Make MusicDay
A celebration of music #HappeningInSunderland

On Friday, 21 June, musicians will shine a spotlight on all musical genres by staging performances online and live across the UK.
We are giving a platform to Sunderland’s homegrown talent, with six designated busking spots across the City Centre where local music makers will perform everything from R&B and rock and roll to pop and folk.
This year, city centre venues will get involved with Make Music Day, in conjunction with Sunderland City Council and We Make Culture, to host live music events at various times throughout the day.
The designated busking spots are located at High Street West, Fawcett Street, Park Lane, Market Square, The Bridges and The Fire Station.
You can look forward to our city centre being filled with music on this creative day!



BUSKING spots
lineup
MARKET
SQUARE11:00AM – Bojangles Ukes
12:00PM – New Dimensions
13:00PM – Lovedays
14:00PM – Jenny DeanHIGH STREET
WEST11:00AM – Daniel Anti
12:00PM -Kimmi
13:00PM – Arthur Ely
14:00PM – Brass MonkeyPARK
LANE11:00AM – Ian Campbell
12:00PM – Sax on the Street
13:00PM – Caleb Adams
14:00PM -Scarlett EsmeFAWCETT
STREET11:00AM – Paige Temperley
12:00PM – Sarah Leilah
13:00PM – Frankie
14:00PM – Sophie FinniganFire
Station11:00AM – Isabel Maria
12:00PM – Didi
13:00PM – Hannah & Louis
14:00PM – Isabel MariaThe
Bridges11:00AM – The Lindsay Hannon Shindig Choir
11:45AM – Guitar & Ukelele drop-in sessions
12:30PM – Djembe Drumming drop-in sessions
13:15PM – DJ Luke
13:45PM – Thornhill School
14:15PM – Furthering Talent Duo – Lennon & Ollie
14:45PM Community Chorus
venues
lineup
LIVE
LOUNGEFree to enter grassroots and local live music venue on Park Lane have local band The Codgers performing at 20:30PM.
THE GLASS
ONIONWholesome Bistro on Blandford Street will be hosting live piano performances throughout the day, as well as Sunderland Male Voice Choir performing at 12 and 1:30 PM.
Sunderland’s premier live music and performance venue on High Street West are setting the stage for local secondary schools to showcase their talented students from midday.
From 19:30 PM you can enjoy a showcase featuring Sunderland College, Northern Academy Of Music Education (NAME), Young Musicians Project, Northern Roots, The Glasshouse and The Bunker.
THE
PEACOCKTraditional pub and local music venue The Peacock on High Street West have local performers The Magic Beans on stage at 21:00 PM.
OTTO
COFFEEFrankie Dobson, Marianne Hume, Harry Todd, Olivia Rose, local artists with a chilled vibe for a chilled night.
Enjoy 25 minute sets of acoustic indie & rock covers and original works from 7 PM.
THE
BOTANISTNew, popular addition to Keel Square, the botanist will host the James H Trio from 20:00 PM til late.
DIEGO’S
JOINTSunniside’s craft beer spot, Diego’s Joint, will be hosting “The Comfortable Cabaret” an integrated Pride/Music event with local performers.
The doors will be open from 18:00 PM and the performances will start at 19:30 PM.
MANOR
BARLaid-back drinking spot, The Manor Bar in Sunniside will host guitarist and vocalist Stephen Maguire from 19:00 PM.
RAINBOW
HUBGet involved in Make Music Day yourself!
With Karaoke from 17:00 PM and performers Three Odd Shoes from 19:30 PM at The Rainbow Hub in Sunniside.
Harrison &
BrownSaxophonist Sax on the Street will greet customers inside Harrison & Brown Furniture on Holmeside from 11:00 AM.
The
BunkerOpen Day at The Bunker on Stockton Road is on all day, from 12noon to 7 PM, with an opportunity to look round the studios, watch bands rehearse, perform, or record, then take part in some free 1-1 and group music activities
LIVE
ACTS
bojangles
ukesBojangles Ukes is a ukulele group based in Fulwell and Roker and have been performing for seven years playing a mixture of rock and pop songs.
They have played at the Sunderland Food & Drink Festival and at The Tall Ships event as well as dozens of Care Homes in Sunderland.
ian
campbellNorth East born and bred Ian Campbell hails from the town of Seaham.
He has been performing in venues around the North East for the last 12 years and plays a wide range of songs to suit various audiences from rock to pop to folk.
