Music at surprising venues throughout York will be heard by the flicker of candlelight, reports CHARLES HUTCHINSON.

BY Candlelight, a series of live music sessions in unconventional concert spaces in York, will bring a warm glow to Wednesday night when Tom Figgins and Rachel Croft share the inaugural bill.

On a monthly basis, or thereabouts, co-organisers Phil Grainger and Bradley Blackwell will light the candles and present York and national artists in locations off the beaten track, mounting their new project after each working in the arts for almost a decade.

“Now we’re putting our heads together for this joint venture,” says Phil, who ran the Alight festival in Easingwold for several years. “With contacts all over Britain, we’ll be booking some of our favourite artists to come and perform in York.

“Our venues will differ tremendously; we’re looking far and wide, from shop windows to cinemas, churches to living rooms, and the locations we have in the diary for this year range from beautiful, grand 200-capacity spaces right down to a room that can fit no more than 14 people and a performer. Needless to say, you’ll need to book for these events early to ensure you’re one of the lucky few to witness such intimate events.”

The By Candlelight team will be keeping the locations under wraps until the last minute. “You’ll be given details of the location when you’ve got your ticket,” says Phil, explaining why the location – and starting time – for Notting Hill singer-songwriter Tom Figgins and regular York busker Rachel Croft’s Wednesday show is yet to be announced.

A key feature of each gig will be the combination of a York and national act. “As there’s such a wealth of talent round York, we’re looking forward to being able to support artists with gig opportunities, whether it’s supporting or headlining,” says Phil.

“We’re so excited about the performers we’ve booked for 2015. We’re going to be hosting folk hip-hop duo Nizlopi, of JCB Song fame; Eastbourne singer-songwriter David Ford, on his tenth anniversary tour; and Curtis Eller, all the way from New York City, after kicking things off in February with Tom Figgins. The evenings are going to be such a high standard, I can’t wait, and we urge people to get in touch [via Facebook] if this is the sort of thing they want to be involved with.”

Phil foresees the mood of the live sessions differing from event to event. “Some will be the type of thing where you sit at tables and sip your drinks, with Orchards of Husthwaite supplying local beers and ciders at venues that don’t have a bar already, and some will involve the audience surrounding the artist as they play totally unplugged, hanging on their every word.

“One benefit of using unconventional spaces is that it will mean people are coming expressly to listen to the music, and we won’t be competing with background noise of other people in a venue, as is often the case. It will be a place where the artist will be able to have the full attention of the audience and really thrive.”

In addition, Phil and Bradley will be spreading their wings to London’s West End to present By Candlelight at the Arts Theatre, Leicester Square. “Many of the acts will appear at both York and London,” says “The first By Candlelight performance down there will be on March 24 and more details will be announced later.”

For details of upcoming events and other news from By Candlelight, visit their Facebook page. Tickets for Wednesday are on sale at musicglue.com/by-candlelight.

• Late news: the event will be at Your Bike Shed, Micklegate, at 7.30pm.

A quick question for Phil Grainger

What does the future hold for the Alight festival you ran in Easingwold?

“It’s on hold for the time being, while I reassess what the event should be and how to make it better,” he says.