Visitors can enjoy music by the seafront as a diverse programme of live bands starts in South Tyneside this week(Thursday 2 June).
South Tyneside Council has lined up a fantastic programme of free live music at the open-air Amphitheatre, Sandhaven, as part of its annual Summer Festival.
The popular series is running on Thursday and Saturday evenings throughout June starting with Bessie and the Zinc Buckets – a popular rockabilly band which is well established on the North East live music scene. Bessie and the Zinc Buckets will be joined by rock blues and country quartet King Size Voodoo Traveller this Thursday(2 June), at 7pm.
Next up, on Saturday 4 June, is an evening of original rock music from The Firelight Opera, a vocal harmony driven alt-rock band and Cohesion an indie-rock band with killer hooks and sing-along choruses – both from Sunderland.
On Thursday 9 June, musicians from The CustomSpace local rehearsal rooms and recording studio including electric blues band Stratosphere, indie rock five-piece Alba Nights and rock outfit Envy will showcase their creative musical talents.
The band, UK Rock Legends, will perform hit songs of legendary bands and musicians from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s including Status Quo, Thin Lizzy and many more on Saturday 11 June. Russ Tippins will also take the stage with an acoustic performance.
South Tyneside College music students will be wowing the crowds with their annual showcase on Thursday 16 June, starting at 6.30pm.
There are more established local artists to see as the series continues when The Albino Crocodiles perform their energetic cover set, with support from
The Craic on Saturday 18 June followed by The Garage Live Showcase, featuring Beth Macari and Lauren Amour on Thursday 23 June.
The finale of live music at the Amphitheatre in June will see British 1980’s pop group The Blow Monkey’s – best known for their hits ‘Digging Your Scene’ and ‘It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way‘ – entertain the crowds at the seafront on Saturday 25 June. They will be supported by well-respected North East singer-songwriter Steve Daggett.
The Amphitheatre live music programme is organised by South Tyneside Council in partnership with Minchella & Co Ice Cream Parlours. The evenings are free to attend and all of the performances run from 7pm to 9pm(excluding Thursday 16 June which music starts at 6.30pm).
Councillor Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader of South Tyneside Council with responsibility for Culture and Leisure, said: “The Amphitheatre live music programme is a fantastic way to showcase the rich North East talent at a superb location on the South Shields seafront.
“It is a popular part of the annual South Tyneside Festival as there is something for everyone to enjoy of all ages and musical tastes. This year is yet another impressive line-up of free music at the Amphitheatre with bands and local artists taking to the stage throughout the month.”
The live music series at the Amphitheatre is just one of the musical highlights of this year’s South Tyneside Summer Festival.
The renowned free Sunday Concerts return to Bents Park in July with performances from X-Factor stars Alexandra Burke, Ben Haenow and Reggie ‘N’ Bollie, The Proclaimers plus Lindisfarne, Tony Hadley and UB40.
In addition to this, brass bands from across the North East will be playing at the Amphitheatre every Sundayafternoon in June, July and August.
There will also be live music in South Marine Park every Saturday afternoon from Saturday 16 July until Saturday 3 September, and performances by members of South Tyneside’s Wind Bands on Saturday 9 Julyfrom 10am until 12noon, thanks to The Friends of North and South Marine Park.
Visitors can also enjoy live music at the annual Proms in the Park on Sunday 3 July at South Marine Park.
Other highlights in the South Tyneside Festival include a spectacular nautical themed parade through the streets of South Shields on Saturday 2 July, South Tyneside’s Craft Markets at Harton Quays Park on the first Sunday of the month from June to September and Kids Fun-Fest at Sandhaven Amphitheatre on Tuesday and Thursdayafternoons from 2 to 25 August.
The South Tyneside Summer Festival offers a range of free live music and family friendly activities until the end of August.
For more information about the events and activities for South Tyneside Festival 2016 go to www.visitsouthtyneside.co.uk, call the South Tyneside Visitor Information Centre on (0191) 424 7788 and follow South Tyneside Events on Facebook or follow STynesideEvents on Twitter.