There’s something for everyone.
scarlett
esmeA singer-songwriter involved in the Young Musician’s Project. Influenced by pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa.
New
DimensionsNew Dimensions is a pioneer of electronic rock and pop with sometimes a sprinkle of dance, the music acts as a vortex into the multiverse
FRANKIE
Frankie is an artist from Sunderland.
She is a member of Young Musicians Project, has played at Pop Recs and is a member of a band called The Creeches.
Kimmi
AcousticKimmi is from Sunderland has been performing both covers and original songs, on and off for the past 12 years.
Kimmi likes to put her own touch on covers and has a country vibe about her performances with the likes of Dolly Parton, Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert being big influences of hers
Arthur
ElyWashington-based artist plays ambient soundscapes and laid-back instrumental sets, and occasional solo blues sets. Ely also plays in a bluesy duo BluesMoon with female vocalist and a rock/blues duo Akin’ Bones.
SARA
LEILAHSara Leilah is an Upcoming Musician from the northeast of England. At 22 she has played at venues such as the Sage and The Firestation alongside artists such as The Futureheads. Sharing beautiful music centred around mental health, Sara’s soft and melodic songs always cut straight to the heart.
Brass
MonkeyNorth East UK artist releasing grunge inspired bluesy rock as well as dipping toes in other genres. Supported Ryan McCombs at Think Tank Newcastle, Headlined Riverside. Debut single “Breadline” reached no 1 on the WKW CRAM Top 40. “Nowhere” reached no 3 on both this & The KB Radio Canada Top 25 & more recently no 11 on the Museboat Live Channel Top 25. “Miracle” reached no 1 on the Radio TFSC Top24.
Daniel
AntiA 24-year-old Northern Irish busker performing anything from The Beatles to Gerry Cinnamon. Specialises in a variety of different styles including Soul, Classic Rock and Country
Jenny
DeanSolo acoustic artist from Sunderland, working in the genres of indie pop and britpop. Her music has been featured on local and national radio stations including BBC Introducing, and in 2023 she won the Emerging Talent competition at Raffertys, Middlesbrough.
Jenny gigs frequently around the north east and recently opened for Jack Mylchreest at The Cluny in Newcastle, as well as taking part in the Road to Hardwick battle of the bands at the WonderBar.
Paige
TemperleyPerformer, writer and music facilitator with a passion for storytelling.
Most recently she wrote, performed and produced music for BBC 4 Radio Drama ‘Williams Castle’.
Currently, she is writing for numerous projects including the children’s musical ‘Sweet Caroline & the Football Boots’ in partnership with We Make Culture and funded by the Cultural Spring; as well as further work in the audio drama field writing for Jay Sykes’ ‘Tyler’ set for release in 2025.
Sophie
FinniganA 22-year-old singer who’s always loved performing in her spare time because she thinks music can be really powerful. She enjoys singing songs of all types of genres and helping people to enjoy their days through music when she can.
The Lindsay Hannon
Shindig ChoirAn amalgamation of 6 community choirs based in Tyne and Wear who sing unaccompanied pop, gospel & folk.
Isabel
Maria17-year-old County Durham-based songwriter Isabel Maria identified a love of storytelling as a small child, but it wasn’t until her grandfather gifted her a keyboard that she began playing an instrument.
Her involvement in Sunderland’s Young Musicians Project encouraged her to use her love of language to write her own songs, a process which became a cathartic experience for the burgeoning young songwriter.
Citing artists like Taylor Swift, Joni Mitchell, Olivia Rodrigo (who her debut single Catharsis often gets compared to) and Lorde as inspirations, Isabel’s storytelling-driven music spans indie and pop genres, often with an intriguing edge.
Sax on
The StreetEasy listening soul, r&b, reggae, pop tunes. Ian has performed with many local bands, and solo, both nationally and internationally, covering festivals, bike rallies, functions, pub circuits and private events.
Hannah &
LouisLocal duo performing pop and jazz on keyboard, guitar and vocals. Both graduates of Newcastle University music course, Hannah and Louis will be performing a mix of well-known pop songs as well as freshly written original material.
Caleb
AdamsCaleb Adams is an upcoming songwriter and musician from Sunderland, who performs as a solo artist and in the band Rokkari. A member of Young Musicians Project, Caleb is inspired by artists such as Ther Lake Poets and has played at Pop Recs, Independent and The Bunker.
DIDI
Saxophone cover artist who has played both solo and within bands in places such as The Glasshouse.
Lovedays
A north east duo, providing the hottest hits across all decades!