Plans to develop a more business-like approach to support Hull’s burgeoning music scene will take a step closer to becoming reality at the Hull Trinity Festival this weekend.

While national bands Dodgy and King Charles headline the main stage in Trinity Square, Hull, some of the finest bands from the city and surrounding area will play their part in a full programme of live shows.

They will be supported in turn by a merchandising drive, led by Stewart Baxter of The Warren and supported by HullBID, aimed at helping musicians make money from their music and build a thriving local entertainment industry.

“We want to help local artists monetise what they are doing,” said Stewart, Arts Development Worker at The Warren and prominent in the local music scene for the last 20 years.

“Most of our work is about helping artists develop their music but we also help with things like graphic design, building a product around the music, encouraging people to take it seriously and create something that others will invest in.”

That approach will give visitors to Hull Trinity Festival a chance to buy music and merchandise from the local bands. The commercial side of the festival will be housed in a gazebo provided by HullBID, organised by The Warren and located next to the main stage.

Stewart said all involved are encouraged by the success of the merchandise operation which they took to the recent Galtres Festival at Helmsley as part of the “Hull Invasion.”

He said: “We ran a stall for all three days at Galtres and it did brilliantly. We invited all the bands at the festival to sell their merchandise through us on a commission basis and we had The Undertones giving us t-shirts to sell alongside the merchandise from the Hull bands.”

The Talks, The Black Delta Movement, Jody McKenna and Counting Coins are among the bands at Hull Trinity Festival who have CDs and other items to sell, and Stewart is hoping that other performers will create product in time for the event.

He said: “We’re encouraging all the bands to at least bring some CDs to sell, even if they don’t actually have any. If they can get some of their tracks onto a CD and sell it for a couple of quid it’s a great start, whether they are playing on the main stage or in the pubs around the Old Town.”

Kathryn Shillito, HullBID City Centre Manager, said: “Hull Trinity Festival is all about promoting home-grown music and attracting people into the city centre to support local businesses, and it’s a great idea to use the event to help local musicians develop their businesses.

“Dodgy and King Charles headlining will provide an opportunity for some of our local musicians to get a good idea of what it takes to break through at national level, and the merchandise stall operated by The Warren will show them how to get a foot on the commercial ladder.”

The live music in the pubs will kick off on the evening of Friday 20 September and the main Hull Trinity Festival stage will burst into life from 2pm Saturday 21 September. King Charles, a singer-songwriter who has supported Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale and Mumford and Sons, will be the final act at about 6pm, after which the entertainment will continue in the pubs and café bars.

On the Sunday, The Debutants will open the main stage at 1pm and will be followed by a programme of local bands until Dodgy close the proceedings at about 8pm. Again, the live music will continue in the pubs and café bars.

Hull Trinity Festival is now in its third year and is one of the launch events for Purple Flag Week, which celebrates the success of the city in gaining recognition as a destination for a safe and enjoyable night out.

Purple Flag Week will then run until Sunday September 29 with activities being planned throughout the city centre to demonstrate the variety and quality of the evening economy.

Kathryn added: “Hull Trinity Festival is the perfect event to close the outdoor festival season in the city centre and to launch Purple Flag Week. To be awarded a Purple Flag is a great achievement and one which can be claimed by only 36 towns and cities in the UK, only three of which are in Yorkshire, so we’re putting together a programme of events to celebrate that success.

Pictured: Merchandise from Hull band The Shed Club, the bags will be sold for £3 each at Hull Trinity Festival.