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INT. COLLEGE
Live music is something which has
brought joy and escapism to many
people over the years and I'm sure
will continue to do so for many more.
While the origin of live music can
date back to 100,000 years ago, I
think a good place to begin is the
1950s - Better known as, the birth of
Rock N' Roll. Stars like Buddy Holly,
who went on to perform at our very own
Stockton Globe on his only UK tour in
March 1958, paved the way for the
future of Rock N' Roll, as well as
Britain's first Rock N' Roll star
Tommy Steele making his debut at
Sunderland Theatre in the 1950s, which
is where we begin.
INT. SUNDERLAND EMPIRE
Montage of Empire clips.
Sunderland's Theatre, also known as
the Empire Theatre, has played a
significant role in the history of
live music performances within the
Northeast over the years. On November
5th 1956, 19 year-old Tommy Steele
made his debut performance at the
venue, making him the first person to
play an electric guitar inside of the
empire, a firefighter being in
attendance as a precaution! Steele was
quickly dubbed as Britain's answer to
Elvis Presley and went on to perform
several times at the venue throughout
his career.
Despite crowds of people attending the
venue, in May of 1959 it unfortunately
had to close due to the growing
phenomenon of television and cinema,
but this didn't last long, as it
reopened its doors once again in 1960
after being bought by Sunderland
Council. Three years later, a month
before their debut album was to be
released, the venue hosted The Beatles
on February 9th 1963 who were fourth

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on an eleven-act bill, headed by 16
year-old Helen Shapiro. Months later
on November 30th the band returned to
the Empire's stage once again, but
would unfortunately be for the last
time.
I was lucky enough to gain access to
the Empire and was shown around by
Steph Durkin, their Creative Learning
Officer, who led me to every corner
she possibly could, talking me through
all of the interesting stories that
took place where we stood, including
audience members throwing themselves
at John Lennon, to the different
ghosts which are said to haunt the
venue.
INT. COLLEGE
Images of The Rink
Another popular venue at the time also
in Sunderland was The Rink, which
arguably had its heyday in the 1950s
when the resident band was Al Flush
and his Orchestra, Saturday nights
being the most popular, with long
queues forming early. During the early
1960s many famous pop groups performed
at the venue, one of those being,
again, The Beatles, who took to the
stage on May 14th 1963, my own Nana
and Aunt being in attendance, forever
leaving me extremely envious. The late
60s and early '70s saw the demise of
big dance bands and brought about the
introduction of DJs to The Rink as
well as appearances from big names
including a young Bowie. By this time,
disco was popular and small night
clubs were considered the place to be.
The Rink eventually changed its name
to Fusion, before sadly closing in
1984.
Images of The Mayfair
As well as what many know as The
Mayfair in Sunderland, Newcastle also

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had a venue with the same name, which
opened in 1961, going on to host some
of the biggest rock acts between the
1970s and '90s. Over 38 years the
venue would host events from disco
nights to bingo, raves to ballroom
dancing, but is today best remembered
as a rock venue, missed by many. The
1960s saw the likes of The Pretty
Things and The Animals make their
debut there, as well as the New
Yardbirds who would later become Led
Zeppelin making their UK debut at the
venue, right here in the Northeast. A
typical night at The Mayfair Ballroom
would involve seeing the likes of T.
Rex in '71, AC/DC in 1980, Metallica
in '86, and in '91 both David Bowie
and Nirvana, Kurt Cobain being
described as 'Looking like everyone
else there, scruffily dresses with
ripped jeans.' To the disappointment
of many, in August 1999 5,000 people
took to the dance floor one last time
after the announcement that the venue
would be demolished to make way for
The Gate complex, making Reef the last
band to every play there.
The Modern Day
Nowadays you'll find the bigger names
playing Newcastle rather than
Sunderland due to the city's larger
number of music venues, but this isn't
to say we don't get any at all. Back
in 2016 on their reunion tour The
Spice Girls played at our very own
Stadium of Light, where I was in
attendance along with 40,000 others.
And while I may not have been close to
the stage, it truly was an incredible
experience and to be able to say I
have seen one of the biggest girl
groups perform live in my hometown is
something I never thought I'd be able
to say. As well as at the Stadium,
Herrington Country Park host music
events yearly, and I was lucky enough
to attend their Rock The Northeast
event, where I was able to see big

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names from the 80s including The Human
League, heaven 17, Go West, and more.
On the other hand, while Sunderland
may not have a large selection of
music venues for artists to attend,
luckily Newcastle does, allowing live
music to thrive in the Northeast. Due
to these venues, I have been fortunate
enough to see some of my favourite
artists live, including Blossoms at
the o2 Academy, which to date is the
best gig I have ever been to. To a lot
of peoples surprise, the o2 wasn't
always a music venue. Between 1912 and
1918, the venue opened as the Picture
House Cinema which then closed in
March 1927, soon reopening as the New
Westgate Cinema in October of the same
year. In 1959 the venue became The
Majestic Ballroom and was paid visits
by the likes of Manfred Mann, the
Small Faces, and more. Over the years
the venue became a bingo hall, before
being bought in 2005 and the o2
Academy was born. Currently the venue
is being rebranded and will open as NX
Newcastle sometime this year.
Within the next two months I also got
to see Inhaler at the University's
student union, as well as Northeast's
favourite Sam Fender at the Utilita
Arena, entering the stage to Geordie
anthem Theme of the Local Hero.
During the past month I was also able
to see Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard for the
second time, at the Cluny in
Newcastle, the energy from the band
remaining unmatched to any other once
again. Prior to the gig, I got to
interview lead singer Tom Rees, asking
his viewpoint on performing live and
more.
Interview with Tom

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