Preston gig promoters HedMag are staging three free shows over two venues in three days with an amazing 21 of the very best bands on the bill.

Headlining will be the hotly tipped Brute Chorus and the brilliant Wave Pictures, both from London, Manchester's incredible Gideon Conn and Bobby Peru.

And supporting them will be some of the best that this area has to offer, including RockNess stars and Sound08 winners Spokes and Q Mag's Glastonbury competition finalists Myth of Unity.

The weekend kicks off tonight, Friday, August 15, at the Kolor Bar on Church Street, with the Brute Chorus supported by The Uncomfortables, latino rock maestros Vencidos and indie/grime merchants Mindshock.

Then on Saturday, August 16, it's the big one with a full day of music at Preston's Mad Ferret on Fylde Road, headlined by Gideon Conn and Bobby Peru.

Alongside them will be Spokes, Myth of Unity, Mr and Mrs, Bikini Black Special, Ivan Campo, Pencil In, Silicon Talent, The Cities, Bingo Bay and Stephen Buckley and the Feverdreamers.

Finally, on Sunday, August 17, things wind down in the hands of Wave Pictures with support from Jelly's Last Jam, Charlies Hero, New Zealand Story and Roo Walker.

Friday's stars, The Brute Chorus, came together in London's trendy Greenwich but originate from the farthest reaches of the West Country.

Amy Winehouse's favourite pub, legendary Camden celeb haunt The Hawley Arms, actually began their own record label in order to put out their first single.

Led by vocalist and West Country vicar's-son-gone-feral, James Steel, The Brute Chorus are multi-instrumentalist Nick Foots, drummer and Quaker morris man's son Matthew Day – both of whom grew up in the shadow of Sellafield – and Essex boy bassist Dave Ferret.

The four met at Greenwich College and now live together in a high rise flat in Whitechapel, affectionately known as Murder Court.

Combining garage, blues and folk music with Bible stories, nursery rhymes and fairy tales, they were monthly residents at the Hawley and have played sets at The Secret Garden Party, Embrace frontman Danny McNamara's The Aftershow night in Manchester and Glastonbury Festival.

Gideon Conn deals in folk-tinged hip-hop with jazzy skiffle. Gigwise described his style as: "Hip-hop to those who don't like hip-hop."

Bobbie Peru have toured with Black Francis on his European Blue Finger Tour 2008 and supported The Fall on this year's Imperial Wax Solvent Tour. Debut album, Social Suicide, came out in September 2007, and single, I Hate The Neighbours, is out soon.

Doors open at 8pm.