A POPULAR Greenock club is ensuring live music is back on the bill with a bang in Inverclyde.

Red in Cross Shore Street is set to welcome a series of alternative and indie tribute bands over the next few months.

The venue was forced to close its doors due to coronavirus lockdown before reopening for a brief period in October last year.

Red owner Iain Hamil says although he opted to shelve the live music nights in November the strategy had worked well for the club.

He said: "Bands were overstretched and we were having difficulty with getting the continuity and calibre of bands.

"We knew there were people who wanted to see live music but bands were pulling out due to Covid.

"It was all too unsure, so we decided to put it all on hold so we could have a think about who we wanted to book."

The club boss has been working with Alastair Nicol of True Faith Promotions and has booked a raft of indie and alternative tribute bands that will appear at the venue over the next few months.

Red will welcome acts which pay tribute to The Clash, TRex, Deacon Blue, The Doors and Happy Mondays among many others.

Mr Hamil says he's aiming to run two alternative and indie tribute night gigs a month, and also has plans for dance events.

But he is not planning to open the club as normal on a Friday and Saturday night.

Mr Hamil said: "I think there's more chance of getting people coming out if it's an event.

"Nights out will be a luxury for a lot of people now.

"We're trying to reach the right audience and hopefully people are becoming a bit less cautious about going out.

"Hopefully people will find something specific that they'll relate to."

To find out more about what's on at Red, search for the venue on Facebook.

Club gig tickets will be available via Skiddle and Ticket Source.