Music icons from Sunderland including The Futureheads, Paul Smith of Maximo Park and Field Music have come together to raise an incredible £51,955 for Sunderland children living in poverty. Organised by Sunderland Music City as part of its winter fundraising drive, Music Against Child Poverty LIVE saw more than 10 bands take the stage in front of a capacity crowd at The Fire Station in Sunderland. (Image: Sunderland City Music) Tickets, merchandise sales, sponsorship, a charity raffle and fringe events from We Make Culture, NAME and PopFlix helped Sunderland Music City surpass its fundraising goal and today they donated £51,955 —the most money ever raised at a live event in Sunderland.
All funds will go directly to charity Love, Amelia, which helps local children and their families access the essential supplies they need. The Live Aid-style concert saw acts perform classic songs by music legends, with some even dressing the part too. (Image: Tynesight) The night kicked off in explosive fashion with Stockton Road Hit Squad, a collection of musicians associated with The Bunker, performing three songs as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
They were joined by Celadore’s Rachael Small, singing as Stevie Nicks, and also welcomed a very special guest for their final song. At the climax of the classic track Free Fallin’, the band brought out eleven-year-old drumming student Isaac Crawford, who receives tuition at The Bunker. Isaac smashed the final moments of the song, earning .