Features
Richard O’Briens legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical The Rocky Horror Show visits the Sunderland Empire this week and is running from the 19th to 23rd January. The show was first seen on the London stage in 1973 and its fan base has grown massively since. It includes some iconic tracks including: Time Warp, Sweet Transvestite, […]
Newcastle-based band, The Pale White, have just announced a UK-wide tour for 2026. The venues span from Edinburgh to London, ending with a final wrap-up in Newcastle. The alt-rock band, currently consisting of brothers Adam and Jack Hope, originated in Wallsend and has been actively gigging since 2016. They have been from success to success […]
Football isn’t only a game between 22 players on a pitch – it’s also about the game of international power on this planet. Not to mention the love of a Sunderland-born author for his home club and city. Spark’s Ciaran Myers discovered this when he met Guardian journalist Jonathan Wilson. It’s perhaps not often that […]
Snowed In Sunlun is back, and this time it’s bigger than ever. Snowed In is a festive-themed charity gig, run by Sunderland University’s Northern Academy of Music Education (NAME) students. This year, they are expanding the initiative and putting on two shows, one at Pop Recs, Sunderland, on December 10th and the other at Vixen […]
When is a local football club more than a local football club? When it’s a lifeline – and life support – for the children and young people who live around it. Ciaran Myers discovers one such club on Tyneside. Newcastle Benfield is a Northern League football club in the heart of Walkergate, Newcastle – […]
November 27 was a day of firsts for me. Since moving to the city of Sunderland over the summer, I have already heard much about the blossoming live music scene, with The Fire Station always being on the tip of most tongues. Despite this, I had never found the chance to visit the venue. So […]
Black Friday is upon us and Cyber Monday is just around the corner. Particularly with Christmas fast approaching, this is an opportunity everyone enjoys to save money ahead of the Christmas season, so here are the top 10 businesses that are saving you money this Christmas. Amazon Amazon sells almost everything you can think […]
How do we define a monster? Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein favours tragedy over terror, but the film’s power strikes in its final tranquility. Hannah Rooney goes all gothic… It’s no easy feat to take on a literary classic. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; Or, The Modern Prometheus is widely regarded as a Gothic masterpiece – but if […]
Sunderland’s own fundraisers, Stockton Road Hit Squad, are back again with a spooktacular Halloween gig. Prominent Sunderland musicians and bands will be performing at the Independent on October 31. The gig is organised by the Stockton Road Hit Squad, a charity campaign group that supports The Bunker CIC. They have run multiple successful fundraising efforts, […]
Frustration among football fans is nothing new – but the Premier League’s financial sustainability rules have driven it to new heights on Tyneside. Ben Briggs explores why and whether financial freedom might be on the horizon. Last Tuesday marked four years since the the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia spent £300million to acquire […]
