SALISBURY Live kicked off at the weekend with local favourites joining some big tribute acts.

Despite being moved indoors, after heavy rain earlier in the week, the launch event at Salisbury Rugby Club on Sunday was rocking from afternoon through to late evening.

Organiser Colin Holton said: "It was a fantastic event and it was justified that we moved it indoors as the field where we originally planned to hold the launch was waterlogged.

"We had to take a hit on ticket sales because of capacity but the atmosphere was absolutely amazing, loads of happy people with all the acts on top form."

I arrived in the evening, just in time to catch the superb tribute acts, which included Slady – the world's only all-female Slade tribute act. The four lasses belted out the group's best hits and got the local crowd singing and dancing, before the room full of avid Slade and Smiths fans and general live music lovers alike mingled to watch headline act The Smiths Ltd put on an amazing performance of some of the group’s greatest hits. Heaven knows they weren’t miserable now, as the crowd danced and sang along to a set including Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before, Bigmouth Strikes Again, This Charming Man, Girlfriend in a Coma and There is a Light That Never Goes Out. With his head tilts and hip-swaying mannerisms, the frontman was uncannily like Morrissey himself.

It was a smashing launch to Salisbury Live and credit to Colin Holton for managing to book these top class tribute bands.