the year.

He found solace in performing songs online instead for hundreds of fans, and has carried on ever since.

Kevin, who has been singing since he was a child, said: “I’ve done quite a few livestreams during the lockdowns, just through not being able to gig. I took things into my own hands after a few friends said I should do something online.

“I started doing it on Saturdays and I’ve been doing it right through [the year].

“It’s turned out really well and I get quite good turn outs now. I do the gigs every Saturday and every Wednesday I do a sort of catch-up livestream, where we just have a chat and a laugh.”

He went on: “It’s been really good fun and it’s helped me get through lockdown as well. It’s kept me busy and kept my mind off things. Other people have said it’s helped them too.”

Kevin admitted that he struggled to come to terms with not being able to work earlier in the year, saying: “It was devastating, not being able to gig. I had recently left college after doing sound engineering and producing music, and had started getting more gigs and building up. Then the lockdown came in and everything stopped.

“It was strange, it was weird. I was gutted. But I thought, why should I stop? That’s how I went online and did it that way.”

And a combination of Kevin’s two great passions, music and Liverpool FC, have also helped his presence grow online. His YouTube uploads of songs dedicated to Anfield stars have been raking in viewers, with one track dedicated to Diego Jota having been seen more than 11,000 times.

To see some of Kevin’s performances, visit youtube.com/kevwright.

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