Make Music
Day

A celebration of music #HappeningInSunderland

Young man playing guitar and singing on High Street West for Make Music Day Sunderland 2023

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!

Make Music Day

BUSKING spots
lineup

    • Man singing and playing guitar in Market Square for Make Music Day 2023 sunderland

      MARKET
      SQUARE

      11:00AM – Bojangles Ukes
      12:00PM – New Dimensions
      13:00PM – Lovedays
      14:00PM – Jenny Dean

    • Young man singing and playing guitar on High Street West, Sundelrand for Make Music Day 2023

      HIGH STREET
      WEST

      11:00AM – Daniel Anti
      12:00PM -Kimmi
      13:00PM – Arthur Ely
      14:00PM – Brass Monkey

    • Woman sat on monument playing a saxaphone

      PARK
      LANE

      11:00AM – Ian Campbell
      12:00PM – Sax on the Street
      13:00PM – Caleb Adams
      14:00PM -Scarlett Esme

    • young woman singing and playing guitar on Fawcett Street for Make Music Day Sunderland 2023

      FAWCETT
      STREET

      11:00AM – Paige Temperley
      12:00PM – Sarah Leilah
      13:00PM – Frankie
      14:00PM – Sophie Finnigan

    • lots of people enjoying drinks outside of the Engine Room in Sunderland Fire Station

      Fire
      Station

      11:00AM – Isabel Maria
      12:00PM – Didi
      13:00PM – Hannah & Louis
      14:00PM – Isabel Maria

    • The Lindsay Hannon Shindig Choir

      The
      Bridges

      11:00AM – 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 Lounge Sunderland

        LIVE
        LOUNGE

        Free to enter grassroots and local live music venue on Park Lane have local band The Codgers performing at 20:30PM.

      • The Glass Onion Sunderland

        THE GLASS
        ONION

        Wholesome 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.

      • Fire Station Sunderland

        FIRE
        station

        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 Peacock Sunderland

        THE
        PEACOCK

        Traditional pub and local music venue The Peacock on High Street West have local performers The Magic Beans on stage at 21:00 PM.

      • otto coffee sunderland

        OTTO
        COFFEE

        Frankie 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 Botanist Sunderland

          THE
          BOTANIST

          New, popular addition to Keel Square, the botanist will host the James H Trio from 20:00 PM til late.

        • diegos joint sunderland

          DIEGO’S
          JOINT

          Sunniside’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.

        • The Manor Bar Sunderland

          MANOR
          BAR

          Laid-back drinking spot, The Manor Bar in Sunniside will host guitarist and vocalist Stephen Maguire from 19:00 PM.

        • Rainbow Hub Sunderland

          RAINBOW
          HUB

          Get 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 & Brown Sunderland

          Harrison &
          Brown

          Saxophonist Sax on the Street will greet customers inside Harrison & Brown Furniture on Holmeside from 11:00 AM.

        • The Bunker - Sunderland

          The
          Bunker

          Open 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 UKES

            bojangles
            ukes

            Bojangles 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 Campbell

            ian
            campbell

            North 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 Esme

            scarlett
            esme

            A singer-songwriter involved in the Young Musician’s Project. Influenced by pop artists such as Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa.

          • New Dimensions

            New
            Dimensions

            New Dimensions is a pioneer of electronic rock and pop with sometimes a sprinkle of dance, the music acts as a vortex into the multiverse

          • Young person singing and playing guitar - Frankie

            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 Acoustic

            Kimmi
            Acoustic

            Kimmi 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 Ely

            Arthur
            Ely

            Washington-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 Leilah

            SARA
            LEILAH

            Sara 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 Monkey

              Brass
              Monkey

              North 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 Anti

              Daniel
              Anti

              A 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 Dean

              Jenny
              Dean

              Solo 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 Temperley

              Paige
              Temperley

              Performer, 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 FinniganSophie Finnigan

              Sophie
              Finnigan

              A 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 Choir

              The Lindsay Hannon
              Shindig Choir

              An amalgamation of 6 community choirs based in Tyne and Wear who sing unaccompanied pop, gospel & folk.

            • Isabel Maria

              Isabel
              Maria

              17-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.

            • Ian Douglas - Sax on the Street

              Sax on
              The Street

              Easy 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 and Louis

              Hannah &
              Louis

              Local 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 Adams

              Caleb
              Adams

              Caleb 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

              DIDI

              Saxophone cover artist who has played both solo and within bands in places such as The Glasshouse.

            • Lovedays

              Lovedays

              A north east duo, providing the hottest hits across all decades!