CHRIS Sherrington and Chris Tuke are celebrating their fifth anniversary of taking over the Fulford Arms in York with a series of concerts.

The two Chrises have been in charge since January 2014, transforming the Fulford Road pub into a bustling music and arts venue.

"The last year has been our busiest yet as we've hosted more than 245 gigs with 900 different performers," says Sherrington.

"After redesigning the entire venue and building a designated performance area in 2014, we've continued improving facilities. We've now added to this with the sound system from The Duchess, in Stonebow, and lighting and audio-visual equipment to rival any other large music venue, as well as developing the outdoor space to feature an urban beach."

The celebrations are under way, with concerts each night since last Saturday continuing with Segregates, The See No Evils, Bad Knaves and Fat Spatula tonight (donations on the door); The Surprise Party with free entry tomorrow, and punk headliners Angelic Upstarts, Red London and The Swindells on Friday (tickets £15).

On Saturday, The Howl & The Hum will return to the scene of last year's gig that won the York band the Outstanding Live Performance prize in the 2018 York Culture Awards. On the £8 bill too will be Fawn; Amy May Ellis; Honey Smugglers; Nathan Luke; We Are Hannah; Sisters & Brothers and Pavilion.

York Press:

Saturday headliners: The Howl & The Hum

The festivities will conclude with Repulsive Vision, An@l Floss Is Boss and Coprocephalic Mutation on Sunday; tickets cost £5 in advance.

Earlier gigs featured Avalanche Party, Dense, Bull, Ravenous Hounds, Kieff and Perspex last Saturday; Ashestoangels, Pray For Hayden, Kill The Silence, My Wonderful Daze and Heartsink last Sunday; Soma Crew, Neuschlaufen, Flora Greysteel and Wolf Solent, on Monday, and Northern Radar's bill of The Receivers, Neon Salmon, Silvertones and Azera last night.

"At the heart of the Fulford Arms is a desire to help support the York music scene, as well as to bring national talent to York and provide a community centre to help inspire and drive local arts and culture," says Sherrington.

"Being an independent venue has its struggles but as owners we've had the freedom to make changes to help improve production quality and support a variety of performances."

The transformation of the unused kitchen into a snug and games room enables people to "get away from the noise and excitement of the main gig room" for a quiet pint and a game of bar billiards, a traditional pub game that The Fulford Arms, along with assorted York drinking places, has helped to champion over the past few years.

"We feel that the space we have here offers itself to being more than just a place for people to enjoy a drink and we're looking forward to helping support any local community groups looking for a space, as well as continuing to work with excellent local promoters, such as Joe Coates, Dan & Naomi Gott, Chris Jones, Simon Pattison and Aaron Brown, to bring the best musical talents from across the globe to York," says Sherrington.

"Whether it's live music, community events, cinema, traditional pub games or just a quality pint or gin and tonic, the Fulford Arms is proud to be entering its fifth year and continues to expand and develop as a key part of York’s cultural offering."