The unlikely market town and its tiny venue that's becoming a hotspot for international hip hop stars and their fans. From staying in the Crown Hotel to supporting Iggy Pop in less than 24hrs!

New York City's hip hop star Pam Amsterdam is used to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Iggy Pop. 

But last month he flew to the UK to play to a sell out crowd of just 60 hip hop fans in a tiny venue Nantwich.

It was the latest coup in a series of gigs that local lad Tim Dougill and his band of volunteers have managed to pull off at the town's Granary Arts café – all while raising more than £18,000 for mental health charities. 

And next month they continue their march towards the £20,000 target with another night of hip-hop, this time featuring grassroots acts from Crewe, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Manchester.

Organiser Tim said: "The Pan Amsterdam gig was something else, the place was packed and the feedback was incredible. It's quite mad that Leron (Pan Amsterdam) left the Crown Hotel in Nantwich the next morning, post gig to fly to Ireland and support Iggy Pop!

"Our next event is our bread and butter, why we started doing what we're doing and giving local talent the space to showcase their talent. It really is an event bringing hip hop talents from the local areas to Nantwich under one roof!"

The July event sees the return of award-winning Staffordshire-raised rapper Blaze Florence who played one of the very first events at The Granary Arts Café back in 2022 alongside the now chart-topping Antony Szmierek. 

Blaze Florence will be joined by Crewe producer Catch92, Nantwich DJ Niall Parry, Shropshire's TrippleJayy, Manchester's Conduit and Stoke-on-Trent's Mick and Macka Morfiss.

Jack Campbell, who helps run the gigs and designs the posters for the events, said "we have created an exciting and inclusive space for emerging hip-hop artists in the area. I can't wait for this absolutely stacked line up to blow people's minds, yet again!"

Daniel Harrison (fundraising lead at Mid-Cheshire Mind) said: "The remarkable fundraising efforts of Tim and his team will have a significant impact on our mission to support the mental health of individuals in Cheshire."

He added: "The funds Moth Events have raised will directly support our wide array of services. This includes our free bereavement support group, our men's drop-in sessions, Wellbeing Wednesday workshops, and one-on-one counselling sessions. In fact, the generous donation can enable over 360 individuals to begin their counselling journeys through our free consultation sessions."

The event will be sponsored by design engineer specialists G&M Engineering Associates; this means that 50% of the ticket fees will go directly to Manchester Mind. 

Director and co-owner Steve Gallimore said: "music has been a big part of our life growing up and we can see the live music industry is going through a tough time at the moment, so when Tim approached us for help financing fundraisers, we were more than happy to help!"

Tickets are available and can be purchased via The Granary Arts Cafe website: 

https://www.thegranaryartscafe.com/event-details-registration/live-hip-hop-the-granary

Date: 11th July 2025

Time: 19:00 – 23:00